Q: Importance of Alternate Sticking on Drumset?

[sciomako]

I was browsing a book on snare solos the other day. The author emphasizes the importance of using alternate sticking so that the left and the right hands have equal opportunity to develop.

e.g. The rhythm:

1e&a 2e&a
x xx x xx
R LR L RL (correct, always alternate the sticks)
R RL R RL (incorrect)


How important is this on a drumset? So far, I've been playing the "incorrect" right-lead sticking because I was taught that way. Am I right that most drummers do too? I can imagine practicing alternate sticking will improve not only one's weak side but also one's overall fluency in stick control. But it adds another layer of complexity in everyday playing. Is the trade-off worthwhile?

[Matt]

Going through concert band in junior high and high school, I always used the kind of sticking that you mentioned to be "incorrect," and this is the kind of sticking I would suggest to students of mine that are learning snare material for concert band. Yes, I can see the author's point on equally developing your hands, and makes sense for practicing exercises designed solely for developing your chops, but I think his point is irrelevant to actually playing snare drum in a musical context. Learning to play the snare drum right hand lead (for the right handed player), where all the notes landing on the beats and the "&"s are with the right hand and all the "e"s and "a"s are with the left hand, will make it much easier for you to (in my opinion) sight read concert snare music without getting tripped up by the stickings. Also, you should be striving for evenness in sound. Because your right and left hands don't sound 100% the same, you are better off leading figures and playing repeated notes with the same hand. For example, multiple flams in a row will sound more consistent if one hand plays all the grace notes and the other plays all the main notes. When you're not alternating, your mind is less worried about mechanics and more free to concentrate on consistency.

As for drumset - the drumset is not a concert snare drum. Your stickings should be determined by what makes the most sense when moving your hands from one drum/cymbal to another. Here, you are striving for economy of motion, and for sound quality. You would never want to alternate your hands during a fill in a way that is awkward, just for the sake of making your hands more "equally developed." However, some people on here might suggest practicing open hand (with your left hand on hihat and right hand on snare, without your arms crossed) as a way of developing both hands and opening new possibilities.

[sciomako]

Brilliant! Thanks Matt!

[MCS]

Here's an interesting article on the topic:

http://www.vicfirth.com/education/articles/hoke_03.html

[Jonesy]

I think practicing by leading with your weaker hand is pretty important. Yes, drum set is all about economy of motion and sound quality, but it takes a lot of work to get to that point in your drumming - developing your weak hand is a very good way to get there.

By always leading with your right hand, you're just covering up the fact that your left hand isn't as strong as your right.

[MCS]

By always leading with your right hand, you're just covering up the fact that your left hand isn't as strong as your right.

I've been thinking about this a lot recently and how in non drumming related activities, such everyday life, we have a dominant side and a non dominant side, both of which perform very specific functions. Isn't this worthy of consideration in the drumming domain?

We need only look to some of the greatest exponents of the art and most of them are not ambidextrous, not even close. Granted they have developed their non-dominant side, but they still lead mostly with their dominant side, as can be evidenced by their set ups.

Also, many of the great jazz drummers actually built a lot of their vocabulary round the very concept of a dominant hand lead, which lead to some very interesting and unusual phrasing. I believe John Riley talks about this concept in his new DVD.

[Jonesy]

I've been thinking about this a lot recently and how in non drumming related activities, such everyday life, we have a dominant side and a non dominant side, both of which perform very specific functions. Isn't this worthy of consideration in the drumming domain?

We need only look to some of the greatest exponents of the art and most of them are not ambidextrous, not even close. Granted they have developed their non-dominant side, but they still lead mostly with their dominant side, as can be evidenced by their set ups.

Also, many of the great jazz drummers actually built a lot of their vocabulary round the very concept of a dominant hand lead, which lead to some very interesting and unusual phrasing. I believe John Riley talks about this concept in his new DVD.

You make some good points that I agree with here. However, I wasn't advocating for people to pull a "mike-mangini" and become 100% ambidextrous. My point was simply that, by saying "well I'm just gonna do everything with my right hand, etc", I think that you'd be cutting yourself off from a lot of opportunities.

My right hand will ALWAYS be my dominant hand, it's as simple as that. But the more I work on making my left hand stronger, the more opportunities I open up around the drumset, whether or not I choose start leading with my left hand.

[MCS]

You make some good points that I agree with here. However, I wasn't advocating for people to pull a "mike-mangini" and become 100% ambidextrous. My point was simply that, by saying "well I'm just gonna do everything with my right hand, etc", I think that you'd be cutting yourself off from a lot of opportunities.

My right hand will ALWAYS be my dominant hand, it's as simple as that. But the more I work on making my left hand stronger, the more opportunities I open up around the drumset, whether or not I choose start leading with my left hand.

Very true.. I hope I didn't come across as adversarial, apologies if I did, I was just throwing a few ideas out there to open up the discussion. :o)

[thelimpingtoad]

But the more I work on making my left hand stronger, the more opportunities I open up around the drumset, whether or not I choose start leading with my left hand.
Totally true... think about playing syncopated rhythyms with the left on snare or even toms while keeping time with your right on hh or ride.
The point of those types of exercises the OP discussed is not necessarily to play lefthand lead fills but to develop your sense of independence between your hands. I think this is especially important with drumset because you need to be able to do all sorts of syncopated grooves with your left hand.
When discussing the concept of inconsistency between your hands, keep in mind that you SHOULD be able to make the sound consistent. If you are playing accent to grace note patterns both your left and right should be able to play the full range of dynamics acurately... Otherwise you'll be relying on your right hand for everything and you'll basically be sacrificing a lot of stuff you could be playing by "copping out" and compromizing to make it easy for your underdeveloped hand.
As for economy of motion... (i like that wording) you will definately develop ways to make fills easier to reach the drums, but that doesn't mean that all of them will be right hand lead or that the sticking won't have to change in the middle of the fill to better fit what you're playing.

[Boomka]

Going through concert band in junior high and high school, I always used the kind of sticking that you mentioned to be "incorrect," and this is the kind of sticking I would suggest to students of mine that are learning snare material for concert band. Yes, I can see the author's point on equally developing your hands, and makes sense for practicing exercises designed solely for developing your chops, but I think his point is irrelevant to actually playing snare drum in a musical context. Learning to play the snare drum right hand lead (for the right handed player), where all the notes landing on the beats and the "&"s are with the right hand and all the "e"s and "a"s are with the left hand, will make it much easier for you to (in my opinion) sight read concert snare music without getting tripped up by the stickings. Also, you should be striving for evenness in sound. Because your right and left hands don't sound 100% the same, you are better off leading figures and playing repeated notes with the same hand. For example, multiple flams in a row will sound more consistent if one hand plays all the grace notes and the other plays all the main notes. When you're not alternating, your mind is less worried about mechanics and more free to concentrate on consistency.

As for drumset - the drumset is not a concert snare drum. Your stickings should be determined by what makes the most sense when moving your hands from one drum/cymbal to another. Here, you are striving for economy of motion, and for sound quality. You would never want to alternate your hands during a fill in a way that is awkward, just for the sake of making your hands more "equally developed." However, some people on here might suggest practicing open hand (with your left hand on hihat and right hand on snare, without your arms crossed) as a way of developing both hands and opening new possibilities.

Pretty much sums up my view on this, too. Both stickings above may be "correct", and I would practice/teach my students both options and to think about the question of stickings from a purely functional point of view: What sound am I making? What's the best way to get from A to B? Stickings are a means to an end, nothing more, nothing less. Having equally developed hands is an extremely important skill, but in the end it's about getting the job done. The second sticking in the OP allows the primary pulse (the eighth note) to be played by the same hand, helping to propel the rhythm forward with consistency and strength. However, option #1 might be the right thing if you're looking for a more loping, horse-like feeling.

I was just party to a discussion by two percussionists about the "correct" sticking for one of the timpani barrages in the theme 2001: A Space Oddessy. Apparently, legendary timpanist Fred Hinger held the belief that it should be played with single-handed sticking, moving from drum to drum. I've seen plenty of top flight timpanists play it with alternating strokes. Who's right?

[Fiery]

By always leading with your right hand, you're just covering up the fact that your left hand isn't as strong as your right.
My ideal is to always have the right hand on the downbeats and the left hand on the up beats. So, for the OP's example I'd use the "incorrect" sticking, but for something like this:
1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
x xx x x xxxxxx
...the sticking would look like this:
1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
R RL L L LRLRLR

I find this keeps the timing more solid and tight especially with sixteenth note rests appearing on the downbeats.

[aldis]

t depends on who is footing the bill and where the clinic/workshop/master class is held. I've done it for free, and also gotten paid up to $4000 (but that was for a whole weekend...) It all depends on who is sponsoring you. You potentially get paid a LOT more if multiple companies are supporting you at a particular event.

[aaajn]

Totally true... think about playing syncopated rhythyms with the left on snare or even toms while keeping time with your right on hh or ride.
The point of those types of exercises the OP discussed is not necessarily to play lefthand lead fills but to develop your sense of independence between your hands. I think this is especially important with drumset because you need to be able to do all sorts of syncopated grooves with your left hand.
When discussing the concept of inconsistency between your hands, keep in mind that you SHOULD be able to make the sound consistent. If you are playing accent to grace note patterns both your left and right should be able to play the full range of dynamics acurately... Otherwise you'll be relying on your right hand for everything and you'll basically be sacrificing a lot of stuff you could be playing by "copping out" and compromizing to make it easy for your underdeveloped hand.
As for economy of motion... (i like that wording) you will definately develop ways to make fills easier to reach the drums, but that doesn't mean that all of them will be right hand lead or that the sticking won't have to change in the middle of the fill to better fit what you're playing.

A benefit for me is that is stretches my brain. My drum teacher has this thing about keeping me off balance. By switching up the sticking, He tells me when it only has chops development applications but says it helps me get around the kit more comfortably. It also helps me learn new material quicker.

Guess its like swinging a lead baseball bat so it feels lighter when you try and hit the baseball.

[BassDriver]

Practice to make your weaker side stronger...but perform in the most efficient way possible (ie use the most comfortable sticking).

[wy yung]

Think of it this way: what advantage does a limitation offer you?

Develop both sides equally. Leading with either the right or left should not be an issue.

[toddbishop]

How important is this on a drumset? So far, I've been playing the "incorrect" right-lead sticking because I was taught that way. Am I right that most drummers do too? I can imagine practicing alternate sticking will improve not only one's weak side but also one's overall fluency in stick control. But it adds another layer of complexity in everyday playing. Is the trade-off worthwhile?

The "incorrect" sticking (also called "natural" sticking- RH/8ths, LH/e's and a's) is more adapted to conventional time feels on the drumset, since it has those RH 8th notes running through it. It's also the sticking scheme of choice in corps drumming- it's easier to clean than the usual alternating sticking. I feel like doing it only the natural sticking way sort of puts you on the express train to Wipeout-land (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuBxMCk0cco). Your technique will tend to always be bringing you back around to the same RH-heavy thing, and in getting around the drums you'll be limited to moves you can lead with your right. But it's not the most horrible thing on earth to work within the limitations of the one thing if you don't have much time for the drums, and/or don't need much facility.

As you're figuring this out, you might try just moving around the drums randomly using either sticking- see what sorts of patterns emerge. Also you can get a sense of the musical difference between the two by playing them with your RH on a cymbal, the LH on the snare, and playing the BD along with the RH.

[caddywumpus]

When I broke my right wrist a few years ago, I was thankful that I had already worked up my left hand to play ride patterns and right hand to play back beats and comping.

It didn't make sense to me that I'd be spending a whole lot of time working up my left hand technique only to have my right hand play the majority of the notes, so I practiced drumming left-handed for years, in addition to working up my "right-handed" playing. It really frees me up to play things that I wouldn't have the coordination to do otherwise. It really gets the brain thinking ambidextrously.

If it can only make you a better drummer, why question it? Either you see the value in it and work on it, or you don't think it's worth the work and you don't work on it.

[brentcn]

Think of it this way: what advantage does a limitation offer you?

Develop both sides equally. Leading with either the right or left should not be an issue.

I think you're missing the point. If you lead with one hand, the sticking choices are made rather automatically, leading to consistency of sound and the ability to play new written material quickly and easily. The OP's question was whether it is wise to lead with one hand (and follow with the other), or to always alternate, in which case the lead hand shifts every time an odd number of notes is played.

If you are switching your lead hand often within a piece of music, chances are good that you'll get confused and make a mistake, and unless your technique is remarkably matched (which is unlikely if you are concerned with the task of playing music you are seeing for the first time), your sound will be uneven.

It is often the case that a good teacher will remove some variables for the student, so that they may explore new ideas within a framework, and not become overwhelmed or frustrated. This is a basic didactic technique, like the Socratic Method.

Wy Yung - the advantage of this "limitation" is that a student can play some rather complicated music and sound good, rather than get bogged down trying to play everything righty and lefty.

Has anyone here ever heard a snare student play with only alternate sticking? It's the most unmusical thing you've ever heard, I tell you, every time! I have spent many months correcting them, too, and the school band teacher gave them nothing but compliments!

Once a student has a good grasp of leading technique, though, I say go for it! Switch your lead hand after every three notes, if it makes you happy!

[BillBachman]

It's extremely helpful to be able to play thing right and left hand (and foot for double bass) lead. You'll have different drums and cymbal on either side and to avoid getting locked into the same old patterns, the ability to go with the opposite hand or foot will be quite handy.

[Davo-London]

Learning to lead with L and R is obviously good for your development and co-ordination. But at any gig or studio session - there is no way I would ever lead with my L - a) I'm not confident enough that it would work every time, b) it always sounds different/not as good.

The amount of practice required to get them to sound similar would be disproportionately long, so I do wonder, as the OP does, of the true value of it when that time could be used to hone other skills.

Don't flame me ... it's a different view.

Davo