I play better when I'm drunk

Tannin · March 2022

I play better when I'm drunk (probably).

It's Friday night here in Oz and after two or three rakias, I play brilliantly. Well, OK, not with the technical flair I might display at 9AM on a Wednesday - I know better than to try and do hard stuff - but with a bluesy feel and a sense of musicality that puts my usual playing to shame. (Maybe.)

thecolourbox · March 2022

Is it a bit like how people think they are better at speaking french/dancing/singing/debating their political beliefs when they are drunk? They aren't better, they just think they are

stickyfiddle · March 2022

One drink can be good to stop you overthinking without learning motor control - same as playing pool.

Enough that you can feel it, and it’s what @thecolourbox says

Barney · March 2022

I find that when I play I feel as though the second set is better than the first when iv had a few drinks

What I have found ...I feel more relaxed and can get into the music more rather than my own playing ...iff you know what mean ...

The negative ...iff I have something in my head that I want to play at any given time ...sometimes impossible to pull off ...I will go for it without a second thought ....

mudslide73 · March 2022

We played a birthday party for our other guitarist's wife where we could have a drink - I ended up having about 6 pints of Stella. The gig felt amazing and I was able to insert loads of extra licks and noises all over the shop - there was no pressure at all. There's a recording that I'll never listen to because I know I'll sound terrible.

Cryptid · March 2022

For me, one drink doesn't make me think I'm better at anything; it does help calm the over-analytical and self-critical thoughts, helping me to relax and really get into the moment and flow with the music.

Any more brings diminishing returns.

Mattharrier · March 2022

There's two parts to this, I find - being a bit drunk tends to make me relax, so I'm better at some things than when I'm sober and tense (like pool, for instance).

The other side of it is that I think I'm better at things when drunk - the challenge is being able to identify the point at which the former becomes the latter.

I certainly tend to enjoy doing a lot of things with a beer or two in me - I wouldn't say I'm better at playing guitar than when I'm sober, but up to a point I probably enjoy it more because I'm not worrying about how it actually sounds as much; which probably makes me play a little better (until I have more to drink, or sober up a little bit, and it all falls apart).

flying_pie · March 2022

I've always found I play better until I have more than a couple of pints

Edit - Link broken now but watch The Inebriati sketch by Mitchell and Webb if you need proof

springhead · March 2022

Our bass player and myself used to meet for beers after work before going on to band rehearsal. We proved empirically that 3 pints was the maximum. 4 was questionable and on the one occasion when Mr 5 came knocking, and we let him in, things didn’t go well.

Dominic · March 2022

Whenever the Police have stopped me I've explained that I always drive better when I'm drunk but they aren't convinced

Danny1969 · March 2022

I think it depends on the material and your tolerance for alcohol. I’m in Wales tonight playing Kate Bush songs … I will have only 3 beers before going on.

Tomorrow I’m playing a covers set in my local and will have 7 or 8
My playing is ok up to around 6 pints … some of the best recorded live stuff I have done has been on a few beers . You can go too far though

Stratavarious · April 2022

I think I do too…. Then I see all the social media clips

merlin · April 2022

On this very subject is an excellent recent film by Thomas Vinterberg called "Another Round".

Recommended.

Danny1969 · April 2022

@merlin I loved that film and the bit where they are day drinking but in moderation is fairly accurate I think

LastMantra · April 2022

Alcohol nah, opiods however...

I don't play anywhere near as much since I quit.

BillDL · April 2022

Could it just be that when you are less inhibited by alcohol you give less of a shit if you mess up occasionally, and are therefore more inclined to leave safe territory and take risks?

Tannin · April 2022

BillDL said:

Could it just be that when you are less inhibited by alcohol you give less of a shit if you mess up occasionally, and are therefore more inclined to leave safe territory and take risks?

Yes.

And also (sort of the reverse of that) I lose my compulsion to avoid playing anything "too simple and easy" just because it sounds nice, and stop playing too many bloody notes. And I slow down a bit and play with better feel instead of just trying to play every damn thing 10% faster than I really can.

PolarityMan · April 2022

Tannin said:

BillDL said:

Could it just be that when you are less inhibited by alcohol you give less of a shit if you mess up occasionally, and are therefore more inclined to leave safe territory and take risks?

Yes.

And also (sort of the reverse of that) I lose my compulsion to avoid playing anything "too simple and easy" just because it sounds nice, and stop playing too many bloody notes. And I slow down a bit and play with better feel instead of just trying to play every damn thing 10% faster than I really can.

If you can freely vary your time then you're not really performing or practising though because you should be in time with everyone else ( or the metronome)

Tannin · April 2022

Only if you are playing in a band.

PolarityMan · April 2022

I drink better if I'm playing

Bezzer · April 2022

Watch the Amol Rajan interview with Nile Rogers on iPlayer. He thought the same too, and was wrong.

if Nile was wrong, you are more wrong.

Tannin · April 2022

^ Never heard of any of them.

flying_pie · April 2022

At the risk of being boring, the science behind all this is clear.

A small amount of alcohol can reduce performance related anxiety. Depending on where you sit on the Yerkes-Dodson curve at the time that might be a good thing. It also might not.

Alcohol reduces coordination and relfexes which will impair your ability to play accurately. Disinhibition caused by alcohol will make you overestimate your ability and leads to bad decision making.

There's a huge amount of scientific date on all this if you look up driving and alcohol studies. While there aren't specific studies, it's perfectly reasonable to assume it's the same with guitar as it's the same physiological processes involved.

You might get away with it to a certain extent, particularly if you're playing easy stuff. To make it more complicated, disinhibited behaviour can arguably appear cool if you're Keith Moon but not if you're Kill 'Em All era Dave Mustaine. And we all know the perils of long term alcohol/drug use in musicians with a huge list of those lost to it - that usually starts of innocently and increases insidiously.

Of course, you can also get away with it much more if your audience are more drunk than you are but beware that mobile phone recordings put on social media do not have a "I was drunk" filter to replicate what they heard through their alcohol befuddled brain and will reveal the horrible reality.

ToneControl · May 2022

Tannin said:

I play better when I'm drunk (probably).

It's Friday night here in Oz and after two or three rakias, I play brilliantly. Well, OK, not with the technical flair I might display at 9AM on a Wednesday - I know better than to try and do hard stuff - but with a bluesy feel and a sense of musicality that puts my usual playing to shame. (Maybe.)

Do I also sound better when you're drunk?

Hootsmon · May 2022

It's a bit like shaggin'....get the amount just right and it's as sweet as a nut

Hootsmon · May 2022

get the amount wrong and it's over too soon or bang away til morning.......

Tannin · June 2023

merlin · June 2023

A reporter asked Stan Getz why he played all of his gigs drunk. He replied "Because I practice drunk."

Jalapeno · June 2023

Trying not to soung too po-faced, but ...

SRV thought that way at the start of his career and wrote a song about his error - Crossfire.

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I play better when I'm drunk

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