Way back in 1981, i turned up for my third drum lesson and began to play a snare drum piece that I had been practicing. After a few minutes, the drum tutor stopped me and asked if I wrote with my left hand... When I replied that i did, he muttered something about "that explains it!" and promptly got me to hold the drumsticks in traditional grip but in the opposite hands. Once I did this and started to lead with my left, things got much easier. It had never occurred to me that there was such a thing as a left handed drummer! 30 odd years later...Im posting various videos onto media such as youtube, both for my tuition practice and also demoing products for a well known drum store. This is when the comments began..... Usually along the lines of "hey dude, you're holding your sticks wrong!".. No, I reply, Im left handed.....I play everything the opposite way round. Then comes the comment that really drives me mad..."dude, theres no such thing as left handed drummers!!" I tend to count to 10, calm down a bit and then type a response, usually pointing out that if left handed drummers dont exist, someone better tell Phil Collins, Ian Paice, Pete Riley, Rod Morgenstein and many other top pro players. Or maybe they should check out some of the leading marching band drummers, such as the 4 left hookers in Field Marshall Montgomery pipe band. And yet STILL these annoying internet trolls with far too much time on their hands insist Ive made the whole thing up! Maybe I am a figment of my own imagination?? Or maybe there are more left handers, southpaws, left hookers......call us what you will, out there? No one bats an eye at the sight of a left handed guitarist, or batsman, or bowler, so whats so unbelievable about left handed drummers? For any drummer starting out who is left handed... firstly try and play right handed, it will make life easier for you in the future when you have to use other peoples drumkits etc, but if it feels wrong, switch everything around and unleash your true, proud, left handed self!
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