left hand bounce

[bonhamdrummer123]

Ive been noticing lately that my left hand is feeling more comfortable at the set and at the practice pad except I cant get any bounce when playing paradiddles, fast double strokes, or buzz rolls. I also cant play with my left fingers at all like my right hand. My left wrist is pretty good but how would I improve my fingers on my left hand or my bouncing with my left hand?

[larryace]

You need to achieve equalization. Kinda radical, but set your kit up left handed and play like that for awhile. That's just one suggestion out of probably hundreds. Equalization is the goal of all serious drummers.

[yesdog]

One thing I do to develop the left hand is play my rudiments starting with the left hand
example LRLLRLRR or LRLLRR The second exercise is great for the weaker hand.
I think its important to start very slow and clean and concentrate on feeling the sticks
doing the work. Other stuff i practice for my week hand is LRLRLRLRLLRRLLRRLRLLRLRRLRLLRLRR
do that and then change the sticking. practice slow and concentrate on the sticks doing the work and controling the bounce and speed up when comfortable. Thats what helps me.

[bonhamdrummer123]

You need to achieve equalization. Kinda radical, but set your kit up left handed and play like that for awhile. That's just one suggestion out of probably hundreds. Equalization is the goal of all serious drummers.

I am asking this so I can achieve that equalization. I know that would help me tremendously with every aspect of my playing but I just don't know how to practice it.

[denisri]

Hi
Breakdown to some practice time left hand only working on rebounds...
Double stroke...stroke..rebound
Triplets...stroke...2 rebounds
16th's..stroke..3 rebounds
start very slow.......quarter note equals 53BPM
Denis

[bonhamdrummer123]

Hi
Breakdown to some practice time left hand only working on rebounds...
Double stroke...stroke..rebound
Triplets...stroke...2 rebounds
16th's..stroke..3 rebounds
start very slow.......quarter note equals 53BPM
Denis

I think something like this is what I'm looking for. Thanks man

[intheruff]

Hey Bonham...

'The Funky Primer' by Charles Dowd has a section that is all about enabling the left hand of right handed drummers. Section 3B of the primer is about four pages of exercises that starts with VERY simple left stick slaps that become more complex with each exercise. This practice routine WILL eventually garner that brain/hand coordination you need for successful play. Starting slow and with a metronome will have you playing the 'Texas Shuffle' in relative short time if you stay with it. THIS WILL WORK FOR YOU, as it has for me and other serious drummers realizing this is a must skill! The only thing you need to do is put out the energy to buy the book and then practice daily for 20 minutes these routines. Easy, eh!!???

[larryace]

As far as how to do it....You just have to practice with that goal, to make the left hand as capable as the right. You could get the books and follow the exercises that others have suggested, what I do is I play something with just my right hand, say a shuffle pattern on the snare w/ rimshots on the 2 and 4. Then I try to get it to sound exactly the same way while playing it with my left hand. It always sounds different when you start, but after 20 minutes it should start to come together. (that doesn't mean you mastered it, because tomorrow when you try it again, it will still feel wierd in the beginning, but after months or years of that, you will start to approach equalization). Instead of setting your kit up lefty, like I mentioned in my last post, you could just play open handed and start riding with your left hand (on a cymbal on the left side of the kit), this shows you exactly how much difference there is between the right and left.
I've been working on equalization pretty hard since 2003, and I feel like I'm finally getting pretty close, so it takes some time (at least for me ha ha)

[bonhamdrummer123]

I do play open handed and my left hand is still horrible...???