Is It Ever Ok To Go On Autopilot When Drumming?

So, I’ve gotten a lot of heat for saying this phrase:

“sometimes it’s ok to go on autopilot…”

Yes, I’ve said this to students before and there are instructors who would respond with, “I would never say that to a student.”

But it depends on the context…right?

It is true that you should always be focused to play at the highest levels of drumming possible. Letting off your focus for even an instant can have disastrous consequences to your rep and your line. However, as human beings, we only have so much mental bandwidth for simultaneous responsibility.

As marching percussionists, we have to focus on our playing, playing clean with the line, execute the correct heights, hit our dots and guide to the form all while making any necessary adjustments due to unforeseen circumstances.

Realistically, it’s very difficult to focus on everything at the same time at the highest levels possible.

It is in these situations that you must call on autopilot.

For example, if you wanted to focus on your heights, it might be better to make sure you have the rhythm down first. Once the rhythm is memorized and you can execute with good tempo and interpretation, then you can put the playing on pilot a little bit (muscle memory) and focus more on your heights.

Then, once your heights are in order, you can go back on focusing on both your playing and your heights. Yet, all the while, your highest levels of overall focus are maintained. So at no point is your focus diminished for any reason…it is carefully selected for maximum efficiency and output.

So, does that sound like the kind of autopilot where you turn your brain off, or is it more of a selective thing to maximize your execution when dealing with simultaneous responsibility?

Let me know what you think? How do you manage simultaneous responsibility?

For further perspective, make sure you to watch the video below: