520 - Adam Gust: Somatic Drummer, The Addiction to Tension, The Connection Between Emotion and Muscle Memory
May 29, 2025•1 hr 18 min
Episode description
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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