This is a loaded and controversial topic that’s bound to elicit a strong response out of many of you. The relationship between drugs and music is very long and complex but there are some interesting aspects we can explore in this topic.
Neurologically, a lot of drugs (such as alcohol and marijuana) suppress certain parts of the brain. We’ve all heard of the simplistic idea of a left-brain and right-brain as it pertains to critical thinking and creativity. Certain drugs will suppress certain parts of the brain and some people – including musicians – like to experience this effect.
Drugs are of huge cultural significance as well and have been around for thousands of years. Caffeine is a drug taken by billions of people every single day and just like other drugs it affects the brain and body in different ways. When it comes to music, drugs – specifically mind altering drugs like alcohol, marijuana and others – have had and continue to have a dramatic effects on the musical world and musicians who inhabit it.
Charlie Bird Parker was one of the groundbreaking pioneers of be-bop jazz who was a drug addict. This affected musicians and people around him as they emulated his musical style as well as his drug use. It goes further than this when you look at the world of rock and roll and bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones who glorified the “sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll” movement. These circumstances were much more cultural than anything else. But did it effect their music?
Drugs will not make you a better musician. Certain people might benefit from inhibiting certain analytical parts of their brain that allows them to lose inhibitions adding spontaneity to their music, but it doesn’t make them better musicians. You would not be able to take drugs to increase your learning or develop better skills but you might be able to improvise with a little bit more freedom of expression at first.
The downside to drug use is very well documented in the music world. While it might allow certain musicians to be more “creative” it does have it’s share of negative effects. Jimi Hendrix, Keith Moon, Ric James, Charlie Parker, and many more musicians have died as a result of their drug use. It is not something to take lightly.
Drug use is not a yes or no type of question. Many people enjoy listening to music either in their home or at live events and have a few glasses of wine or beer or sometimes smoke marijuana. Even legal drugs require a level of balance to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Certain musicians use drugs and find it helps them with their music. Whether you think this is a good or bad thing, it is a personal choice and it’s a complicated subject. Please share any insights you might have in this topic, we would love to hear from you. Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729