Pot makes me anxious and uncomfortable so doesn't help anything for me.

Good sound is all I need to get into it and feel inspired.

 

I haven’t indulged in 35 years, but when I did it really messed up my playing, so that was reserved for after party time

 

I smoke and eat!

 

I play like shite after smoking weed. My timing goes off and fingers all turn to thumbs. I'm a super hero with 10 beer in me though

 

My life ..smoke and play ...

 

I am either thinking about what I just played, or thinking about what to play next. Might as well go home.

 

Weed does not influence my playing...
I never used that stuff !
Alcohol would bring inconsistencies in though...

 

Weed influences my playing in 2 ways. I've always practiced and played strictly sober and made a point of it for most of my 35 years of playing. Xcept High School. When I smoke now, it tends to open up the strict regimen I had/do follow(ed) and opens my ears and ideas up in a different space that I can tap into differently. I've always had that so called "artistic tap" that, when it opens up, you have to jump all over that shit and get it down before it fades away. Weed will open that up pretty quickly so when I do smoke and play I have my cell phone at the ready to record. Then I just name what I played, upload, and have a listen the next day or so. It's typically sloppier than what I thought it was but the ideas are there to be worked out for the next practice session. It can have benefits if you approach it with reasonable expectations and don't get totally shit faced stupid. I'm a fairly light smoker so a little goes a long way. My preference is stone cold sober though.

 

I enjoy weed and I enjoy guitars.

I also enjoy playing guitar while smoking weed, BUT, my opinion is that while I can be creative while smoking, I can’t really play in a structured way, ie, follow an arrangement or even play a certain piece consistently the same.

Because I know this about myself, in all the years I’ve played I have never walked on stage, or showed up for any gig under the influence of weed.

 

Yeah, it’s useful for opening up the creative valve in your brain so that you can get in there with a coat hanger or a guitar and winkle out some ideas. I don’t smoke at least not since around high school but back then I used to smoke and listen to music sometimes. Kinda opens a door to hearing music in a more intense way and that ends up staying with you so you don’t have to be stoned anymore to hear it that way.

 

I'd rather smoke weed and listen to music than play it. I find serious concentration (and playing guitar requires that) straightens me out. On the other hand, kicking back and relaxing let's me experience the high better. You know, back when I used to imbibe. YMMV.

 

In my experience playing with people who smoked weed and/or drank in excess. 100% of the time their playing suffered by getting more sloppy, and everyone could tell except the player. From their perspective, it helped them play better. I can't say this is true for all substance users/abusers, but it's certainly true for the ones I've played with.

Mind you, I suck without the "help" so who am I to judge? Lol.

 

In my experience playing with people who smoke weed and/or drink in excess. 100% of the time their playing suffers by getting more sloppy, and everyone can tell except the player. From their perspective, it helps them play better. I can't say this is true for all substance users/abusers, but it's certainly true for the ones I've played with.

Mind you, I suck without the "help" so who am I to judge? Lol.

Booze and weed are two very different things.

 

When I used to smoke I would get stoned, get hungry, make weed infused brownies and chocolate chip cookies and burn my mouth eating them, then write, play and record the most amazing music of all time. Sometimes by myself and sometimes with others. A lot of times there was beer or To Kill Ya involved. I still have some of that music on tape and I still go, "What the fu*k were we thinking and doing?". At times the music would stop and there would be dead air because it was decided that a ride from New West to Hope for a Coffee Crisp was in order. Hope Coffee Crisps tasted far better than New West ones and the dead air was because no one turned off the reel to reel. Sometimes we'd even get past the Towers or the 'Boo or the Turf.

 

My dexterity definitely suffers when I partake, especially edibles lol

 

SRV sure was good when he was high.

 

Bob Marley did OK.

 

Then there's always Jimi Hendrix.

 

Jim Morrison.

 

Aerosmith.

 

I have played with guys who got high. If it helps their confidence maybe it’s good to an extent but I’ve never known anyone who I thought played better high.

 

Play better? Maybe, maybe not. Have more fun playing? Usually.

 

SRV sure was good when he was high.

Listen to Live Alive, and then listen to In Step...... He might have been good when high, but he was spectacular sober. Maybe he needed the addiction & recovery to get to the point in his life where In Step became possible. Or maybe not. I saw SRV 4 nights in a row at Varsity Arena in '85. At the time I thought it was funny/cool that we could see the coke on his upper lip. But really...his playing was impacted by impairment. Not improved.

I also saw his last tours in Ontario....he was better sober.

 

I’m in the play sober camp or maybe a couple of beers but generally I get emotionally high enough from playing music so tend to just have a bottle of water or sometimes a metal hip flask filled with water because then people think you’re knocking back straight bourbon and that’s a way better image than a plastic water bottle .. lol

Joe Walsh has been clean for a long time but way back I was always impressed by him plastered drunk on some talk show and then getting up there and absolutely nailing all the riffs and vocals in one of his songs.

Also saw on Hollywood Squares just by chance one day as I walked by a television. He appeared ripped and didn’t even attempt to answer one question - which was probably the best way to deal with Hollywood Squares bullshit.

 

Joe Walsh has been clean for a long time but way back I was always impressed by him plastered drunk on some talk show and then getting up there and absolutely nailing all the riffs and vocals in one of his songs.

I saw Joe Walsh with Ringo on the first "....and his All Star Band" tour. When the band played With a Little Help From My Friends they were at the "would you believe in a love at first sight " lyric. Joe was at the mic and just *nailed * the line "Do you neeeed any body?"

It of course sounded like an open jam bar band trainwreck f'up.

Joe threw his hands in the air, fell over backwards, and played the rest of the tune lying on his back in the middle of the stage. That is what drugs do to professionalism.

There is no credible argument against the fact that drug/alcohol impairment severely impacts your ability to drive a car. How anyone can argue the opposite is true for creating and performing music is beyond me.

 

The only drug that wil likely *actually* help you play better is adderall.

I've rarely drank anything before playing, and when I have it did nothing to improve my enjoyment or ability. Ymmv.

 

The only drug that wil likely *actually* help you play better is adderall.....

Was at L&M today and they didn’t have any Adderall but they said to try Amazon.

 

I find if the weeds are really high in our backyard it brushes against the strings and tends to have a muting effect. I usually get on the ride on mower if I'm going to play out back.