Brain Games For Musicians - By Avinash Srinivas

As a professional musician and an educator, a question I often come across is how

drummers/musicians can stay focused and be productive during their practice

routines.

Most of us find it difficult, to get past the one-hour mark during our practice

either due to distractions or fatigue, as drumming can be physically exhausting.

In this blog, I'd like to share a few simple techniques, I incorporate during

practice, that have helped me understand concepts quicker, as well as developing

an efficient and a fun practice routine!

Before we get started off with the exercises, I would like to talk a little bit about

what goes on inside your brain, when you're learning something new. I think it's

important to spend some time understanding the process of learning, as this can

help accelerate the process and also gain a deeper understanding of the subject.

Learning occurs in two stages, they are the active mode and the passive mode. In

active mode, you have full concentration on the topic you are working on. You

usually begin in this mode, as this is where you begin to understand the subject

and gain insights to what you're learning about.

In the passive mode, you let your subconscious work for you, to internalise the

concept. It is as important as the active mode because, one might find it difficult

to concentrate on a topic for long periods in the active mode and can be mentally

draining.

It is extremely important to switch between the different modes of learning, as

this helps in strengthening the neural connections to thoroughly understand the

concept and more importantly, retain the same. After all, practice makes

permanent!

Now that we have a brief understanding on what goes on during learning, let's

move on to simple exercises that I usually start off with, before I sit down for my

practice session.

I start my practice at 4 PM, as I am more active during the evenings. I grab a quick

bite and hydrate well before I sit down to practice as the brain needs glucose

(food broken down) to study and remember things. I start with some deep

breathing (inhale for 8 seconds and exhale for 8 seconds), as this ensures a

healthy supply of oxygen to the brain.

We have all heard about how listening to music can help you study better,

especially math, but have you ever tried solving math before and after practicing?

This is a really powerful technique as it helps activate different areas of the brain

(the logical and the creative side), resulting in improved creativity, thinking and

performance.

The first exercise I would like you to start off with is, what I call the Numero-

Alpha. Start by reciting the alphabets and attaching a number to them. Next, start with the numbers followed by the alphabets.

1. A1, B2, C3, D4, E5.... Z26

2. 1 A. 2B, 3C, 4D, 5E... 26Z

In the second exercise, I count out all the odd and even numbers between 0 and

100, also say them backwards.

1. 2, 4, 6, 8... 100

2. 100, 98, 96... 2

3. 1, 3, 5, 7... 99

4. 99, 97, 95... 1

For the last exercise (this one is my favorite!), I usually write out some simple

calculations and try to solve them as quickly as I can. Feel free to write down your

own problems based on the examples below -

• 2+3 = 7-3 = 7x8 = 8/4 =

• 4+5 = 6-5 = 3x7 = 9/3 =

• 6+5 = 5-1 = 4x5 = 14/7 =

• 3+7 = 9-9 = 2x3 = 55/5 =

I would recommend using a timer when trying out the exercises mentioned

above. I usually set a timer for 45 seconds to a minute per exercise and try to do

these calculations as quickly as possible. Speed is essential here, the reason we’re

doing simple calculations is so that we don’t spend a lot of time on thinking about

the solutions.

I have tried these exercises out with most of my students and I've always gotten a

positive feedback, as it helps you concentrate better.

You can start with any or all of these exercises before you start off and also do

them when you're taking breaks in between your practice. I’d also encourage you

to come up with your own exercises but make sure you keep them simple.

The exercises and the information provided can be used not just by drummers,

but other musicians too. These techniques can also be applied to other art forms.

I hope you found this information on this blog, interesting and useful. I would love

to hear your thoughts on the exercises and the information provided. Remember

to practice smart and most importantly having fun while you practice!