I'm right handed, but left footed. How retarded is this?

blakeman8192

Junior Member
Is this bad?
I have to start double bass triplets/quads/etc. with my left foot, otherwise I'm more prone to mess up with timing and stuff.
I also have better timing with my left foot, it feels.

I'm right handed in everything else (like I use my right hand on the snare with blast beats, etc.).
I'm right handed with handwriting and other stuff too.

How bad is this? Is anyone else like this?
 
You are not alone. You will be surprised when you learn how many drummers are just like you.
There are many threads here about this.
There are styles of playing in which you can use this to your advantage!

Search, Read, and explore.
 
Oh, thanks for the quick replies guys. :D
It's good to know that I'm not alone.

EDIT:
Quick question:
Would it be okay to keep my right pedal the one on the bass drum and my left one the one that's off to the left, and still play primarily with my left foot? Is there any sound difference?
 
Not retarded at all! this just means that you'll set up on a left-handed kit, but you'll play open-handed. Will Kennedy of the Yellowjackets plays the same way but exactly reversed - right-handed kit, but opened handed because his left hand is playing his ride cymbal all the time. It actually is pretty cool.
 
give this a read, its kind of a long essay but you can skip down to the feet section if you want. Should help you out
http://www.contemporarymusicproject.com/teaching lefties.html

Heh, that just kind of tells me how rare/weird/awkward what I do is.
Instead of focusing on "correcting" my "problem", I'd rather try to embrace it and see what I can do playing that kind of style.

Not retarded at all! this just means that you'll set up on a left-handed kit, but you'll play open-handed. Will Kennedy of the Yellowjackets plays the same way but exactly reversed - right-handed kit, but opened handed because his left hand is playing his ride cymbal all the time. It actually is pretty cool.

Hmm, that doesn't sound too bad. I'll try it out. There's not much of a difference other than switching over the pedals, hi hat, floor tom, and ride, right?
I'm sort of new to owning my own drum set, but I've played a friends (it was right handed) for a few years now so I'm pretty good right off the bat.

EDIT: Wait, that means I can't blast open-handed. I'm not sure if that'll work out too well for me. :S
 
Heh, that just kind of tells me how rare/weird/awkward what I do is.
Instead of focusing on "correcting" my "problem", I'd rather try to embrace it and see what I can do playing that kind of style.



Hmm, that doesn't sound too bad. I'll try it out. There's not much of a difference other than switching over the pedals, hi hat, floor tom, and ride, right?
I'm sort of new to owning my own drum set, but I've played a friends (it was right handed) for a few years now so I'm pretty good right off the bat.

EDIT: Wait, that means I can't blast open-handed. I'm not sure if that'll work out too well for me. :S

I have the exact opposite issue. I'm left-handed and right-footed. Playing on a regular righty kit makes total sense to me. I use my dominant (left) hand for the backbeat and since I have more power/articulation with my right foot, it just makes the most sense to use it on the kick.

Just experiment with every variation of set up that you can imagine. See what works for you.
 
Seems like the best option may be to set up the kit as a lefty but play open handed as mentioned by Bo. Maybe have your ride to your right to make sure your dominant hand is still dominating.

Just flip the kit round and you'll turn into a Beauford in no time ;)
xoxo
 
I'm left handed but right footed. I play a right handed kit. I also play crossed handed.
We all have to find our own way.
To me, It was all about the foot. That is why I settled on the righty set up about 40 years ago.
I did try a lefty set up for about a year when I first started playing a kit. I just wasn't comfortable with it.

Find your own way to play that suits you best. That is my best advice.
 
im right handed and play my kick with my right foot, but i play the top half lefty and open handed. there's plenty of us freaks out there :p
 
This is not retarded at all, but just a another way to play open-handed. Give it a try!

Unlike other instruments, there is no "right" or "wrong" way to play the drums and you can and should move things around as you need to.
Heh, if only that was true ;p. In this case it is, but yeah, I've seen some of my friends play in ways that were... Wrong. They were just plain wrong.
 
As a person who has worked with mentally challanged, (retarded) people, I think a better word might be "strange" for your title. The word "retarded" means to slow down, it does not mean stupid, like what I think you where trying to imply in your title.
 
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