520 - Adam Gust: Somatic Drummer, The Addiction to Tension, The Connection Between Emotion and Muscle Memory

Working Drummer

Adam Gust is the world's first Polyvagal-Informed professional drummer. Using his performance experience and knowledge of nervous system science, Adam has created the Somatic Drummer - a unique combination of science, wellness, and drumming. Adam's 'Science of the Groove' was the first talk about the Vagus Nerve to appear on TED.com, exploring how drummers sync their brains and bodies to find their 'groove,' a feedback loop between intention and action. Conducting workshops at top institutions like USC and Musicians Institute, Adam teaches how resourcing our nervous system optimizes wellness and musical performance.

In this episode, Adam talks about:

• Assessing and diagnosing Matt’s stress injury and how Adam’s knowledge is applied
• The addiction to tension that we can acquire
• The connection between emotion and motor learning aka muscle memory
• Recognizing that the joy of playing drums is priority one
• Link to "Tuning Your Nervous System"
• Link to Adam's Master Class
• Link to Basic Bow Staff technique

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