# A bunch of gigs lined up, having some issues with headbanging while playing



## p0ke (Jan 27, 2015)

Hello,

I just realized I haven't done much headbanging lately... So last weekend, we were practicing our set the way we're gonna play it live, and I noticed that when I start to spin my head around I get all woozy and have a hard time hitting my pedals  Could be partially related to my current flu, as I believe most of the balancing stuff is located in the ears, which keep locking up all the time... God damned finnish winter 

Anyway, would anyone happen to have any quick tips for doing it the right way?  Is it usually better to keep your eyes open or closed or does it make any difference? I've never had these problems before, probably because I used to do it all the time... Apart from the good old rinse and repeat, which I don't really have time for right now 

Luckily I don't play in a death metal band or anything, so it's not really crucial to be windmilling all the time, but I'd prefer not to look as if I've got a 2x4 up my ass


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## asher (Jan 27, 2015)

Try it after you're over the flu 

I have surprisingly shitty balance when standing still, so I need my eyes open, but I'd seriously need to practice, because my playing goes to shit when I bounce around, lol.


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## p0ke (Jan 27, 2015)

asher said:


> Try it after you're over the flu
> 
> I have surprisingly shitty balance when standing still, so I need my eyes open, but I'd seriously need to practice, because my playing goes to shit when I bounce around, lol.



Yep... I don't have any problems with the actual playing, but stepping on pedals and trying not to fall over is another thing  
I've reserved some time today and tomorrow for just practicing that shit, but I don't really think it'll be enough... So I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and limit myself to swinging my hair around a couple of times and making faces or whatever until I've gotten rid of the flu.


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## VBCheeseGrater (Jan 27, 2015)

I just headbang in the spots where it comes easy and naturally. You kind of figure out where the best parts are in your set. I DO have problems playing intricate stuff while banging away, so if a certain part requires me to stand still staring at the fretboard, then so be it.


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## Aion (Jan 27, 2015)

So long as you can move around a bit while playing no one will think you're laming out or anything. Limit yourself to what you feel good enough to do, and whatever you do, do it confidently.


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## p0ke (Jan 29, 2015)

Like I said, I don't have any problems with headbanging while playing, the problem is that I loose my balance. Besides, the only complicated parts in our songs are my solos, and I don't think I'll be headbanging during those  I guess I'll just have to avoid headbanging near parts where I need to step on a pedal though.

Anyway, I ended up only having a few hours of time to "practice" yesterday and none the day before, but even very little excercise seemed to do the trick. What I basically did was spin my head around 5-10 seconds -> walk a few steps -> repeat. After a couple of repetitions I had no problems walking straight, as opposed to nearly falling over the first time  So I guess I'll do some warming up with that too right before we go on stage.

Either way, thanks for the tips and reassuring comments!


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## VBCheeseGrater (Jan 29, 2015)

Aion said:


> So long as you can move around a bit while playing no one will think you're laming out or anything. Limit yourself to what you feel good enough to do, and whatever you do, do it confidently.



Line 6 has the new relay system that auto powers-off if it is not moving (thinking it's not in use). If anyone has a "statue" problem on stage- that could be the ticket to get 'em moving!


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## noUser01 (Jan 29, 2015)

Few things:

- Wait until you're over your flu, that can't be helping! 
- Try different types of headbanging (up and down, windmill) and find what works
- You don't have to go "all in" for it to look cool, don't hurt yourself or throw off your balance!
- There's other things you can do instead of headbanging
- This sounds stupid, but practice your headbanging technique. Spend some time figuring out what joints to use, how loose your muscles should be etc. I used to get bad pains the next day (aka the "bangover" ), now I don't because I just changed the way I headbang a little bit.
- Figure out when is a good time and when isn't a good time. Sounds simple but often overlooked. You don't need to headbang during that really difficult riff.
- Don't close your eyes. You will die.


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## TheWarAgainstTime (Jan 29, 2015)

VBCheeseGrater said:


> I just headbang in the spots where it comes easy and naturally. You kind of figure out where the best parts are in your set. I DO have problems playing intricate stuff while banging away, so if a certain part requires me to stand still staring at the fretboard, then so be it.



+1


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## p0ke (Jan 30, 2015)

Played our first gig in the series yesterday. We didn't get any further in the competition we participated in, but we had fun. A short 15 min set was also good for our vocalist, it was her first gig ever  I also found enough confidence to walk around the stage and mess around a bit. I mostly just let my hair hang over my guitar and threw it back a couple of times.

At the very least I looked pretty damned metal:


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## p0ke (Feb 4, 2015)

... and here's a video of our gig with some random stuff that occured on the way + an interview in the end. It was filmed with three cameras (two normal 1080p video cameras and one GoPro) and the audio is foh+cameras mixed, so it looks and sounds pretty much as good as it can  The actual gig starts at around 4:00


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## SilentCartographer (Feb 9, 2015)

try chicken bobbing


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