Will my weak hand always feel awkward?

SweetDan

New member
(This in relation to the thread I recently posted about converting a cheap tom into a snare...now that I have a thing to bang on at home, I've banged on it quite a bit.)

Yeah, I've been trying to practice that thing, playing para-diddles and stringing together 1- and 2-stroke roll combinations. Sometimes even with a metronome.

This has been going on a few weeks now. But (BUT!) I'm still baffled at how awkward the stick feels in my weak hand. Trying to get the stick to rebound properly, trying to not tense up, trying to not drop the darn thing all feel weird. Weird!

For those of you who've played a long time, do your hands still feel different? Do you have more confidence -- even if it's by a very slight amount -- that your strong hand will perform the way you want it to, but that your weak hand may "glitch" from time-to-time? (And if you've moved beyond that, how long did it take?)
 
I'm not a drummer and I have no first hand experience, but I've talked about this a lot with a friend of mine who recently returned to drumming after a long break.
I assumed he'd want to get his skills back to where we was before the break but actually his goal was bigger than that. He wanted to focus on improving his weak hand more than anything.

I know he embarked on a series of exercises and regimes and within only a few weeks was aware of a pretty big difference.
He went to a very reputable tutor for a short time and gained some great advice and practical approaches.

He's not on this forum but I could try to put you in touch with him, if you want?
 
Thanks for the offer to put us in touch, but I'd really just like to know if anyone who drums long enough will get over the feeling that their weak hand is "weak". Does that feeling ever go away? If so, how long / how much practice did it take? (Maybe next time you converse with your friend you can ask him/her that question.)
 
I've been at it for a few years now and I can say without a doubt your week hand will always feel retarded (the literal dictionary meaning) compared to your right. My left hand still feels stupid.

What's bizzare (and I have no idea if others feel this way) is my left foot does NOT feel retarded when it comes down to comparing it to my right. I'm completely comfortable using either foot to play bass drum patterns.
 
It depends how much practice you put into making your weak hand be the same as your strong hand.

I know several drummers that can do just as much with their weak hand as the other, but you would have to concentrate on making that happen.

Jason Bittner has a ride cymbal on both sides, so he can trade off hands so that his right hand doesnt have to do all the work. But that was something he decided to make happen after he had been playing a while.

Simon Phillips plays the hat with his left hand for two reasons:
1. So he can lower the hat to make room for his hi tom
2. To keep from having his arms crossed, so he can do hat patterns while the right hand can move around the kit.

Basically, you have to make the decision to make it a priority. I know a guy that spent years trying to be able to do the same things with his feet that he can do with his hands. It took a while, but he did it.
 
There are guys who have thier left hand on lock. Exhibit A:



However I 100% guarantee you they will always tell you they still have a slightly weaker hand.
 
I would suggest practicing your rudiments by leading with your weaker hand. Do a few bars like that then switch to the other hand.

For me one hand is definitely weaker but I can do stuff with it that I can't with the other. And I'll probably never be able to because I just don't have the time, drive or patience to really practice like I should. But I still attempt to make it stronger, it's a constant climb.
 
Weird. I'm self-taught and do things a little differently, but I would never compare my hands against each other as weakest/strongest because they take on different roles. I'd feel just as weird tapping the ride with my left hand as I would playing the snare with my right. But neither hand is "weak" because of this and, while I'm not the most versatile drummer in the world, each hand excels at it's particular job in the greater task of providing rhythmic accompaniment for my music.
 
Weird. I'm self-taught and do things a little differently, but I would never compare my hands against each other as weakest/strongest because they take on different roles. I'd feel just as weird tapping the ride with my left hand as I would playing the snare with my right. But neither hand is "weak" because of this and, while I'm not the most versatile drummer in the world, each hand excels at it's particular job in the greater task of providing rhythmic accompaniment for my music.

I hear you. I guess this is the thing my pal wasn't happy with.
If it serves your style and your music then there's no big deal, but he found himself wanting to do things that he couldn't.
He's always been that guy, watching someone else and thinking...how can I do that?!

I can't remember the guy's name but there was a video serious by a pretty incredible drummer. I think he was Austrian or German?
His four limbs just appeared to be equally able, and he talked a lot about breaking away from comfort or tendencies.

It seemed that anything he could do, he could do in reverse quite comfortably although, as someone said, I'm sure he'd still claim to have a weaker, or less confident, hand.
All relative, I suppose.
 
Yeah. I agree with GuitarGod...my feet are never a problem. Double bass kicks can start with either. I do some odd things on the drums, and sometimes a roll will need to start with the left hand and sometimes with the right. I'm always more comfortable leading with the right. I do play my snare with the right a lot, though. I've practiced a lot to get where I can do hihat/snare crossed or open so I'm ready for what comes next when necessary. Just push yourself to do things that seem unnatural, or get to the point where weird stick combos ARE natural. It was easier for me to do left lead rolls from an open stance, and rather than switching to ride every time to do so, I just learned to play open with left on hats and right on snare. I've also practiced paradiddles and flams forward and backward (inverted) till I'm blue in the face, but that's pretty much standard stock in trade for drummers. You should be doing that ANYWAY. Paradiddle rolls can really improve your speed once you get the hang.
Bear in mind that this is advice from someone who programs his drums (and usually not that well). My kit's at the church and I have no way to record it there and no reasonable way to bring it here and record it either...
 
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