My weaker hand is my right.

C

Colerosity

Member
My left hand can catch and use the rebound from a hit really easily, and triple strokes are a breeze. My right hand, however, is more heavy handed and likes to play each note with the wrist. It tightens up after a long session with Stick Control, while my left could probably go for another half-hour.
Before you ask, I've already tried slowing down my stroke and analyzing it. It's not helping.
Would reversing my drum set teach my right hand to respond like my left (and give my left the power of my right)?
 
I play a right handed kit but I am a lefty, I get the same problem but I think that just practising through the problem will help. I just kept slowing down my movements and gradually speeding up with a metronome until my right felt (still not as good) closer to the ability of my left hand.

Tom
 
I had a similar issue a few years ago before I seriously took a look at my grip and range of motion with each hand. I could run off triplets at high speeds no problem with my left, whereas my right hand felt less flexible and more encumbering -- and I'm a righty at that!!

When I started to learn the Moeller technique, I realized that my left had already developed a close approximation to it through all my busy snare work and just finding a way of digging out certain accents -- my right, on the other hand, was all from the wrist. After practicing moeller excercises like the ones on JoJo's dvd and other resources, I now have the Moeller down in both hands, and it has made a HUGE difference in the responsiveness of my right. If I had to guess, I would presume you may be a in a similar situation to where I was.
 
Post a video so we can see your technique. Several of us here are very experienced in hand technique and subtle issues pertaining to that, so go for it!

Also, to raggletaggle's point: when you have a "feel good" moment about your weaker hand, because you find that "Hey, I can do this paradiddle/Moeller/accent etc just as well with my weak as with me stronger hand"......it is just that: a feel good moment. The vast majority of us have a significant difference between left and right side, and the difference varies between the hundreds of different tasks out hands do. Just because you can do the Moeller equally well with both hands doesn't mean your sides are equal. Far from it.

I suggest to everyone interested in seriously improving their weaker side to get Dom Famularo's "The Weaker Side". Working through this as it is designed will give you a serious boost in wrist (ankle for the foot) capacity and strength in your weaker side, a prerequisite for finger strength.

Casper
 
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Colerosity said:
Before you ask, I've already tried slowing down my stroke and analyzing it. It's not helping.
Click to expand...
Then you have to slow it down even more and stick to it longer.
Find the motion that will work for what you need to do and start doing it in a slow, deliberate manner. Really control each part of the motion. Now repeat it for some 30 minutes. Now repeat the 30 minutes at least once a day for a couple of weeks. Now maybe try to up the tempo just a bit.

There are no shortcuts to technique.
 
Hello,
I find myself in the same situation (right-handed, but definitely way faster with my left hand). Actually, on a rebound-less surface, my right hand seems to be stronger. But when it comes to the snare drum, my left hand "tames" the rebound and uses it so that the strokes can be fast without stiffness (like a kind of reflex) while my right hand "doesn't want" to allow the rebound to help the stick to raise. I started trying to fix it a few weeks ago, by practising my right hand on a rebound surface (similar to a medium tom), at low speeds. Trying to get the same feeling on both hands, steadily switching between wrist motion, finger control, push-pull technique and Moeller. I think it's a right way but I guess it takes a pretty long time to "re-educate" the hand.
Weird thing ! but I'm glad to see I'm not alone ;)
 
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