intoxicated guitar playing or singing.

It's like most things. If you're really uptight about playing in front of people then a beer or two (or more, it depends on how many drinks you normally have) might help you loosen up a bit and relax, but it's all downhill after that. I recommend trying to get to the point in your playing where you're relaxed while playing without any drugs or alcohol though (ie practice it so much you can't screw it up).

Many people seem to feel that a small amount to drink is OK, but anything more is definitely a bad move. The tricky part of the "just one before I play - to relax me" approach is that once you've had the one, there's a tendency to then feel sure that two wouldn't hurt, and two tends to make you certain that five would be even better, and so on...

As Noff says, the best approach is to be able to relax without any chemical help. But I'm sure that it depends a lot on what your regular routines are. These days it doesn't take much to throw me off line, so I tend not to........ excuse me, but all this talk of drink is making me feel that it's time for an evening glass of red...... honestly Officer, my wife will be driving the piano home...

Chris

As one who has been known to have the occasional tipple....

If you're at home playing for your own amusement, it's up to you how much you drink. If you're playing in front of people, well - it's up to you to decide where the line is. You have a responsibility to the audience - so if you're slurring your words and missing your cues and fluffing your changes, you're letting the audience and yourself down. Even an amateur guitarist should strive to be "professional" in attitude, and you can't be professional if you're high on booze or other intoxicants. One or two to relax, yes - relaxed to the point of falling over, no. Laid-back, yes - laid-out, NO!

Sun's over the yardarm - pass the Carlsberg.........

:D :D :D

Vic

+1

I've done a lot of gigging (I do it for a living) and in my youth I did some drinking and other intoxicants and I have seen the effects on myself and my fellow musicians.

After evaluating what happens to other musicians when they have a couple "to take the edge off" and of course not noticing that it had any effect on me, I came to the conclusion that getting high on the job probably adversely affects my own playing ;) .

I also noticed that most club owners look down on musicians who drink on the job (even if they do their own fair share of imbibing).

Since I take my profession seriously, I decided the professional approach was to NOT get high on the job, not even "one to take the edge off". Since then I noticed that when I am straight, the intoxicant effects on my fellow musicians were worse than I thought when I had one or two myself.

Do what you want, but in my opinion, when you are on the job, you are working (even though you are actually playing music) and you owe it to the audience to be at your top form. You cannot be at your top form when you are high.

If you "need one" to play in front of an audience, you will never get over your "stage fright" and you will always "need one". The best way to overcome your fear is to face it. After a while you will become perfectly comfortable on stage.

Being in a band is like being in a small business. Your business is competing with other bands. If you can provide a better product than your competition you are likely to get more work. Being at top form helps you have a better product than your competitor.

Insights and incites by Notes

At a minimum, I'd prefer to have a very sober rhythm section, as timing seems to be one of the first casualties. And with a rock solid rhythm section, the rest of us can pretty much do as we want (within reason) and get away with it. :wink:

Since I take my profession seriously, I decided the professional approach was to NOT get high on the job, not even "one to take the edge off". Since then I noticed that when I am straight, the intoxicant effects on my fellow musicians were worse than I thought when I had one or two myself.

I haven't got the same self-disclipline as Notes - I like a couple to get loose. Then again, I don't want to get so loose I fall apart!

:D :D :D

Vic

Being in a band is like being in a small business. Your business is competing with other bands. If you can provide a better product than your competition you are likely to get more work. Being at top form helps you have a better product than your competitor.

There's a lot of sense in this. I'm always clean when I work

A :-)

My playing gets bad when I've had too many. I can have a few beers and sound OK, but once I'm tanked I don't play so well. Playing for fun and rehersing is one thing, but if I were doing a paying gig I would be sober and save the beers for after.

On stage I'm always completely sober. Mostly because I'm afraid of screwing up if I'm not in complete control.

Practice, though, is a whole 'nother thing. I always took 3 beers with me. Sometimes I drank all 3, sometimes I came home with one. I like a small buzz, but I don't like to get drunk. Ever.

And, here is the perfect example of why it's important to stay sober on stage. (She really is singing in English!) I would have been livid if I had paid good money to see a performance like this!

Billy Joe sung 'Hitchin' a Ride' in inebriated style.

I usually have a beer after setting up before the first set. But I go easy and usually that beer will last me through the entire first set. I will usually get another at first break, and again that will last me through the second set. I usually stop there for several reasons. I want to perform well, plus the drive home later. I have a great driving record and there is no way I am going to risk a serious ticket like that. At next break I will usually ask for water and drink that the rest of the night.

I have never been a big drinker to begin with, two beers has always been about my limit.

And, here is the perfect example of why it's important to stay sober on stage. (She really is singing in English!) I would have been livid if I had paid good money to see a performance like this!

Even drunk as a lord, I'd hope to have enough brain cell left not to pay good money to watch Ms Winecellar, whatever condition she chose to turn up in.

:D :D :D

Vic

Practice, though, is a whole 'nother thing. I always took 3 beers with me. Sometimes I drank all 3, sometimes I came home with one.
Back a while, I ran across the theory of state dependent memory, which basically says you can remember things better if your mind is in a similar state as when you learned it.

Learn drunk, remember best drunk.
Learn sober, remember best sober.

I've only "tested" it in one direction, but I know I don't remember things properly when drunk, if I learned them sober.
I may think at the time that I remember perfectly, but...