open method

toad_uk

toad_uk

Member
I have not been drumming long and have been playing the cross over hand way (left hand snare right hand hi hat). I've just read about the open style, have tried it, but it feels like starting to learn all over again. Just wondered how many of you guys use this method and is it worth 're-learning'.
 
I have seen it used on the rock drumming system, but other then that I've never seen it used. I know it's hard to do but it may have benefits.
 
There are a lot of open handed players out there. Josh Eppard from Coheed does it, Carter Beauford does it among many other monsters.

Learning to play open handed (especially when you're a right handed player) is extraordinarily useful. It forces you to rethink all of your grooves and chops. It does wonders for your independence. I've been doing a lot of it over the last couple of years.

So, give it a try.
 
Could you please explain the "open method"?

Are you referring to playing a right hand kit and riding with the left and accenting with the right on snare? Billy Cobham switches off to do this a lot. I've tried it and made it work on occasion.
Or are you talking about open-closed-open technique regarding timing?
Or are you talking about playing part of the ride with right hand and alternating rimshots with right while playing grace note fills with the left hand?

I'm trying to get my head around the "lingo". It's been many years since my formal study................... and I'm old.
 
Normally. "open" when talking about drumming refers to the opposite of "closed" and pertains to rolls... i.e. an open roll where you can hear the separate beats, as is common in fife and drum bands, and a closed roll, like a press roll a jazz drummer uses.

It sounds like you mean "riding with the hand you normally don't".

Sure, most drummers do that sometimes, it's no big thing and shouldn't really be your focus - the focus should be on the song. But experiment with stuff like that in practice time and you'll come up with some fun stuff.

My understanding is that Billy Cobham is a left handed guy playing a right handed set... he rides with his left hand and kicks with his right.
 
Hi guys. I seemed to have caused a little confusion. I am right handed, and the way I currently play is with my left hand hitting the snare and my left hand crossed over playing the hi hat. The open method i am referring to keeps the kit set up as normal but I would play the hi hat with my left hand and my right hand playing the snare. When I try this it totally throws my coordination out, I know if I stuck at it I could eventually master it, but wondered if was worth re-learning.
 
toad_uk said:
Hi guys. I seemed to have caused a little confusion. I am right handed, and the way I currently play is with my left hand hitting the snare and my left hand crossed over playing the hi hat. The open method i am referring to keeps the kit set up as normal but I would play the hi hat with my left hand and my right hand playing the snare. When I try this it totally throws my coordination out, I know if I stuck at it I could eventually master it, but wondered if was worth re-learning.
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It's only worth learning as a practice tool. Lots of drummers have talked about this over the years. So basically, the answer I have is "no". I don't think many great drummers put a whole lot of stock in that thinking, although they all do it to a degree. For me it's like I'm playing with a band and I look up and my left hand is on the ride and right on the snare, and I think "how'd I end up here? Oh well...".

To me it's better to accept what hand you are and develop "dependance" not "independance" based on that ride hand.

But it's common to practice stuff like that and then when you go to the gig concentrate entirely on the music.
 
dintymoore said:
To me it's better to accept what hand you are and develop "dependance" not "independance" based on that ride hand.
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I hope I've misunderstood that, otherwise it's possibly the worst advise I've ever heard someone offer a drummer.

OP...yes the ability to play open-handed is a valuable tool.
It will feel awkward at first, but it becomes exponentially more comfortable as you develop. I would not recommend "starting over" and relearning the kit open-handed...no point.

Ideally...you will over time, learn to comfortably maneuver around the kit playing open, closed, and varying degrees of both.

I used to play a rather large kit, but becoming fluent in both open and closed techniques, has allowed me to drastically reduce the size of my kit while maintaining the same complexity and variety in rhythms.
 
I learned to play ambidextrously as a result getting very involved in hand drumming, especially West African Djembe and Arabic Derbekke. Each hand must learn to play all of the parts equally on djembe and I trained myself to expand my scope with derbekke by switching from right handed playing to left handed playing. It improved my isolation and ability. But I am a right handed player. This was done just to gain skill and control.
I was able to transfer this to drum kit to a degree (not to be showy) but it is sometimes more expedient to switch and play a ride on my sizzle cymbal that I keep to the left as I play a snare accent with my right hand. Granted, I always return to playing rides with my right and accents and grace notes on the snare with my left, but there is a certain control and freedom to knowing that you can switch it up once in a while.
 
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Carter Beauford said in his video that he started playing "open-handed" because that´s how the kit looks when he stand in front of it.
In my case the first time I played drums open handed came naturally. Over the years I´ve tried to cross my hands and play ride with the left but I don´t feel comfortable. When I´m rehearsing and it´s a big deal to move the stands or change the cymbals (the ride on the crash stand and vice versa) I play the ride with my left. Gigs are a whole different story, changing cymbals or moving the stands, if possible, (more than 2 bands playing live) it´s a must.
Learning something new always helps. :)

TS
 
dependance vs. independance. I practice and play open handed despite my dependence on right handed playing to encourage independance. Independance is very important for my playing because when I'm playing with a band I want to use all my concentration listening and knowing the song rather than thinking about technique and where my hands should be. I want to be able to play all my parts with either hand in any position.

That's the beauty of the drums you can be playing 4 separate time signatures. Independance is a wonderful thing. Keep practicing anything that makes things harder. Keep pushing yourself and you'll become a better drummer and a better musician all around.
 
not sure where i saw this but i try it a lot and it's good to get the brain deprogrammed and mix it up, which is also why i want to get a double bass pedal, to mess more w the programming and use left foot on kik. good exercize for the neurons, fun to feel 'starting over' see how far i've come (not very far sadly) but still fun
 
Depends on the song, but normally I'll play cross-over.

It's a nice technique to learn; you can do some pretty cool fills and beats
with your strong hand leading on the snare.

Back in the day when I took lessons, I was given drills to plan weak foot
lead on the kick, and same with the hi-hat/ride pattern. Too bad I didn't
put much effort into it; I've seen some wicked videos displaying this open
style and I love it!

Mike Mangini is a huge proponent of this. He uses a symmetrical kit, and
rarely plays cross-over. One of the videos below has him switching between
a left and right handed kit. Unreal! Check out some of his stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20vIX7ceDdw&feature=related
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2e52J5aazQ&feature=fvw
 
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Here I go pissing off people again...

For me in that video I don't see independence - I see dependence.

You're mind can only do 1 thing at a time, and when you learn certain patterns, to someone that doesn't see that 1 thing, it appears that you're doing different things with your different limbs. Well obviously the guy in the video is, but in his mind he is doing 1 thing, and it's all based on depending on you're ride hand and knowing where things are in between and with that.

But I agree, it does appear like his brain can do four different things at once.
 
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I heard the "PIT" percussion institute, was teaching students to play "Open handed" reguardless of what style they were comfortable with.
 
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