rayboomboom

Ah yes, western medicine: wait til it's a problem then deal with it.

Thanks for you story SS. That sounds really tough, but I'm glad you're sticking with it. As I get older, 56 this month, my body and especially my hands don't recover as quickly as they used to. We built our own house, literally, and it's taken a toll on my joints. That and bad playing technique for too long. I've been taking an herb supplement called CuraMed, a combo of Curcumin and Turmeric to help with any inflammation. It seems to be helping, takes less time to recover and joints aren't as stiff as they have been.

Great start. Remember to start playing lightly - tapping, and loose. Let your hands and wrists get used to the motion, before you start hitting with any amount of force. I usually start my own warm up routine this way, as per Stanton Moore, to wake up the muscles before they start getting a work out. Let us know how it goes.

Hi TML and welcome. First off sorry to hear about the arthritis. Have you looked into acupuncture or other alternatives? As far as getting started, you might want to check a local music store or find a private instructor to show you some things to get you started. That way you have an idea whether drumming is for you. There's a lot of options for playing quietly. One is an electronic kit and head phones. There are drum and cymbal mutes that you place on top of them made of something like neoprene. There are also mesh heads that you install instead of regular drum heads. And there are now cymbals made specifically for quite playing. So you have options. But before you buy anything I'd talk to and try a few lessons to see what is going to work for you. You might even talk to several instructors and find one that can accommodate your condition. Good luck and check back with us to let us know how it's going.

Here's an even scarier version for you all.

I'm out west, New Mexico. Count me in and about to PM Dendy! Sounds like fun and I have stuff I could contribute to the interior.