I just discovered something

Salty Dog

Senior Member
Hey everyone,
just figured something out this week while trying to increase my bass drum playing speed with my right foot. Turns out I'm a lefty when it comes to lower limbs but I'm right handed. You see the problem there? I should have know all along since my left foot is always my go-to foot when I play soccer.

How would you attack this problem? I have rarely played double-bass but I know for sure that if I switch my kit around that my single bass drum playing will automatically improve by playing it with the left foot? It's that obvious.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Joe
 
I am the same : right handed for writing drawing, and lefty for soccer (football down here). Though I know that since I was able to shoot in a ball.
I haven't felt any problem on the drum kit, I play a right handed kit forever and I don't feel my right foot too dumb. The advantage I have is that when I play double bass, my left foot isn't weak at all. If you really feel problem of power or dexterity with your right foot : one solution would be in increasing foot training.

Playing on a right handed kit with the left pedal of double pedal is gonna be a pain when someone will lend his kit.
 
While I'm primarily a lefty, there are a lot of things I can only do righty. Anything I swing or shoot is right-handed. Most everything else if left-handed. When I played soccer, I was left-footed, but was fair with my right.

I grew up playing drums right-handed, but sometimes lead with my left hand. Makes some fills awkward if I don't think about it ahead of time. I kept thinking if I switched to lefty drums, the awkwardness would go away. Not happening. Fills were easier, but I guess after playing so many years right-footed, I cannot play a decent bass beat with my left foot (I don't play double).
 
Just a question. Why does your BD pedal speed need to be faster? Is it a genre requirement, personal satisfaction or is the speed you have now just too slow for everyday playing?
 
Yes, plenty of thoughts on this subject. That's a link to an article with someone arguing for all the reasons your natural handedness/"footedness" are very important, vs. me arguing why they're not important at all-- at least as far as drumming is concerned. Basically, the skill you acquire from practicing far outweighs whatever natural ability you have with one limb vs another; and all of the proposed solutions to this opposite handed/footed thing create at least as many problems as they solve.

What I recommend is practicing more to get your bass drum technique together. Since you accidentally came up with a left foot BD technique that seems better than your right foot technique, you could try to make your right foot copy your left.
 
Just a question. Why does your BD pedal speed need to be faster? Is it a genre requirement, personal satisfaction or is the speed you have now just too slow for everyday playing?

I was wondering the same. I think another possible way to look at this is to consider what can you do with your stronger foot on the hi-hat.
 
If you don't NEED the extra speed, revel in the opportunities you have for extra high hat dexterity.
 
I am the same : right handed for writing drawing, and lefty for soccer (football down here). Though I know that since I was able to shoot in a ball.
I haven't felt any problem on the drum kit, I play a right handed kit forever and I don't feel my right foot too dumb. The advantage I have is that when I play double bass, my left foot isn't weak at all. If you really feel problem of power or dexterity with your right foot : one solution would be in increasing foot training.

Playing on a right handed kit with the left pedal of double pedal is gonna be a pain when someone will lend his kit.

Thanks for the feedback. I know right, the obvious thing would be to go practicing harder and I should & will.
 
Play open handed on a lefty set up.

Well that is out of the box thinking right there Troy. I'm not a fan of the open handed playing but I need to re-set my kit after some fine-tuning & serious cleaning and I might just try it out to have a clear conscience. Thanks.
 
Either this, or get a remote hi-hat stand and a remote kick drum pedal.

If you go this route, I refuse to be your drum tech. :)


I played & supplied the backline kit for a festival this summer and there was a guy who did exactly that! Double pedal and remote hihat stand, was real trippy watching him play from behind the stage.
 
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