Sick Drummer Magazine

i have been blasting for about a year now, and as of lately during a show or practice, my right fore arm and wrist will tense up, making it really uncomfortable and strenuous to blast. Is this common with people that extensively use blast beats? are there any tips or exercises that anyone can recommend?

thanks.

ya...it's never happend to me really, but remember to relax your muscles and let the stick rebound or balance itself. find the equilibrium of the stick.

just warm up your forearms like you're preparing for an athletic event (because it is). look around on youtube...there's lots of videos on warming up. bring a practice pad to gigs to warm up on, and take it seriously.

Relax. Breathe. Tension can come when your primary muscles get tired and you start to force the beat with secondary muscles, such as the triceps and shoulders. I'm not sure exactly which muscles you use because it depends on your grip and stuff, but generally your wrist and fingers should be what your using. PRACTICE! Practice SLOWLY! You shouldn't always practice your blasts at 200 bpm or whatever for 1 minute. Try going a lot slower for a lot longer, with a metronome. Even though you're not going at top speed, you burn more efficiency into your muscles. Think of this as practicing some kind of kung-fu where you move real slow in practice and explode at game time.
Search for "Derek Roddys Drum Lessons" on YouTube. Watch them all, in order, and he'll show you how to get it done.

Carr,

I dont know what your schedule/routine is like before you go on stage, but i cant emphasize enough how stretching and breathing exercises can help you before you go on stage. If you take the time to do 15 minutes of stretching before you go on i'm sure your forearms will be in much better shape.