Should Left Handed Drummers Play Open Handed?
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- Опубліковано 28 тра 2024
- How should left handed drummers play? There are a few options for lefties and I've taught them all to students.
But I always like to present the options and talk over the pros and cons, and then let them decide how they want to play.
There are examples of great drummers playing in all of the various options for left handed drummers so I don't believe there is a wrong or right way to play drums when you are left handed.
Open handed is one of the options and we check out some awesome players like Billy Cobham, Simon Phillips and Carter Beauford in this drum lesson.
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I'm a left handed drummer and play open handed on the right handed kit. The only thing I usually need to move when I go play on a random kit is the ride cymbal which is usually on the right and I need to move to the left. That takes a couple of minutes so I always arrive a bit earlier to make my changes.
Nice and easy Sam.
They always talk about the dominant hand but being a drummer you also need your feet. For example, I"m left handed but right footed. I started playing on a rigth handed drum (open handed) for several years but a drum teacher advised me to turn the drum left-handed to be able to do better drumfills (cuz we lefties always start fills with the left).
After several years of playing on a left-handed drum set, the left foot on the bass drum remained the weak link. That is why I have now placed a remote hi-hat right centered in front of me which I operate with my left foot. In this way my dominant foot on the right can operate the bass drum which feels much more natural.
The point is, too little account is taken into the dominant foot. And with today's possibilities (remote hi-hat / double bass drum pedal ...) I think a drum kit should always be placed taking into account both the dominant hand and the dominant foot. Unless putting the hi-hat right in front of you (like Danny Carey from Tool does in Pneuma) becomes the new evolution in drumming! To think about! Greetings Andy
Great insight Andy, thanks for sharing.
Great point my friend! All people born ambidextrous I believe!
That is why I created UNIFIED DRUM SET with main hihat in the center plus 7 more hihats and 5 snare drums right in front of me.
Take a close look at this video and would love to continue this conversation with you.
Cheers from Los Angeles!
ua-cam.com/video/d1017sn9MwI/v-deo.html
And this one is birds eye look in action from inside: ua-cam.com/video/T8Jt6KXqDjU/v-deo.html
Thank you for this comment! I thought I'm the only one left-handed with a dominant right foot and I always felt my setup is weird. ^^
Seconding the thanks for this comment! I'm also a left-handed, right-footed drummer and have never felt truly at home on a kit for that exact reason. I love the remote hat idea.
I'm left handed taught to play right now just reversed my kit and play left made me more creative 😎
i'm a left handed drummer that started playing as a right handed ...my brain just cannot process when i'm trying to do fast fills on a right kit , it dosen't feel right , so I started all over on playing on a full left handed kit , took some time to readapt but i went at a higher level of skills really fast since it's the way i am meant to play . to ease the assle of having to sett up evrything , I only use a floor tom and 1 tom on a stand , so it is like a modular kit, fast and easy to settup.
Very good lesson. I starting playing left handed in 1968 in high school because I am left handed and had sprained my right ankle badly playing baseball. In 1969 I shattered my left wrist playing flag football. Couldn't play for a long time. When I resumed playing I switched to right handed. Now I use I double pedal and play both ways. It is fun. One other reason though to play right handed is almost all drum rudiments and exercises are written for right hand lead playing. Don't have to write out left hand lead above the right hand notation. Cheers.
Thank you Bill. That's really interesting. I love hearing about everyone's different approaches to playing drum kit. Great point about the way exercises are written too, it does make life easier in many ways.
Take a look at Ian Paice!He can play the drums!
I'm right hand dominant in most things, but when I played hockey, I shot left-handed, On the other hand, when I played baseball and softball, I batted and threw right-handed. Drumming was a different story. When I started out playing an old wooden snare and using a set of goose neck lamps for cymbals, left-handed just felt right. Go figure.
It's interesting how the brain works Dave.
@@TotalDrummer Or doesn't.
🤣 I wasn't saying that@@davejames8908! But I definitely know that feeling.
@@TotalDrummer 👍
I switched, as a right-hand player to open-handed and it was such a great way to become creative; being able to play the 2 and 4 with the right hand but also easily reach the floor-tom for off beats was a life changer
Very cool. Did it take long to feel comfortable playing like that?
@@TotalDrummer It took about three months to take the really rough edges off, and a year to refine it more to feeling natural. But to be totally honest, it never reached the level of my right hand.
As a righty, your ligaments have stretched way more, over a lifetime than your left, so it's (for me) okay to feel not 100% equal. I left the ride on the right and started fills with right and would play the odd cover (especially The Police) because the feel was just right, but I would never return to playing crossover really.
Any update?
In my case after 2 years i can say that i can fell comfortable Leading with both hands, AND the left hand have better technice than muy right hand lol.
I’m not a professional drummer but have been playing for 30 years. After playing for 29 years as a right-handed drummer while being left-handed discovered the ”open handed” way and decided to go with it. After a couple of months of practice my body “unlocked” and now Imhave Horacio “el Negro” Hernández’s superpowers. I had tried the “Conversations in Clave” left foot clave thing and gave up (a few years ago). Now, it suddenly became a piece of cake and fun. (And I never changed my feet roles! My left leg is naturally stronger but something about leading with the right had had it locked).
That's amazing how that tweak instantly unlocked doors for you to progress. Thanks for sharing.
@@TotalDrummer when you mentioned the ambidextrous thing I thought “that’s me!”
Great @@WxkR that's a drumming superpower!
Am left handed playing open on a right drum set, and now even early on i am started to encounter limitations....
Lefty , setup like right handed person showed. From first strike I was doing the open. Saw a vid as to the left hand setup, will try and assess.
Thanks mate. Just started drumming and found out I am definitely open handed. Will be buying an e drum kit soon and this video definitely gave me confidence that I'm not a total wierdo. Cheers.
Great Mike. Glad it helped. Don't worry even if you are a total weirdo....I think every drummer needs a bit of that in their DNA! 😜
Left-handed guitarist here, keen to get better on the drums too. As I am left-handed but right-footed, it's a no-brainer. OPEN HANDED all the way. Enjoyed your video very much, subscribed.
Thanks youandwhosearmy? That does sound like the obvious choice for you. Good luck with the drumming journey and congrats on finally choosing the best instrument to play! 😜
As a drum teacher, I've twice had students who are left-handed but right-footed. I let them play open-handed, but on a right-handed drum kit. I still wonder if that was the right decision.
I'm right handed and left footed) So I use left foot for bass, left hand for snare and right hand and foot for hi-hat. I find open handed the best way to play for me.
Great video. As a lefty , it has always been a pain not only in setups being shared, but also equipment. (Double bass pedals). Just started back in on the Skins and sticking with a right handed setup for now. Plan to play open handed but utilize the double bass pedal so I can sometimes still use my left foot for complicated bass patterns
Thanks Ken. Yes I can imagine it's a hassle being a lefty in many situations. And wow, if you can also handle right handed set ups, and play open handed, you will surely be more ambidextrous as a result.
Right handed player that plays open handed on a right-handed oriented kit (left hand on hihat, right hand on ride) It's made me a much better drummer and has really evened me out. Not for everyone but has many advantages if you are willing to put in the time.
I'm left-handed and have always played guitar right-handed with no problem so now if I learn drums, I'm thinking my right hand is used to doing the strumming (guitar) so that should correlate with the high hat as far as keeping a steady rhythm. I may be wrong.
That sounds very logical John. The two roles are rhythmically quite similar so it makes sense. I would give it a go. It also means that you can easily jump on to 99% of all kits because they are usually set up for right handed players.
you should check to see how you naturally drum. I'm personally left-handed, but I play guitar/bass right-handed, but when I'm drumming on myself/a table/whatever, I lead with my left. I should in theory be completely fine with the open handed technique as I'm ambidextrous with my feet. for instance when I'm pretending to drum for real I use my right foot as the imaginary kick. I'm going to get a electronic drum kit soon so I'll eventually put it to the test
Sounds good @@NitroGhost124 I hope it goes well. Would be cool if you come back and update us once you've tried that method out.
Play what is comfortable, open or x. I am lefty, started right-handed, until a Drummer widely known told me that I should drum left, and my response, I get called up to play the set is always Right.
Fight the power. Learn lefty, set up lefty, play lefty
At my age, I like my natural hand plus open but not forgetting to practice the weak hand so lefty lefty.
Great lesson, wonderful example for my open handed playing Students, thanks for sharing !!
Thanks Marcello, glad it was useful.
Great information on these different playing styles Matt! Coming from an open handed player myself I have spent many years working on trying to improve my set up to help with playing left and right hand lead
Thanks Ryan. Talking about set ups, have you ever seen the symmetrical set up that Bill Bruford used? I've often thought about trying it but haven't thus far billbruford.com/portfolio-items/bill-bruford/
@@TotalDrummer No I haven’t but will definitely be checking it out! Thanks🙌🏻
No problem @@ryanffielder he's not an open handed drummer but was very progressive with his approach and had some really interesting ideas for unconventional kit configurations.
@@TotalDrummer My issue as a left handed drummer is transitions , you know (fillers/ tom rolls) which are faster and more flexible.
Right hand dominant but have always played a completely reversed lefty setup.
Looking to get back at things and would like to explore more options.
Hi, I'm left handed ,right footed, learned to lead with the right hand, but always struggled, in the early days I would start a roll on the floor tom and come back left!!! even now on faster stuff I lead with left hand, but I'm going to the right, only ... I'm hitting anything (right of the small Tom) on the 'e' hope that makes sense. Thanks for a great vid jv
Hey JV. That's a fun work around. I could imagine that creating some interesting fills.
As a lefty my natural instinct is to play open-handed. Makes it a little harder to follow tutorials though
Awesome video. I'm a lefty, have always played guitar righty, and have only fiddled around on right handed drum kits. Now my 7 yr old son, who's also lefty, wants to learn the drums, and I'm researching how to have his kit set up. After your video I am so much more informed. I'll stick with open handed ( you had me at Cobham) and let him choose between right handed or open. Thank you
Thanks Matthew. Yes you can't argue with it if it works for Cobham! Also great to see your lad has such good taste when choosing instruments! ;-) Welcome him to the drum family from me.
Im a guitar player and I do things with left hand as much as right one, I am right handed but can do both at some tasks.
As a beginner I find open handed much easier tbh
Very nice thank you :). I play left guitars and basses. Recently decided to buy an electronic drum kit and will definitely test the open handed technique. If it doesn’t work I will reverse the kit anyway. Thanks ;)
Glad you liked it Kostis
What happens though if you're a lefty with a dominant right foot that's another problem. If I was to set up a kit left handed with hi hats on the right I can't play bass drum with my dominant right foot. I'm a lefty but say it I was to kick a ball It feels most natural to kick it with my right foot because it's the dominant one.
So the thing I find difficult when trying open handed is actually going around the kit with playing toms. It’s extremely difficult to break the leading with my left hand and causing a gigantic mix up and breaking rhythm.
Good point ItsJustDuck, it definitely brings a logistical challenge. If you check out some of those open handed players they do adapt their kits slightly. Cobham has some interesting tom configurations, for example.
You should play however feel natural. 17 years ago, I forced myself to cross my arms - and I later learned, there is 0 logical reason behind this. It's kind of ridiculous actually. I bet it put a lot of unnecessary stress on our bodies - on top of having to move our legs like crazy while being seated, which is insane to begin with - and also compress the thoracic cage, which, when you're singing like me, isn't good...! And, it makes you lean on the hihat side and/or rock you shoulders side-to-side every backbeat and/or slouch. I'm slowly learning open-handed. Should've never crossed to begin with...!
I'm a 53 yr old lefty and drumming has been and continues to be a wonderful 'extra' in my life since it chose me as a kid. My one regret however is that I didn't learn to play on a right handed set up. Over the years I've missed out on several opportunities due to not being able to reverse a miked up 'righty' set up at events / clinics / multi band gigs. Yes, I could always switch, but the impact & setbacks only grow over time, making a person less likely to do so as time goes on. I just don't have the desire to spend so much extra time practicing to get back up to speed when this is after all, a hobby. I'd rather spend that time getting better as a lefty (especially as I play trad grip most of the time). There is always the danger when starting out that the extra early hurdle of playing on a right handed set up could de-motivate left handed beginners to a point whereby they don't carry on, but in truth, those people probably wouldn't last any way. My view is therefore for lefty's to start out on a righty set up, experimenting with open and crossover approaches, but keeping the feet 'righty'. Final thought - ever seen a left handed piano? Exactly. There are advantages and disadvantages to everything, but necessity is the mother of invention, so in a creative pursuit, a lefty on a right handed instrument (drums / guitar / piano) does provide the opportunity to actually stand out from the very large crowd. Ringo Starr - lefty. Mark Knopfler - lefty. The list is long and far exceeds the 1 in 10 we actually are. That's my view anyway.
I’m almost your age, also a lefty and had played my entire life as a right-handed drummer. Coordination was never a big hurdle for me but I never knew about “open handed” drumming until a year ago. (I’ve never been a professional drummer and my teachers were always right handed). I decided to change my hands and after a month my coordination skyrocketed to a point I had never thought. For instance, in that year I learned to switch clave & cascada from left to right hand to left foot while keeping bass tumbao and keeping either quarter notes, or upbeats and playing “melody” with the other two limbs. I had been wanting to do Chester’s New Breed but never had the time. After this year I picked it up and feels too easy so went straight to the “advanced” systems. I challenge myself daily to do more complex stuff, not only to see how far can I go but because practicing has never been this fun. So… I’d advise every drummer to play in ways that’d feel “uncomfortable” in the beginning. Not a waste of time.
I played open hand playing a rt set up. When I switch to left then played x
I am left handed and right footed, any suggestions for me.? Right now I play completely left handed as far as the kit set up but I'm very interested in the open hand idea giving that I already have a strong right foot. It took me some time to get my left foot to listen.
Being left handed but right footed does play nicely into the open handed approach. It might be worth giving it a go B Lado.
Lefty here: Easy Rider is my style of choice
the effort? XD. nice camera trick
Haha, thanks. Glad you appreciated it. No effort spared! ;-)
I am right handed ..but play open.handed...
Playing left handed guitars suck, they don't make a left handed piano (that I'm aware of :)), so for my first drum set (arriving in an hour), you might have convinced me to learn right handed. Forgive me brothers!
I was with you until you said you reversed your drum kit to left handed "just for you" BUT you didn't, you reversed the camera dude! Your wedding ring is still on your left hand and all the words are reversed haha Still a very informative video though...so good job there.
Haha, That's some high level detective skills there Johnny! I would have gotten away with it if I had just switched the wedding ring. Damn! 😜
The Zildjian logos were reversed hahaha
No.
You are not left handed,
Don't try to give any advice to left handed creatures!