Every Drummer’s Rescue Mission (Cont.): Rousing Your Sleeping Giant
- Posted on 11th June 2013
- in Drum Technique
- by Bill Gato
Foundational Principles of the Buddy Rich – Henry Adler Technique, Part 3
Improving your drumming technique is like embarking on a mission to rescue a Sleeping Giant within you. If you’re a Rightie — and that’s roughly 90 percent of the population — your Sleeping Giant is your left hand. If you’re a Leftie, your right hand is your Sleeping Giant.
Once roused from its years of slumber, this Giant will partner with your stronger hand to produce an extended series of identical sounding notes. At faster tempos and for extended duration, this balanced and graceful succession of notes (also known as rhythm) produces immense pleasure in music lovers.
Due to the reality of “handedness”, it is challenging for most Rightie or Leftie beginners to create a balanced series of notes. You’ll need two equally strong hands to create pleasurable rhythms. Any imbalance between the hands – unless it is done on purpose for a musical effect — will reduce the rhythmic pleasure for a listener.
Your immediate mission is to overcome handedness and become ambidextrous. Your ultimate mission is to become a multi-limbed rhythmic magician.
Of course, it’s not actually the left or right hand that we are rescuing. It’s the brain hemisphere connected to it. It’s the neural pathways between your hemispheres and hands (and yes, your feet).
So, how do we rescue our weaker, dormant side? How do we awaken this Sleeping Giant? How do we train it to perform at the level of the stronger, dominant side?
One of hallmarks of the Buddy Rich-Henry Adler drumming technique is that it requires a student to practice every rudiment leading with the right hand and then also with the left hand. Adler never allows one hand to take priority over the other. It’s the exact opposite of how you have been trained until now.
It is the opposite of how many other drum schools teach technique.
It is the perfect blueprint for your rescue mission.
With a proven system like Adler’s, an experienced coach and daily practice, you’ll gradually begin to awaken and strengthen your dormant side. At Drum Lessons Miami, we also teach special exercises exclusively for the left hand.
Why is daily practice so important?
“Repetition,” says success coach Anthony Robbins, “is the mother of skill.”
I cherish that maxim. It’s both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that it reveals the secret to exceling at any activity. The curse is that it doesn’t sugarcoat the reality that becoming ambidextrous will require practice and dedication. Another caveat to consider is that repeating an incorrect technique or a bad habit will also reinforce the incorrect technique. This is why it’s important to study proper drumming technique with an accomplished teacher.
Hemisphere reversal exercises
Below I will share three simple hemisphere-reversal exercises for drummers to begin to awaken their dormant, weaker sides. The idea is to strengthen the neural connections between the underutilized hemisphere and its corresponding hand.
Caution: Practice these slowly. Be patient. You are attempting to teach your dormant side how to perform activities that your stronger side has performed for years.
- Brush your teeth with your weaker hand. Yes, it will feel incredibly awkward at first. Go slowly. Be careful to avoid injury. If you suffer from a special dental condition, consult your dentist.
- Reverse your utensils and eat with your opposite hand. Hold your spoons or forks with your weaker hand, grasp the food and insert it into your palate. (Careful not to spill that scorching soup on yourself or your date. Go slow.)
- Write each letter of the alphabet in upper and lower cases with your weaker hand. If you’re a Rightie, be prepared for smudge stains on the sides of your hands.
Another word of caution: Be mindful of safety. Given the vastly disproportionate ratio of Righties to Lefties, Lefties know the challenges — and dangers — of living in a “right-handed world.” Research shows that 2,500 left-handed people suffer accidental deaths each year from using right-handed appliances.
I did say that your rescue mission would require patience.
It will also require caution.
Be particularly careful to avoid power tools, can openers, scissors and other asymmetrical appliances with your weaker hand. Be careful with throwing balls or Frisbees with your rookie hand. Your aim will be far less precise until you have practiced extensively.
If you are ready to embark on your rescue mission and need expert guidance, you have my number.
I invite you to dial it with the hand that needs it most…
The Sleeping Giant.
Bill Gato is the Founder of Drum Lessons Miami, a South Florida blog and private instruction school that teaches the Buddy Rich-Henry Adler drumming technique. For more information, visit www.drumlessonsmiami.com or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Tags: ambidexterity, Bill Gato, Buddy Rich, drum lessons, drum technique, drumming, drums, Henry Adler, miami