While getting into some more general drumming videos and tutorials, I keep hearing instructors emphasize the importance of your non-dominant hand being able to be as proficient as your dominant hand. What do you think? Do you spend time practicing with your non-dominant hand as the lead? I can see this makes great sense for regular kit players, but maybe it isn’t as necessary for finger drumming? My gut says… sure, it’s just as important for finger drumming!
I’ve started to practice the “Building Fills” lessons with my hands reversed and it’s going reasonably well. Thanks Rob & others!
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Like Rob said in another video, this method of playing the main beat with right hand and just to the syncopation with the left is very good to get started but I think as you start playing more complicated grooves you’re gonna need to be able to switch it up quite a bit and that’s when its very good to have a good left hand as well.
Yeah, I think the method where your dominant hand is a lot better than your non dominant one is actually very useable when making music and laying down some basic tracks, but if you really want to sound pro as a drummer (and not just have fun or use the device as a simple tool in the studio besides loops and other things) you have to try and make your non dominant hand just as good as your dominant one. Which will probably never happen, but that should be the goal.
Beats will start to sound pro as soon as you start to get full control over both hands and all those small in between hits are accurately placed as well.
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I know Ill Gates lays his sample packs out in a manner that they can be played with either hand (with the same fingering). but folks like Jeremy Ellis or Buck Rodgers or SpinScott lay their pads out in such a way that swapping hands is not really feasible (but Jeremy Ellis does frequently do the same pattern with his weak hand even though the pads are laid out for right hand to be the lead). I think you will still need to dedicate time to your off hand, but being able to do everything equally well with both hands is putting your effort into the wrong bucket.
Once you reach a certain level of proficiency with both hands, you probably want to maintain that baseline ambidexterity, but greatness comes from selecting a system that works for you and focusing on exponential growth of your strengths, not remediation of your weaknesses. NFL quarterbacks don’t practice tackling, NBA centers (very rarely) practice being the dribbler in pick-and-rolls, NHL goalies don’t spend time working on their slapshots etc.
Just my opinion.
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Yeah this sort of overlaps with the idea of my non symmetrical layout. Making tings symmetrical for the sake of them being symmetrical is just useless.
Its about getting the most out of your pad controller and your hands.
That said, spending some time getting your weak hand just as good as your good hand is worth it. Youll fail at ever reaching true ambidexterity but the attempt at trying to get there for some time will usually make your weak hand a lottt better 