Left hand dominant/right hand kit

brady

brady

Platinum Member
All that 'open-handed/closed-handed/left-handed/right-handed' discussion in another thread below got me thinking...

I am left-handed but I play a right-handed kit the way a 'normal' drummer would. However, I am 'right-footed' if that makes any sense. I do almost everything left-handed but if I were to kick a football or something, I use my right foot. To my way of thinking this has made it easier for me to play drums...I have more finesse with my right hand, therefore, I lead with my right. And if I were to swing a hammer, I would use my left hand, so why not use that hand to hit the snare? More power on 2 & 4, right?

So do I technically play open-handed since I, being left-handed, lead with my right? And more importantly, does anyone else have this weird coordination issue?
 
I'm a right handed drummer. (but not normal) I swing a golf club right handed and shoot a hockey stick left handed, which I've always found a bit strange about myself.

As far as your question of "are you an open handed drummer"? If your ride cymbal and hi hat are on the same side of your kit than you play open handed, whether your kit is set up left or right handed. If you cross your right hand over your left to ride on the hi hat then your not. Examples of open hand drummers are Carter Beuford (DMB) or Simon Phillips (Toto)
 
drummydude said:
I'm a right handed drummer. (but not normal) I swing a golf club right handed and shoot a hockey stick left handed, which I've always found a bit strange about myself.

As far as your question of "are you an open handed drummer"? If your ride cymbal and hi hat are on the same side of your kit than you play open handed, whether your kit is set up left or right handed. If you cross your right hand over your left to ride on the hi hat then your not. Examples of open hand drummers are Carter Beuford (DMB) or Simon Phillips (Toto)
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Strange yes, but I'm the same way. I shoot a hockey stick right handed...


Nope. My hat and ride are on opposite sides. However, I have been thinking recently of adding a hat to the right side just to make it easier to play patterns on the toms while on the hats.
I don't really care that much if I am considered open-handed or not, I'll still play the same way and enjoy it.
 
I have the same dilemma, i write with my right hand and do other control related things like swinging a bat/golf club right-handed, but throwing a ball or other power related exercises i use my left. This is an advantage when ti comes to drumming. Basically any extra activities that utilize your arms and legs WILL benefit your playing in some way.

I think the ideal way to play drums would be to play on a right handed kit, playing the hihat open handed with your left and playing the ride with your right hand, but most open handed guys will set up two rides/hihats to compensate. No matter what you'll always have a dominant hand.

The only perk of playing with crossed hands is that you are more locked into groove and it discourages fills slightly. Playing open handed encourages fills because the kit is so much more accessible. It all comes down to your own style of course, and being balanced is the key to great drumming.
 
I'm the exact same way as the OP and I cross my hands over. Works well for me but I suppose its all preference, whatever feels comfortable.
 
I write and draw with my left hand. I usually hold stuff with my left hand, but my right hand is better at counter tapping than my left. It can also snap a little better than my left. The fine motor control of my left is definitely better. My right hand is physically stronger and can handle rough stuff.

I'm also heavily right footed (I'm tapping with my right foot right now to music), so I'll need a right handed pedal.

Honestly, I don't know whether I'm left-handed or right-handed. (Writing apparently is irrelevant) I think everyone starts out ambidexterous, and they end up training one hand to do something at a time.
 
I am also left handed and right footed,i play cross-handed. My right hand feels easier to control and have more speed strangley with right hand. Although i think i can hit harder with my left hand, it works well playing the way i do.
 
I'm left handed and play open handed with a right handed setup, with hats on the left and ride on the right. My weakness is when I'm grooving on the ride, I don't have as much control on the snare with my left hand for ghosting etc. The co-ordination all goes to pot, and i guess that doesn't happen with right handers because the hands don't swap over. Eg, a right hander keeps left hand on snare and right hand moves between hats and ride, whereas open handed lefties like me have left hand on hats with right hand on snare, then swap to right hand on ride and left hand to snare. It's great for me cos when I've nailed it I'll be able to do all sorts of stuff with both hands, but until then it's v. frustrating! I really wanna be doing some cool ride grooves with great, subtle snarework (a la Martin Lopez from Opeth).
Back to the practice pad!
 
Im like you, Lefty who plays righty but can't decide if Im a true lefty or not. I have learned to do both. I play crossed and open. I switch back and forth. I like to play ghost notes and such with my left hand so I play crossed when I play a song that requires this. If it is a less demanding song I play open. It's OK to switch hit.
 
I'm pretty much in the same boat...lefty in life, right-footed, ambedextruous (feel free to correct the spelling) drummer. Learned lefty, then about age 12 wanted to "look like all the cool drummers I idolized" and completely re-learned the kit righty. I like being left handed/right footed. Tricky ghost notes and Bonham-esque bass drum work came very easily at a very young age.
 
Anne Beeche said:
Honestly, I don't know whether I'm left-handed or right-handed. (Writing apparently is irrelevant) I think everyone starts out ambidexterous, and they end up training one hand to do something at a time.
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That is a good point. There are a few things that people use a dominant hand for but many things - typing, driving, many sports, martial arts, many musicial instruments - require both hands and feet at about the same level of skill.

I play open, left hand hats and ride, right hand on snare; it seems bizarre to have hats and ride on opposite sides of the set as they are related parts of the set. I am right-handed and I like having my dominant hand on the snare. I don't like crossing my hands or sticks, or even having them angled toward each other, and playing open seems the most natural way to do it.
 
Hey I just had an epiphany! I'm gonna move my ride to the left next the hats. I think I used to have it there years ago, gotta be worth playing with my whole setup again. Woo, how exciting :)
 
This is definatly not a problem, you gotta play the way you want to. I'm a righty and sometimes I play open handed so whatever dominat hand you are doesn't matter if your playing open handed or not. Open handed means to have the hand thats closest to the hats play on the hats. I don't think you play open handed. It seems to me like your somewhat ambidextorus which for drumming is awsome.
 
drummingdunc said:
Hey I just had an epiphany! I'm gonna move my ride to the left next the hats. I think I used to have it there years ago, gotta be worth playing with my whole setup again. Woo, how exciting :)
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Give it a try. I have been playing open like this for 26 years. You can really get some great patterns going between the snare/hats/ride with the left hand and the snare/toms/crashes on the right hand.
 
brady said:
All that 'open-handed/closed-handed/left-handed/right-handed' discussion in another thread below got me thinking...

I am left-handed but I play a right-handed kit the way a 'normal' drummer would. However, I am 'right-footed' if that makes any sense. I do almost everything left-handed but if I were to kick a football or something, I use my right foot. To my way of thinking this has made it easier for me to play drums...I have more finesse with my right hand, therefore, I lead with my right. And if I were to swing a hammer, I would use my left hand, so why not use that hand to hit the snare? More power on 2 & 4, right?

So do I technically play open-handed since I, being left-handed, lead with my right? And more importantly, does anyone else have this weird coordination issue?
Click to expand...

I'm left handed(throwing), right footed(kicking). i was taught right handed but after 5 years i started playing open because i didnt like crossing my hands, or having a typical backbeat hand and faster cymbal hand.

these days i only cross hands for reggae rim click grooves and actually any rim click groove as right hand cross feels fine in those settings. other than that, both hands are even(after a long time of working at it,it didnt come easy).

the only downside so far is that going through exercises or books can take twice as long but i guess playing it both ways gives you more options on how to apply whatever you're studying.
 
drummingdunc said:
Absolutely.
"It's my drum kit and I'll play how I want to...." Isn't that a song...?! ;)
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I thought it was "its my party and i'll cry if I want to? a cheesy 90's pop song? maybe I'm wrong?

I'm a Lefty! my kit is set up for a left handed person.. handy for me, sucks for the people that wanna mess on my kit that are right handed :)
Playing wise , I generally cross-over.. was trained that way so always have.. no big deal really.
Though what i did find annoying was trying to get hold of left-footed doublebass pedals.. that took me months to get a some-what decent set of them...
 
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