- Open-handed drumming
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Open-handed playing refers to a method of playing drumset without crossing the hands when playing the hi-hat (or ride-cymbal) and snare drum simultaneously as opposed to the more traditional way of playing drums which features crossed hands as the basic playing position. When playing open-handed, left-handed (and right-footed) drummers will play the hi-hat with their left hand (instead of the right hand) and the snare with the right hand. However, there are right handed drummers who have developed their ambidexterity on the drum set as referenced in Jim Chapin's book "Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer", and Gary Chester's book "The New Breed". In addition, setting up hi-hats and ride-cymbals on both sides of the drumkit will also help to avoid the crossing of hands which limits the range of musical options. Absolute beginners often choose this open-handed way of playing as their first and natural attempt to drumming.
Pioneers of open-handed playing are drummers like Billy Cobham and Lenny White who started this way of playing in the late 60's and early 70's. Even before Billy and Lenny, drum legend Jim Chapin pushed the idea of playing open-handed in his groundbreaking work on coordinated independence "Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer Vol. I". The first drumset method ever written expressly on the issue of playing open-handed is "Open Handed Playing" by Dom Famularo and Claus Hessler.
Some open-handed drummers include:
- Torsten Zwingenberger
- Isaac Tabone
- Jimmy Marinos The Romantics
- Siyabulela Sacha (Joyous Celebration 12,13,14)
- kwazi shabangu Truevine KwaDukuza
- Martin Davies [1]
- Dennis Wilson
- Steve Upton (Wishbone Ash)
- Fenriz (Darkthrone)
- Billy Cobham (Mahavishnu Orchestra, Miles Davis)
- Simon Phillips
- Dom Famularo
- Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band)
- Claus Hessler
- Lenny White
- Neil Sanderson (Three Days Grace)
- Michael "Moose" Thomas (Bullet For My Valentine)
- Shawn Drover (Megadeth)
- Duncan Arsenault (The Curtain Society)
- Mike Bordin (Faith No More, Ozzy Osbourne)
- Gordon Campbell
- Mika Karppinen
- Josh Eppard (Coheed and Cambria)
- Kenny Wilson (stage name: Ginger Fish) (Marilyn Manson)
- Rayford Griffin
- Gene Hoglan
- Bobby Jarzombek
- John Kiffmeyer (Green Day)
- Scott Travis (Judas Priest)
- Cenk Ünnü (Mezarkabul)
- Mackenzie Hill
- Christopher Guanlao (Silversun Pickups)
- Durijah Lang (Glassjaw)
- Jordan Cullen (Fools For Rowan)
- Matan Koplin-Green (Little Saint Anything)
- Shane Murphy (Circus Cat, Together We are Nobody, Aaron Dillon)
- Joey Powers (Stonewall)
- Matan Koplin-Green
- Zac Mayfield (Oh, Sleeper)
- Andrew Merkle (Independent)
- John Zox (ZOX)
- Will Kennedy (Yellowjackets)
- Jason Finn (The Presidents of the USA)
- Micky Dolenz (The Monkees)
- Nick Iammarino (The Darker Shore, Mass Murder Phenomena, MurderCoasteR)
- Rob Davidson (Pompeii)
- Ilan Rubin | The New Regime, Nine Inch Nails, The Lost Prophets
- Michele Altamura (Muro Lucano)
- Dave Dippenaar (Dark Matter, FearFall, Grindlock, PSordid)
- Bennett Gelly (The Royale)
- Nick Palazeke (I Was A Hero)
- Mark Heron (Oceansize)
A number of drummers experiment and are comfortable with open-handed drumming but do not always play in that configuration. Steve Smith and Deen Castronovo have used the open hand technique for the Journey song "Don't Stop Believin'".
Categories:- Percussion performance techniques
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