Playing Open-Handed and Rim Clicks

[AllTheCoolNamesAreTaken]

I play open-handed but I'm a convert. Originally, like most people, I played crossed but I never felt comfortable (and I like a challenge) so I switched. There are now only two situations where I play crossed: when I have to play fast or intricate patterns, which I hope to eventually train my left hand to do better; and when I play rim clicks. While thinking about this I realized that I've never seen someone play rim clicks with their right hand.

Having tried it a few times it seems almost impossible. Besides feeling weird, I seem to always get the stick caught on the hi hat. There's not that open space the right side of the snare has. So I was just wondering what other open-handed players have experienced. Do you still switch hands to play clicks?

And on the subject of clicks I'm still having trouble doing a quick shift from snare hits to clicks. I've tried just shortening up and playing clicks with the bead end but they're so much weaker than those from the butt end. Any tips for how to swivel the stick quickly into position?

[aydee]

Probably just by practice. Re-training your hands, and changing muscle memory takes a while ( I'm working on my feet ).
I'd look at some Billy Cobham videos on the tube and check out the stickings. The reason I suggest him is because he is a very busy open handed player.

[snazzy]

watch under the table drummin by carter beuford. or go to drummerworld click his name and click reggae drummin i think it is and watch it. in the begging he does some open handed rim clicks

[3vil0n3]

I switched a while back to open. I had to rearrange my setup a little bit. Had to move the toms by the snare up and away a bit. The hihat also seems to need to be further and down lower, but this also seems better for general open hand playing. It really doesn't take long to get used to it. Just make the space you need.

[fourstringdrums]

When I used to play left handed, I would actually play open on the hi-hat. Cross sticks were a problem, so I tried to position my hand on the rim before the hi-hat (closest to me). That didn't always work so I would sometimes just switch and play cross handed.

[AllTheCoolNamesAreTaken]

snazzy - that Beauford video was a good recommendation. I had been playing with moving the positioning for the click around, but wasn't sure if there was anything to be gained from it in the end. I'm still not 100% convinced it's the best solution for me but I'll keep trying it to see what I can work out.

I definitely like open-handed playing more. I completely understand why people tend to play crossed, but I feel so cramped and restricted when I do it. Plus I've smashed my left thumb more times than I can count.

[Deathmetalconga]

I play open-handed but I'm a convert. Originally, like most people, I played crossed but I never felt comfortable (and I like a challenge) so I switched. There are now only two situations where I play crossed: when I have to play fast or intricate patterns, which I hope to eventually train my left hand to do better; and when I play rim clicks. While thinking about this I realized that I've never seen someone play rim clicks with their right hand.

Having tried it a few times it seems almost impossible. Besides feeling weird, I seem to always get the stick caught on the hi hat. There's not that open space the right side of the snare has. So I was just wondering what other open-handed players have experienced. Do you still switch hands to play clicks?

And on the subject of clicks I'm still having trouble doing a quick shift from snare hits to clicks. I've tried just shortening up and playing clicks with the bead end but they're so much weaker than those from the butt end. Any tips for how to swivel the stick quickly into position?

I always have played open (left hand on hats and ride cymbal, right hand on snare). I'm right-handed to it made sense for me to have my dominant hand on the snare, which is the heart of the drumset.

When I play clicks, I always play them with the right hand. There is no other way I could do it, as my hats are only about an inch above the level of the snare. I do have to be careful about getting the tip of the stick caught in the hihat, but that is something that just takes practice.

Every now and then, I will play left hand snare and right hand ride cymbal - I play crossed - but that is less than 1 percent of the time, maybe about as often as a crossed player might play open.

You have a lot of determination to switch from crossed to open. I wouldn't recommend it for most people, unless they are very early in their playing, but you have no doubt strengthened your ambidextrous skills and that is a good thing. I see people playing crossed and I notice all the time how they have to move their right stick higher to keep from bashing into their left stick. No one types, drives, eats, uses tools or plays any other instrument cross-handed so it is curious how this un-ergonomic habit has persisted.

Interestingly, crossed players will play open every chance they get. I have never seen any crossed player put their ride cymbal next to their hihats. They always put the ride to the right, so they can play open. I can't blame them!

[Wavelength]

I play crossed - but that is less than 1 percent of the time, maybe about as often as a crossed player might play open.

A crossed player plays open when he's playing on the ride cymbal, riding on the floor tom, playing exclusively on the snare, during most fills or when he's playing two-hand figures on the hi-hat. I believe that amounts to a lot more than just one percent...

I see people playing crossed and I notice all the time how they have to move their right stick higher to keep from bashing into their left stick.

I keep the leading stick higher so that I can play the hi-hat (or the ride cymbal), which is positioned a bit higher than the snare drum. When I'm playing on the hi-hat, my arms aren't crossed -- heck, even the sticks aren't crossed. My lead hand sort of curves outside the left stick's area of movement, giving me all the space I'll ever need. Have you checked out Billy Ward's DVD titled Big Time? If not, you should definitely take a look. In addition to great insight about setting up the kit and approaching it, it features a lot of other things you might find interesting.

I have never seen any crossed player put their ride cymbal next to their hihats.

Just about all jazz drummers have a ride cymbal next to their hi-hat.


PS. I wonder how many times we're going to perform this exchange of different views. If I recall correctly, this was the third time... :-)

[AllTheCoolNamesAreTaken]

PS. I wonder how many times we're going to perform this exchange of different views. If I recall correctly, this was the third time... :-)

Having gotten into countless such 'religion' arguments I just want to stress that I'm not making any value judgments on the types of playing. It's always about your personal decision as to what works best for you. For me, open just feels better so I'm willing to put in the extra time and work to get better at it. And for the record I personally found that it greatly improved my left hand across the board. But I don't by any means think that would be true for everyone. I had to put up with a loooong patch of feeling like I was playing the hats with somebody else's arm, and only sheer stubbornness kept me at it.