School of Music Faculty Publications and Presentations

Drum Kit and Fitness: A Year-long Study of One Drummer’s Heart Rate

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-2025

Abstract

This article describes a one-year study of an amateur drummer’s drumming and other physical activity correlated with their heart rate. The study builds on previous research with professional drummers on stage and in laboratories. A key difference is this study’s focus on a sole, part-time drummer in practice, rehearsal, in performance, and compared with other activity in their day-to-day life. The participant wore an Apple watch for 365 days to monitor heart rate. The researchers sought to answer the following questions: 1) How does one drummer’s heart rate in drumming activities compare with their heart rate across fitness activities such as running, walking and interval training? 2) What is this drummer’s heart rate across a range of drumming activities, including personal practice, band rehearsals, and live performances? 3) How does this drummer’s heart rate during drumming compare to previous findings on professional rock drummers? The study’s findings align with those of previous research that highlighted how, in rock drumming performance, drummers were found to maintain elevated average heart rates. This drummer’s heart rate varied considerably across drumming activity (practicing, rehearsing, playing in different styles) and across other varied activity including walking, running, and cycling. While other recent studies have highlighted the vigorous physicality of playing drums, especially in rock performance contexts, the authors of this article are keen to underline musical artistry as a fundamental goal of playing drums, with fitness as a correlate.

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Copyright Percussive Arts Society 2025.

Original published version available at https://pas.org/publication-articles/drum-kit-and-fitness-a-year-long-study-of-one-drummers-heart-rate/

First Page

7

Last Page

16

Publication Title

Percussive Notes Online Research Edition

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