Yes. That's exactly what I experience too. There are tons of video about this finger exercises and no one mention that except this video. Brilliant work.
Tempo League, Good info and advice. I offer a simple tip to help in this regard. It's a term being brandies about lately: Neuroplasticity! You can help "trick" your brain (Muscle memory) by using our Weak hand to do as much as possible : hold and pour your coffee /tea, Brush your teeth, etc. Use the weak hand as much as possible in everyday activities . According to the Psychiatrists is beneficial to your Psyche as Neuroplasticity of Brain function. I do it (at least i try) and it does help.
Hi enjoyed your video my problem is when i last performed with a band i was so nervouse the muscles in my arms tightend up so much dat after a few songs i found it hard to hold the sticks and had difficulty continuing i know its just nerves but im now afraid to play live. Tim
i'm new to drumming, it feels like i can whip the stick with my right hand like slicing a sword but can't with my left, same with angle of attack; i need to get it consistent with my right... it makes me sad but I know it's just practice, I'll just twack a pad for 15 minutes a day and come back to the drum kit... probably going to also teach myself to use the left hand on the hi-hat instead of crossing my arms so it can have more hours on it, probably good for becoming ambidextrous
The fact that you called out the slice was awesome. I thought my left hand was just retarded. The tips are almost always the same to work out these sorts of things. You just need to play more. More hours. More practice. Thanks, brother!
Man I have been practicing finger control for the last 2 weeks and I'm seeing no improvement at all. I've been playing for 18 years but I'm self taught and never practiced any technique stuff so I've developed some really bad habits with my weak hand. Do you have any tips? I can't seem to develop the mind-muscle connection in my fingers. The stick keeps slicing and I lose control after a couple hits. I'm getting so frustrated that I'm actually considering quitting drums altogether. Please help.
Hey! Thanks for reaching out, how are your free stroke/rebound strokes? It might be best to start back at the beginning. I have a playlist that goes step by step
I play traditional and have developed many positions.One thing I find try to as much as possible start the strick high and end high,then there's less repeat time at top plus the whole role becomes es more of one bouncing mechanism.Lurn to slow to a crawl snaping stick to the top and speed up gently getting them to bounce like a basketball.practice .starting with each hand.and ending with each hand,even with an accent.Be careful with your bones playing on too hard of a surface, for to long the return vibration is not necessarily good.practice on a non bouncing surface also,changing back and forth.That will make you more hand dependent than surface depended,with speed and sensitivity.those are some small things I have found help.Theses a lot involved with stick holding,but one doesn't want to have their mind distracted from the music when it's happening.A bad habit is tricky to reform constructively.
Just to add up - playing in unison also helps to strengthen the weak hand. I use a bit more advance exercise - 1 bar right hand singles(8 notes), 1 bar left hand singles (8 notes), then 1 bar in unison and 4th bar alternating 16th notes.Exercise that for 5 min straight. Also can be done with closed wrist. This exercise develops speed, stamina, power and control all in one. I found it on some video and it helped me a lot!
So cool! You’re the only one who recommends teaching your non dominant hand to master the FRENCH grip! I’m with you… my right hand just goes there naturally and burns effortlessly straight up and down but the left strokes wander to hell and back… I know that if I can get those fine moves consistently with the left I will get the bounce that is so comfortable when I play with the right hand
🤣 “the left strokes wander to hell and back” killed me. Totally, so much concerted, intentional effort is needed to work that out but it’s very possible.
Help me guys, i dont know what to do im confused at my form, i have both dominant hand and i usually do left in the drums only, and right hand in all that i do in daily except drums and im playing open handed in a right handed drum for years now and i wanna improve myself but sometimes my right hand doesn't go with the flow, sometimes my left is weak and sometimes my right is, and sometimes i just want to learn cross hand drum i dont know anymore
Hello my friend! I have an entire playlist dedicated to rebuilding your hands right here on RU-vid, I’d recommend checking that out. Start with video one and keep progressing through each video in order. Also watch my video on how to hold drumsticks.
Funny that I noticed on my own, training my weak hand, I was losing my grip on the stick. Natural reaction to learning stick control. Gotta relax that grip. Then learn to control.
My right hand has a fast wrist. I can just make it go crazy and then I have fast drumming but not my left wrist. There i do with wrist and arm and when i go fast i tense up
Just Liked and Subbed! What a great lesson! My weak left hand is retarted. First of all ive noticed something very interesting. So for years when i did rudiments like a parradiddle, while watching my right stick it makes a smooth white line like when you perfectly wave a fan it looks like a perfect straight line. Well no straight fan line when i look at my left stick motion. The lest stick is making little unwanted circular motions. So forever ive been trying to make it match the right stick motion which is perfectly straight. Well the other day after still not understanding why The left stick movement does not do that perfect fan motion. Heres the problem i identified when I tried to perfectly mirror my 2 hands. My godamn left thumb is straight and barely bends back while my right thumb is completely curved almost like a halfmoon in shape. So that seems to be why im having so much trouble for years getting my left to mirror my right. I am very courios to see if anyone else notices they have this issue. I would love to hear all your comments on this. Buy the way I have made a big improvement with making my left stick look lesser circular motion but its been way to much time to get it to work right, im talking 10 years. So if both of your thumbs bend back so they curve like a croissant you are a lucky drummer. Watch different drummers thumbs I think ease of stick contron has a lot to do with natural hand shape and curve thumbs that can curve backwards a bit. Like some dudes were born with better drumming bodies physiologically. Alright back to working on my retarted straight left thumb😉
Thanks for the like and the sub! And thanks for checking out the video. Keep at it! It’s hard to fully understand without a visual but the weak hand definitely gives everyone fits, get in solid reps and it will for sure start to feel better.
Hey man, keep it up. I love the fact that you didn’t have crazy animations going everywhere. You just kept it simple and smart. Great tips by the way. Another thing I sometimes do is just play triplets on both of my hands separately as fast as I can to build up my speed and endurance. It’s just much harder on your weekend which is why you really have to fix control.
One exercise that I've found helpful was a paradiddle variation followed by alternate sticking but with no accents. It goes: RLLRRLLR-LRLRLRLR-LRRLLRRL-RLRLRLRL
About french grip in weak hand, I focus on stick in first joint, and thumb on top of stick. I suppose it is important that the fulcrum/first joint is level, else the stick will slide to to one side. I also focus on the stick resting in the joint, instead of pressing the stick with the thumb. 😊
To me, one important aspect is to practice your rudiments on the actual drumset. Pads are great, but you dont get that kind of bounce and response out of an actual drum.
