I have been playing the drums again now for several weeks and my foot/ankle seems to be holding up well with no lingering pain, no achilles problems and no plater fasciitis symptoms. I am stoked about this.
Since I hadn’t played in over a year, I expected to be rusty and uncoordinated. I was, a little. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the muscle music memory I have maintained.
I’ve started at the beginning working through exercises from my most challenging drum music book. These have been shockingly easy to pick up.
Reading the music has become second nature. In a glance, I can sight read the entire exercise, immediately understanding what to do. Then, when playing, my hands and feet fall right into the pattern with ease. I can even now play many new grooves in real time as I am reading them much in the same way I can read written words.
Other than being a little slower overall, I’ve noticed no drop off from my extended break due to injury.
I am a numbers and patterns guy. I am constantly counting, calculating and manipulating numbers in my head. It’s something I’ve done my entire life. Reading and playing drum music aligns with this innate proclivity.
I just didn’t expect it. It’s been pretty sweet to add drumming back into my regular routine.
