6 year old left handed student. Teach him lefty or righty?

  • Thread starter fourstringdrums
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Boom said:
Not that this counters years of teaching, in case you assumed I was a novice, I've been playing for 32 years (I've recorded a cd this past year too). But that sentence doesn't mean I'm close minded to what you are saying. Again, I only play crossed. So I have no bias to hate crossed. It is real. It isn't that I don't understand the merits of open handed. I'm sure you are aware that there are more than a few people that speak to those merits...including people in this thread...other teachers...professional drummers (Bobby Jarzombek speaks about how he went from crossed to open and the reasons for it, which were well thought out...check him out if you aren't aware of him, he certainly knows what he's doing as he's sought out a lot for studio work).

Now, I'm sure I could find quite a few teachers and players to support that notion. Are they just making that stuff up to be different? Are they just misguided? Or could they be on to something?

The point about watering down...my term, not yours...the practice time by learning duplicated stuff is a good one. But, whenever I hear about someone that learned open handed later in their career, they all seem to say they wish they had done it sooner. I've never heard one that mastered it say that they wish they hadn't. Have you?

I'd think that someone that actually went from playing exclusively crossed to open handed would be the true expert on commenting on this. I'm sure you'd agree with that. And that's why I think it is still worth discussing, because again, I haven't heard anyone that mastered open handed drumming say that they wished they never put the time in or that it was just for show.

This is the first thread that I've seen, with yours and the other gentleman's comments, that have ever spoken against open handedness. That's why I'm a little taken aback by your stanch belief in this regard. I've read this thread and it would appear that you are in the minority here. And that includes other teachers.

Now, does this thread represent the whole world of drumming or teaching. Of course not...but for how strongly you feel on this, I'd expect more support for crossed than has occurred.

I have to get a remote hat or x hat to do some of the stuff I want to because I'm stuck playing crossed. I hate that. And nothing a teacher could do could help me here unless they taught me open handed. I think that is the strongest point yet. Could you show me how to use my left hand under my right and play my toms the way I can when playing the ride?

I'm going to assume that answer is no. And if it is no, then you *have* to see the merits of playing open handed. Or is your contention just to have 2 sets of hats? Or to just totally remove some stuff from the drummers repertoire?

ps. I guess I should edit some of this...because you've made it clear that you just have an adherence to staying with the dominant hand...or right hand in this instance. So I guess you must be a strong advocate of having two sets of hats or hats on the right side...or you can reread my last few questions again then, as it would seem you would be for removing some possibilities from the drummer.

Again, anyone else that is strongly against teaching open handedness?

Ps. I just want to say that it is hard to make these discussions appear as pleasant as they would if we were in person discussing this. What part in that I play, I'd like to apologize in advance. I also want to stress that I'm in this thread to learn, not to tell others what to do or think. So if I come across differently, please understand that is not my intention. My intention is just for honest discussion and learning for me. So thanks again Todd and others.
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Never underestimate the power of "that's the way it's always been done" to influence people. If typewriters had evolved to be used cross-handed, we'd still be typing crossed. There are better keyboard layouts than QWERTY but that's what we stick with because change is sometimes not worth the hassle.

Despite the inherent awkwardness of playing crossed, people do it because they want to play others' kits, that's what teachers teach, they want to sound like others and they want to feel the style they have is fine for them. Which it is.

This thread was about teaching a total beginner. I think that's the time to introduce open playing. If someone is already set in their ways playing crossed, then there's no need to try open, unless they are trying to build ambidexterity. To me and many others who were fortunate enough to have a teacher who influenced them to play open, I am grateful to have adopted the more natural approach to human motion. Life is open handed.
 
Deathmetalconga said:
I appreciate your insights and I look forward to continuing the discussion with you. We are interested in your opinions, which we respect by not calling them absurd or brainless. We just don't happen to agree with them. And that's just fine with me.
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I hope I never used the word brainless. I said a statement of yours was absurd, and gave the reason why I thought so. I wasn't just hurling insults. Anyway, I look forward to conversation with you on other topics.
 
toddbishop said:
I've given you my professional opinion twenty different ways, and you're not interested in that, and any readers with any brains have long since moved on. So good luck.
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I think he was referring to this. I didn't know how else to take it myself. According to this, only brainless people would want to continue this discussion.

I was also clearly interested, which is why I continued with the discussion. It is obvious you do not want to continue it. That is your prerogative. Personally, I'd rather check out than start belittling people.
 
I'm left handed and have played right handed since day one.

I've now adapted my set up to give me a more open playing style. I play hats on my left and ride on my right and play the hats with both hands. I also have two tom runs: one to my left, one to my right. But this is something I've made myself do and it works.

I believe that right handed playing as made my right hand stronger, and I'm now even with both. It's just keeping that up!
 
Boom said:
I think he was referring to this. I didn't know how else to take it myself. According to this, only brainless people would want to continue this discussion.

I was also clearly interested, which is why I continued with the discussion. It is obvious you do not want to continue it. That is your prerogative. Personally, I'd rather check out than start belittling people.
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Yes, that's what I meant.

In any case, you play open, but with hats on the left and ride on the right? That seems like it would be really confusing, having to switch assigned hand roles all the time. I put my hats on the left and my ride on the left and I play left hand hats and ride almost exclusively. I'm about as set in my assigned hand roles as a typical crossed drummer.

Have you ever thought about putting your ride on your left, or a secondary ride on the left? If your left hand is cranking out good patterns on the hats, then it seems you'd get some extra versatility putting a ride there.

I invite you to join the open handed players group below.
 
Boom said:
I think he was referring to this. I didn't know how else to take it myself. According to this, only brainless people would want to continue this discussion.
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Oh, I see. No, I wasn't trying to insult anyone. It was a poorly phrased way of saying the conversation had gotten circular and really, really boring and I couldn't imagine anyone would still be reading it.
 
Deathmetalconga said:
Yes, that's what I meant.

In any case, you play open, but with hats on the left and ride on the right? That seems like it would be really confusing, having to switch assigned hand roles all the time. I put my hats on the left and my ride on the left and I play left hand hats and ride almost exclusively. I'm about as set in my assigned hand roles as a typical crossed drummer.

Have you ever thought about putting your ride on your left, or a secondary ride on the left? If your left hand is cranking out good patterns on the hats, then it seems you'd get some extra versatility putting a ride there.

I invite you to join the open handed players group below.
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I didn't mean to insinuate that I play open at all. I try to :) I'm just horrible at it and only give it a cursory shot. I just wish I could go back in time and do more open playing as I'm positive that my hands would be closer in ability if I had which would obviously benefit me in so many other ways.

I see what you mean by having both ride and hats on the left for the left hand to play open...the players that I see playing that way look very comfortable (not that crossed players don't).

I'd think if I could program myself that I'd have rides and hats on both sides of the kit (even though I anticipate that drawing the ire of someone in this thread).
 
Boom said:
I didn't mean to insinuate that I play open at all. I try to :) I'm just horrible at it and only give it a cursory shot. I just wish I could go back in time and do more open playing as I'm positive that my hands would be closer in ability if I had which would obviously benefit me in so many other ways.

I see what you mean by having both ride and hats on the left for the left hand to play open...the players that I see playing that way look very comfortable (not that crossed players don't).

I'd think if I could program myself that I'd have rides and hats on both sides of the kit (even though I anticipate that drawing the ire of someone in this thread).
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If you're comfortable playing crossed, there's no reason to switch unless you just want to shake things up, or seek ambidexterity. I only have a limited amount of time to play and practice so I pretty much stick to my assigned hand roles. But sometimes I am tempted to play right-hand hats and ride.
 
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