The FlexTones will return to our routine of rocking out in various bars around the Willamette Valley starting next weekend with a Fri/Sat stint at Crossroads Bar and Grill.  My buddy Jay will be celebrating his birthday there Friday night, and it will now doubt be so much fun.  Now that smoking is prohibited in all bars in Oregon I can finally do what I love to do (rocking out with my buddies) without exposing myself to second-hand smoke.  That constant weekend exposure used to cause concerned individuals to warn me about the risks of what I enjoy doing.  Like the airline stewardesses before me, I can now do what I love to do without having to constantly breathe in those carcinogens.  I can now claim with greater certainty than ever that playing drums is good for me

A well-known drummer, Clem Burke, has been studying the physical demands of playing drums in a rock band for the past eight years.  He has been working with Dr Marcus Smith from the University of Chichester and Dr Steve Draper from the ....University.. of ..Gloucestershire.....  They have recently reported findings that rock drumming burns an average of somewhere between 400 and 600 calories per hour.  Burke, who has drummed for Blondie, The Ramones, Joan Jett, Pete Townshend and a number of other major groups has been intensely focused on the physiology of drumming; and now uses that knowledge as a key consultant with the Guitar Hero World Tour.  But the physical benefits are only part of the story.

There is a clear emotional benefit to drumming as well.  I often refer to my weekend gigs as a form of therapy; releasing tension from my days as a middle school social studies teacher by rocking out with my best friends.  Watching people as they first begin to nod their heads as they listen to the music sends me a message that we're on the right track.  Some people may subtly shift in their chairs; others may play 'air drums' along with me; most folks in their own way will begin to return some of the energy we throw off the stage.  Watching people react to the rhythm I create kicks my adrenal glands into high gear, and I just know this has to be good for me. I know it is good for those air drummers as well.

There is much more to be said on this topic of drumming for health, and I plan to discuss the various aspects of drumming for health in greater detail soon on this blog.