Do you know anyone else who plays the way I do?

[joshisaces]

I'm a weird breed. When I first started drumming I played open handed and I would lead with my left hand (keep in mind, I'm right handed.) My mom says that I was supposed to be left handed because I do everything backwards from a right handed person, but my right arm is my stronger arm... I eventually taught myself to play crossed over, but I still lead with my left hand.

When I play fast around the kit, it just feels like I'm doing it wrong because I lead with my left hand...

am I alone here?

[oops]

John Blackwell seems to be a likely candidate.

He plays (from what I've seen on his DVD) all his 8th note hihat parts with his left hand, but also all his snare backbeats with his left hand. It's weird to watch but works for him.

See if you can find him on youtube.

[Muckster]

Ringo. He is left handed, forced to be a rightie by his Grandma, plays crossed over style and leads with his left hand.

[joshisaces]

haha what a relief. I guess I'm exactly like him. my mom said my dad gave things to me in my right hand instead of my left, so I guess he kind of made me right handed. My dad's greatest fear was having a left handed kid.

[Trench.one]

I know a guy who is left handed , plays a right handed kit set up but plays his Hi hat with his left hand and snare with his right.
I guess its a result of leftys adapting to a world of right handed set ups.
nothing worse than sharing a kit on a 5 band bill to find out the guy on before you is a lefty, apologies to any leftys amongst you.

[basscase]

I was just thinking tonight about changing my kit from left to right-handed so I can play open. I am just as good with either foot, so I don't think that will cause any problems. The hard part will be running the toms backwards. It will take some getting used to.

[rmandelbaum]

whatever works, if you making music and having fun then it's all good ;-)

[Ian Ballard]

I'm a weird breed. When I first started drumming I played open handed and I would lead with my left hand (keep in mind, I'm right handed.) My mom says that I was supposed to be left handed because I do everything backwards from a right handed person, but my right arm is my stronger arm... I eventually taught myself to play crossed over, but I still lead with my left hand.

When I play fast around the kit, it just feels like I'm doing it wrong because I lead with my left hand...

am I alone here?

I did this. I'm left-handed, but learned righty. Jim Riley (Rascal Flatts), my drum guru, had me work on "RLRLRL" stickings, and had me work mightily to get around the kit "properly". However, Jim told me about Ringo and that he was also left-handed and led with his left hand. This is why his fills are so unique and sound "wrong" when you play them in "proper" way around the kit.

Well, there is no "proper" way. Without the ability to lead left, I could not play the other direction (low to high) on the toms, and I would not have the effortless ability to switch stickings when I need to.

He'd have me practice the snare book with the right-leading, but then I would also practice left-leading on my own, and get creative with "getting around the kit".

You are at an advantage, to be honest. Learn both methods of getting about the drums and eventually your goal should be that it would not matter which hand you lead with, so much as your body and mind would no longer be restrained by ONLY being able to lead one way or the other.

I've had a couple students over the years that had this same issue and the attitude of "do both" really helped them.

[junglelord]

Exactly so I like to play open, and also lead with the left hand, but also other times play crossed and lead with the right. If I am playing Ringo, lead left. If I playing other styles, it depends. I find my left lead is a better meter.

[joshisaces]

Thanks guys.
I thought a was crazy. XD

[remoking]

I play left handed, but I also play open handed. So my right hand plays the hats, and my left hand on the snare. So I guess you could say im left-footed, and right-handed, but I play open handed. Hah. When I play a fill around the set though, I lead with my right hand. It's wierd, but thats what feels comfortable.

[joshisaces]

I play left handed, but I also play open handed. So my right hand plays the hats, and my left hand on the snare. So I guess you could say im left-footed, and right-handed, but I play open handed. Hah. When I play a fill around the set though, I lead with my right hand. It's wierd, but thats what feels comfortable.

That's the exact opposite from me. I'm right handed, but I'm technically left handed ;'D

ALSO, when I play double bass stuff, I lead with my left foot.

[Bipitta]

Man I would kill to be left-handed "right" now! Heh. Eh. Bad I know... but anyway, I've spent the last year just getting to the point that I'm comfortable playing open handed as well as playing with left hand and left foot leads!

Hmm... off hand, the only person I can think of for some reason is Carter Beauford from The Dave Matthews Band... he plays open handed and he does it swimmingly!

Keep it up, as far as I know, there are no wrong ways to play the drums.

[joshisaces]

Man I would kill to be left-handed "right" now! Heh. Eh. Bad I know... but anyway, I've spent the last year just getting to the point that I'm comfortable playing open handed as well as playing with left hand and left foot leads!

Hmm... off hand, the only person I can think of for some reason is Carter Beauford from The Dave Matthews Band... he plays open handed and he does it swimmingly!

Keep it up, as far as I know, there are no wrong ways to play the drums.

yeah, DMB powns balls.

[Deathmetalconga]

I'm a weird breed. When I first started drumming I played open handed and I would lead with my left hand (keep in mind, I'm right handed.) My mom says that I was supposed to be left handed because I do everything backwards from a right handed person, but my right arm is my stronger arm... I eventually taught myself to play crossed over, but I still lead with my left hand.

When I play fast around the kit, it just feels like I'm doing it wrong because I lead with my left hand...

am I alone here?

I play open, left hand hats and ride. I am right handed, but it makes no difference really as you can train either hand for any role.

No one does anything with their arms crossed. No one eats, drives, uses tools, types, walks or plays other musical instruments with their arms crossed. Even crossed drummers like to play open when they play ride cymbal. Playing open is natural and comfortable.

The snare is the heart of the drum set and I like having my dominant hand on the snare. To me, people who play with their non-dominant hand on the snare and/or who cross their arms are really the ones playing "left-handed."

[joshisaces]

The snare is the heart of the drum set and I like having my dominant hand on the snare. To me, people who play with their non-dominant hand on the snare and/or who cross their arms are really the ones playing "left-handed."

haha I guess that's true.

[GIMONEY]

Hi guys,

I have been a drummer for bout 10yrs now and i am a FULL LEFTY. i hv only known a right handed setup kit. I recently discovered left handed drum setup and would like to explore it. i know the price i will pay for that is not being able to share the drum with any one. lol

My biggest problem though is that although i am lefty, I use my right foot for the base drum and would not want to change that. Is their any arrangement that lets you use ur right foot on a left-handed drum setup.

Awaiting ur response.

[drumguyfromWI]

No one does anything with their arms crossed. No one eats, drives, uses tools, types, walks or plays other musical instruments with their arms crossed. Even crossed drummers like to play open when they play ride cymbal. Playing open is natural and comfortable.

I feel perfectly natural and comfortable crossing my arms to play the hi-hat. in fact, some of my drum fills depend on the fact that I am crossing my arms. if I didn't cross my arms for those fills, they wouldn't work.

don't forget that "natural" and "comfortable" are subjective things.

anyway. my only other option, besides learning to play left handed, would be to spend a bunch of money on a cable remote hi-hat stand. no thanks. I will just cross my arms.

remember, there is no right or wrong way to set up YOUR drum kit. whatever feels good, go with that.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

Ringo. He is left handed, forced to be a rightie by his Grandma, plays crossed over style and leads with his left hand.

And he admitted on an interview I saw that he plays few fills from left to right because of it.

[k3ng]

No one does anything with their arms crossed. No one eats, drives, uses tools, types, walks or plays other musical instruments with their arms crossed. Even crossed drummers like to play open when they play ride cymbal. Playing open is natural and comfortable.


You know DMC everytime I hear you say this it makes me feel really dumb playing crossed hahaha.

I'm teaching my cousin (who is a left hander) to play open, but with hats on the right and a ride on the left. Someone else on the forum recommended this and it seems to be working really well with him. He's learning to lead with both hands and the results are pretty darn good so far.

So I guess you don't really have to worry which hand leads.

[Deathmetalconga]

You know DMC everytime I hear you say this it makes me feel really dumb playing crossed hahaha.

I'm teaching my cousin (who is a left hander) to play open, but with hats on the right and a ride on the left. Someone else on the forum recommended this and it seems to be working really well with him. He's learning to lead with both hands and the results are pretty darn good so far.

So I guess you don't really have to worry which hand leads.

That's true, it doesn't matter which leads. Unlike a piano, which is set in stone, you can rearrange the drums any way you wish.

I would really like to see an open drummer with hats and ride on the right, left foot bass - the mirror image of what I do. Is that how you are teaching your cousin?

[drummer girl09]

I play right handed, but I usually lead with my left hand when it comes to fils. I can lead with my right hand if I made myself, but naturally, I lead with my left. It is weird. I have been trying to play ambidextrous though. It's kinda fun.

[joshisaces]

I play right handed, but I usually lead with my left hand when it comes to fils. I can lead with my right hand if I made myself, but naturally, I lead with my left. It is weird. I have been trying to play ambidextrous though. It's kinda fun.

hahaha sweet man! We're the same.

[drummer girl09]

Ha, cool. My drum teacher says it's really unique that you and I do it. He says that it might give an advantage on doing different types of fils. Pretty cool, I think.

[hendecahedron]

I´m right dominant, play open handed and lead with my right, so, I have my hihats on the right and play the snare with my left most of the time. As for the feet, I lead with my left foot 99% of the time. I can also lead with my left and as well, and I´m planning to get a set of hihats on the left to expand my percussive options.

I´ll post some pictures so you can see my setup.

[Cymbalrider]

I think it's fun to try and change the kit around to end up playing different ways. I'm right-handed myself, but I enjoy trying to play left handed and even turning the kit around. Sometimes I end up playing the hi-hats with the left hand if it's a long set or something to keep from getting tired. The only thing though is that I like concert toms, congas, bongos, or any other pitched drums set up opposite with the biggest on my left and the smallest on my right which is reverse from toms on a drum set. (it's the same as a tympani set-up though) I really don't use double bass for anything, but from what little I've ever tried, I tend to lead with the left-foot. The only reason the whole crossed over thing happened anyway is because hi-hats were invented originally as something for the left foot to do. However this meant that the cymbals would be to the left of the snare and playing something like this with traditional grip of the left hand would offset everything so the crossed over method was invented. Of course I found it hard, being a jazz set player to do marching band where you lead with the right hand and left foot, as opposed to left foot on beats 2 and 4.

[matthew]

I started the drums randomly so I wasn't starting the drums because I saw a drummer and thought "whoa cool im gonna be a drummer". so my natural approach was open handed because I literally hadent even noticed drummers before.

then after about 6 months playing, i started trying it 'the right way'.

then I got lessons from a dude called Kim Baker, who (funnily enough) taught me to play open handed again from the very first lesson.

fast forward 6 years, now i play crossed over, but have good independence and can lead with either. its been a positive thing to do both for me.

[joshisaces]

Do any double bass players lead with the left foot??

[MattRitter]

Do any double bass players lead with the left foot??

Gregg Bissonette said he leads with the left foot. He was accustomed to playing 8th notes on the hi-hat with his left foot. So when he started playing double bass, he just moved the left foot over to the bass pedal and kept playing 8th notes. The right foot played in between to make 16th notes.

[MattRitter]

However, Jim told me about Ringo and that he was also left-handed and led with his left hand. This is why his fills are so unique and sound "wrong" when you play them in "proper" way around the kit.

I truly feel that the labels of "left-handed" and "right-handed" can be misleading. I suspect that scientists will eventually discover that the whole issue is largely based on conditioning. Ringo is actually the perfect example. He calls himself a "lefty," and I myself often refer to Ringo when I tell people that lefties can lead with their right hand. HOWEVER...Ringo also writes with his right hand! I think many people would say that the hand you write with is what defines whether you are "right-handed" or "left-handed."

For me, the whole thing is more evidence that you get good at whatever you practice. Most people on this forum would call themselves "righties" even though they are probably much better at doing ghost notes with the left hand! Again, it generally comes down to what and how we practice. With this in mind, I always encourage people to simply practice whatever makes the most sense. For me, this means drumming WITHOUT crossed arms.

As for turning the set around to be a "lefty set"...I do not think there is actually such a thing as a "lefty set." As far as I know, there is no such thing as a lefty piano, and I feel the same about drums. In my entire life, I have seen a reversed drumset maybe a dozen times (not including repeated sightings of the same set). Now, considering that about 10% of the population is "left-handed," it is clear that most "lefties" must play a standard drumset. A reversed set is simply that- a "reversed set." It is exceedingly rare in the real world.

By the way, when I teach drums, I teach just like a piano teacher. I put the student behind a standard drumset and I teach them to play the thing. The issue of whether they call themselves "right-handed" or "left-handed" doesn't generally come up. In fact, I sometimes forget which of my students are "lefties" and which are "righties." I haven't noticed any difference in the learning process between the "lefties" and "righties," so I don't think about it much...except when I'm on this forum, where it's always a hot issue!

[Deltadrummer]

I truly feel that the labels of "left-handed" and "right-handed" can be misleading. I suspect that scientists will eventually discover that the whole issue is largely based on conditioning. Ringo is actually the perfect example. He calls himself a "lefty," and I myself often refer to Ringo when I tell people that lefties can lead with their right hand. HOWEVER...Ringo also writes with his right hand! I think many people would say that the hand you write with is what defines whether you are "right-handed" or "left-handed."



I was teasing one of my left handed students today, and I asked him, what hand do you type with? :)

[LM201]

Do any double bass players lead with the left foot??

Keith Moon


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