Routines for Building Up the Left-Hand

[peter]

There are many things that you can do for building up your left hand and if you have some old or new ideas please, share them here with us.

The other day, my son was doing something and then stopped, saying to us, "I can't do it."

My wife and I both responded in unison: "Never say that you can't do it but only that you are having trouble with it. The mind is a powerful thing." and it's true. The mind IS a powerful thing.

The left-hand will, over time, come up to the
right-hand. my left hand is really starting to respond.

Lately, I have been starting more routines with it but the key is not just starting with the left-hand but starting my flams, with them.

Here's an example:

Tony did this with his right-hand and so did Lenny but to a lesser degree:

The 'Rl' is the flam. 's' is snare. (c) is cymbal.

Rl(s)-R(c)-L(s), Rl(s)-R(c)-L(s)...

Now, we turn this around:

Lr(s)-L(c)-R(s), Lr(s)-L(c)-R(s)...

Doing this really starts to demand from the left-hand the kind of control that we have with our right-hands.

You can replace the movement inside the flam-triplet with another drum. The important thing is that you command the movement.

Be patient. You are building the neural network, while you are doing all this.

[alencore]

And Lord Peter has spoken...hehe...seems the lord of the ring fever is getting at me too much nowadays.

Such a neat drum lesson there for our PRECIOUS lefty, Pete. It will do.

My favorite sticking to build facilty for the left is this.
It's a classic I'm sure for most of us.
Played at 8ths or 16ths.

RLLRLLRL...

This basic grouping kinda helps me get a nice swing or funky feel for the left.

btw - HAPPY NEW YEAR guys!!!

[alencore]

I'm fancying such grouping now on the feets. my left foot really needs to start doing some real double strokes.

[peter]

Remember that I am not a lefty. :)

You can apply the same idea to the left foot.

The best thing for the left-foot, for me, is still
playing everything that I do with my right, with
it. It really has come a long way.

I know it will work for you. :)

[MaltBuddow3]

I just play my rudiments with a metronome for at least 20 measures starting on my left and right hands, and then I play single strokes for about 5 minutes with the metronome. I also practice my singles starting on my left hand, because really we have more power in our weak hand than we may realize, it's the coordination we lack that holds us back. My advice for that... The mind is extremely powerful, and that can never be said enough.
I was amazed when I started leading singles with my left hand. I was getting kinda frustrated because I had to slow it way down compared to my right hand lead. Then my dad came and told me that it was all in my mind. I took it to heart and focused... and I was playing my left hand lead as long and as clean as I could with my right.

[quitou]

I'm working abit on finger control with my left hand....trying to play a consistent single stroke roll only using the fingers on my left hand....I try to play it with all my fingers simultaneously, then just with my first finger, switching to the middle finger, then to the ring finger..... I am trying to get it so that I can execute these switches smoothly so that the single stroke roll remains smooth and acuurate without any hiccups at all times.....I do the same with my right hand aswell, although I can pretty much execute it without serious problems with this hand....it's just that damn left side that needs a bunch of work....I'm also experimenting more frequently with playing open so that my left hand plays all the HH parts and also leading fills with my left hand.

[quitou]

This isn't so much a specific exercise, but I just remembered that in Mike Mangini's RK book, he says that once per week, you should spend an entire day leading only with your left hand....I haven't actually put this into practice, but it sounds like a good way to develop the left hand....basically forcing it to do a bunch of work.....

[MaltBuddow3]

starting more with your left hand can really do wonders for you... I'm getting ready to really focus on the Molloer technique in my left hand.. cause my right has always done it naturally, but I dont wanna get into til all my auditions for college and the military are done.

[The Zone]

Here is a limb strengthening exercise that Virgil taught me 10 years ago in oz. I use it with Mike Mangini's Rhythm Knowledge Vol II page 82 3 & 4 beats:

1) Find the biggest sticks you can get your hands.
2) On practice pads, play through the binary ATP's 3 & 4 with just one limb. (If you dont have RK just find a good accenting ex)
3) For hands, use a firm grip (do not open the fingers in a moler fashion).
4)Concentrate on choking down the accents that lead in to a ghost stroke but rebound the consecutive strokes.
eg No. 12 from four beats (Binary Code) is 1110 which would be two rebound strokes, one choked stroke and one ghost stroke.

The idea is to make the wrists do all the work.

This can be used for feet as well.

I usually start at 40 bpm and try and work up the tempo.

Works wonders for the wrist. You feel like popeye after this workout

[kirk]

Hey Zone welcome! MAN that routine sounds like a POPEYE workout for sure but I sure can see where it focuses on the wrist
and will really build speed, strength, endurance and clarity of the stroke.
Kirk

[kirk]

A little Southern Son's going on there Zone:D

Kirk

[bootdogs]

I can tell too! :)

[newbeat]

The plain old "8 on a hand" drill (RRRRRRRRLLLLLLLL....) has done wonders for my left hand (and combined hand speed as well). Doing it with a metronome is a must, as this will force your left to equal your right in speed.

[e-bee]

There are many things that you can do for building up your left hand and if you have some old or new ideas please, share them here with us.

The other day, my son was doing something and then stopped, saying to us, "I can't do it."

My wife and I both responded in unison: "Never say that you can't do it but only that you are having trouble with it. The mind is a powerful thing." and it's true. The mind IS a powerful thing.

The left-hand will, over time, come up to the
right-hand. my left hand is really starting to respond.

Lately, I have been starting more routines with it but the key is not just starting with the left-hand but starting my flams, with them.

Here's an example:

Tony did this with his right-hand and so did Lenny but to a lesser degree:

The 'Rl' is the flam. 's' is snare. (c) is cymbal.

Rl(s)-R(c)-L(s), Rl(s)-R(c)-L(s)...

Now, we turn this around:

Lr(s)-L(c)-R(s), Lr(s)-L(c)-R(s)...

Doing this really starts to demand from the left-hand the kind of control that we have with our right-hands.

You can replace the movement inside the flam-triplet with another drum. The important thing is that you command the movement.

Be patient. You are building the neural network, while you are doing all this.

i'm not quite sure understand this notation.. care to explain abit more?

[peter]

I'm pretty sure, now, that the flam notations are not correct. Sorry.

I think this is correct.

rL-R-L, rL-R-L etc.

The small r is the grace-note in the flam. This is what Tony and
Lenny did most of the time.

lR-L-R, lR-L-R etc.

This is the pattern reversed and what I am suggesting to focus
on more, especially taking the flam portion and placing that on a
different drum, making the left-hand lead and work.

That better?