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Psychedelics & Performing Musically

I find LSD helps me with singing as I basically become the music while on it, so it has taught me a lot in that way.
 
I usually smoke weed and drink a few martinis when I have to play in public, but I've never tried with psychedelics. I think I'd try with shrooms.
 
weed and guitar
mdma and drums


ive lost many a good riff to the dead cold walls paper and various other unapreciative inanimate objects, never to be heard by human ears other than my own. some reely good stuff comes out every now and then when i just start and go with it..needs to be good trees tho and i should have recorded myself. dont make the same mistakes. sometimes ur writin cool sounding stuff and ur just too bllassteedd to know it...or remember it for that matter
 
Afterm4th said:
marijuana and a few beer when playing live

LSD when recording tracks
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I spent 45 minutes trying to tune a guitar on acid (and it still sounded out!)- it does nothing for that sort of cold hard musical skill - this was in the days before digital/electronic tuning aids. How bands like Jefferson Airplane played gigs while tripping is totally beyond me as their stuff is hardly simple. Fuck I could hardly manage to play stuff like Hawkwind's in that state, never mind songs with serious structure
 
i have had experiences playing on both LSd and musrooms and with both i have had times where my plaing.improvising was definitly improved and practically effortless and i even noticed an increased manual dexterity. But i have also had times where i couldnt play for shit. Theres no way to predict how it will effect you although u may be able to do certain things to help. Maybe listening excercizes before and during come-up to get your mind focused on it.
 
In all of the bands that I've ever been in, taking into account all of the acid I've ever done in my life, I am surprised to announce that I've never tried playing a show while tripping. I've used acid numerous times in a creative manner, in the studio, for the express purpose of writing new music, but as far as performing goes, I've always been way too self-conscious to do it.

When I trip to write music, I find myself completely getting lost, WAY deep down the rabbit hole, playing weird shit on the guitar that I don't think humans are supposed to be hearing yet... I catch myself going off on strange tangents and not realizing I'm doing it. I'm recording it all, so I can come back to it later and analyze what I'm doing, and, yeah, I think it's probably smart of me to have never taken acid before playing a show with any band I've ever been in....
 
Church said:
and, yeah, I think it's probably smart of me to have never taken acid before playing a show with any band I've ever been in....
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please elaborate.... is it just not accessible later?
 
I'm tryin it with my band soon, I've played bass while tripping, But yeah i gotta agree with church, You just go with the flow when your on acid. What type of music do you play?
 
Ximot, all I mean is that I've ended up in some distant strange lands while I am simply playing guitar by myself, writing new music, while tripping... so I've always worried that if I tried tripping while playing a show, even with other musicians on stage with me, helping to keep me focused on one thing, that I would STILL end up going way deep down the rabbit hole, while there's an audience watching me and stuff.

I can't explain it, it just was always one of the very few fears that I've had.... playing a show on acid, and going so far down the rabbit hole that the audience knows I'm tripping. Awww, whatever. :\

Mikec, I mostly played in rock bands. I used to play in a lot of metal bands, and grindcore punk bands when I was younger... but the older I get, the more I like to just sing, instead of scream. I have a nice voice, actually, so I like using it. Lately though, I've been so involved in engineering and production, that the only guitar playing I've done has been session work.
 
fastandbulbous said:
I spent 45 minutes trying to tune a guitar on acid (and it still sounded out!)- it does nothing for that sort of cold hard musical skill - this was in the days before digital/electronic tuning aids. How bands like Jefferson Airplane played gigs while tripping is totally beyond me as their stuff is hardly simple. Fuck I could hardly manage to play stuff like Hawkwind's in that state, never mind songs with serious structure
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Imagine tuning/playing an instrument on DiPT.8o
 
I've never tried psychedelics while playing drums either; I usually just have a few beers before playing live....I'm not sure what would happen if I tried shrooms or lsd while playing. Either my arms would either turn into jelly or I would be possessed by a demon and play the shit out of the drums. (I'm in a metal band btw.)
 
^^^That makes sense, but I wonder if its your perception of the music that is deepened, and not the intricacy or quality of the music.
 
^ I think psychedelics just show you the way if you need to be shown, as lsd has done with my singing, can't see how its just the perception. I think they teach you to concentrate that extra bit harder, and that's when the magic happens.
 
as a drummer myself, i think mushrooms would make me too spacey and tried to play well for decent duration. acid might be ok, but i think the "weaker" psychs would be your best bet, maybe 2C-I??

definately dont do a dissociative though, i played drums on DXM once and it was..... hard, as expected.
 
Anyone know if mdma would be good for singing on stage? I want something to free me up on there so i can enjoy it, not sure if mdma is the right thing though it seems to be.
 
I play guitar, and I have had some times on acid where I've been busting out the funkiest blend of flamenco and little bluesy licks, where everything falls into place and just flows with the fractals around me. :) There's other times I'm tripping and just can't get beyond a few little riffs. Even though I've played for nearly a decade...and still learning. :)
 
thehandtruck said:
No it didn't come from blotter, it came from you. Forget that and become lost in a chemical.
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I know it came from me, that's what I mean but upon reading my post I see that I should have clarified.
 
This weekend I tried playing on the bass for a while while on a low dose of 2c-b. I'm just starting to learn to play (only played for about two months; first instrument) but I figured out a few things, and my musical ear really improved. I even figured out how to play a Primus song I was trying hard to learn.

Playing an instrument on psychedelics was something I had been waiting to do, but since I don't actually own a bass I have to play on a friend of mines, so I can only play for a few days a week. I'm really looking forward to doing it again, as I learned alot more than I ordinarily would have in just one night.
 
Hi! First post.

My first acid trip was at a party, I dropped about a third of the way through the set, playing bass. By the last song I felt an odd nervous glow, what I've come to learn is a tryptamine energy, it was a bit distracting but I still felt right at home playing my instrument, and stretched out our last tune as I was really enjoying the music. Our band played improv jazz-funk/metal, I dunno what you'd call it really but as a trio who had played together for ages, sharing all instruments, the setting was just right to really explore.
The only weird thing during the set was that nobody bloody danced. They sat on the floor forming a semicircle of space around us, in total silence, like good school children.
Next band after us was JungleMungus and they totally blew my mind. I had never experienced music like that before, and I while getting so high through the dance and music I was still able to objectively notice how cleanly Loki picked his bass, and the dynamics of the drumming. Total feedback between the vibrations of sound and vision. Plus the facial contortions of the players were totally hilarious.

Sure some of my favourite spontaneous jams were while tripping with Uncle Sid, but I wouldn't necessarily use it for that reason. A little too unpredictable unless used regularly, and I can't afford that here :|
2C-E has further extended my appreciation of music, mostly of bass textures that make your body go "EeeeeeeeeYEAH[red/orange plusing globes]" and using higher frequencies for invisible (?) sound. Unfortunately another aspect of those body vibrations often result in a monotone trance, sometimes other players get weirded out when I play one note.

Cannabis is ideal for me, for all aspects of creating music. Often I imagine or recall music, changing it as it's created, often it twists in totally unexpected ways. Side effects include greatly extended patience for production and editing, a good ear for mastering, inspiration for the jam and creative programming (gotta love Fruity studio), and focus for performance, to get back on topic!

When able, I like to smoke just before going on stage. Naturally I'd still be retaining a light glow from soundcheck (or whatever) so it wouldn't come as much of a dislocation. Things get started on a fairly straightforward note, I look around and remember where all the gear is, then get into the music. If it's a longer set another smoke is preferable partway through. Mostly Sativa please :D
To quote Scratch Perry, " 'scuse me while I light my spliff."
 
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