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.