Open-handed drumming
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Open-handed drumming refers to a method of playing a drum kit.
Method
The method involves not 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.[1] Absolute beginners often choose this open-handed way of playing as their first and natural attempt at drumming.
A number of drummers experiment and are comfortable with open-handed drumming but do not always play in that configuration, such as Dennis Chambers, Sean Reinert, Thomas Lang and Marco Minnemann. Steve Smith and Deen Castronovo have used the open hand technique for the Journey song "Don't Stop Believin'".
Cymbals
Many drummers that use this style position their "ride" cymbal above their hi-hat for a quicker transition to both, known as "left-handed ride".
Generally drummers playing "left-handed ride" lead with their left hand throughout; basically playing left-handed on a right-handed kit. True "open-handed" players lead with either hand leaving the ride cymbal on the right of the kit. The other way around (playing right-handed on a left-handed kit) is very uncommon. Some drummers use two rides and/or hats one on each side of their kit.
Sticking
Open-handed players normally use french grip rather than american "traditional grip" (generally used in marching and jazz) or "german grip" mainly used in rock, funk and pop. Notable exceptions being Mike Bordin in the videoclip for the song Evidence (by Faith No More), Matt Chamberlain in the videoclip for the song What I Am (by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians) and Virgil Donati utilising traditional grip. Lenny White, as a left handed drummer, also used to play open handed with traditional grip, playing on a right handed kit.
Beginnings and development
Open handed playing was first conceived as idea with Jim Chapin's book Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer, and Gary Chester's book The New Breed which emphasize coordinated independence, leading with both hands and legs.
The first drummers who started open-handed playing are musicians like Billy Cobham, Lenny White, and Dennis Wilson, who started this way of playing in the 1960s and early 1970s either out of instinct (such as Wilson, who was naturally left-handed and therefore felt more comfortable leading with that hand), or out of experimentation, finding the advantage of not having to cross one's hands over in complex fills or playing the hi-hats in the traditional manner. Many proponents of the technique have also noted that the lack of a "roof" of another arm crossing over allows for the full range of the snare playing arm's stroke to be available, meaning that loud rimshots are more easily played. Others have pointed out the added conservation of energy attained by not having to fully raise and cross one's lead hand when playing, for instance, between the hi-hats and ride in faster passages. As a result, many drummers in more extreme genres have adopted this technique. Another advantage is a player's access to the floor tom while playing the hi-hats, a feat infamously difficult to pull off in the traditional technique without access to an auxiliary floor tom.
In 2008 and 2011 Dom Famularo and Claus Hessler wrote Open Handed Playing vol.1 and 2, which are lessons focused entirely on open-handed playing.[2]
Heavy metal music
Open-handed playing is more common in the metal genre than other contemporary music as it is easier to hit the snaredrum hard at (very) hi-tempo with the dominating hand. Plus the other arm is not in the way, with the hi-hat mounted low. Punk drummers often set their hi-hat very high, from the snare, for the same reason (though obviously maintaining crosstick position). Another reason being the use of two bass drums and/or four or more rack toms in which case a stock hi-hat gets to be (uncomfortably) far away from the snaredrum otherwise.
Open-handed drumming in metal can include the use of a left-side ride, which has been used by drummers such as Gene Hoglan to play intricate stickings across two rides with contrasting sounds.
Open-handed drummers
First proponents
- Billy Cobham (Mahavishnu Orchestra, Miles Davis)
- Steve Upton (Wishbone Ash)
- Jim Chapin
- Micky Dolenz (The Monkees)
- Lenny White (Return to Forever, Miles Davis)
- Gary Chester
- Dennis Wilson (The Beach Boys)
- Jürgen Rosenthal (Eloy)
- Art Tripp (The Mothers of Invention, Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band)
- Pierlugi Calderoni (Banco del Mutuo Soccorso)
- Marcello Marcie Colò (Jumping Jive)
- Rod de'Ath (Rory Gallagher)
Second era drummers
- Simon Phillips (Toto, The Who, Jeff Beck)
- Jimmy Copley
- Deen Castronovo (Journey)
- Dom Famularo
- Scott Travis (Judas Priest)
- Bobby Jarzombek (Halford, Fates Warning)
- Claus Hessler
- Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs, Winger)
- Jimmy Marinos (The Romantics)
- Phil Gould (Level 42)
- Joe English (Wings)
- Rayford Griffin (Jean-Luc Ponty)
- Tom Hunting (Exodus)
- Geoff Kennelly (Damon, Farris Bros, INXS, The Image, The Driven)
- John Bryan (The Whirling Dervishes (band))
- Gary Husband (Allan Holdsworth, Level 42)
Modern open handed drummers
- Sean Merrell (Ian Cooke)
- Nate Kemner (Harper, Dead Stigma, Dear Heratic)
- Brian Emerson
- Neil Mavers (The La's)
- Aksel Holmgren (The Great Discord, Ghost)
- Gorden Campbell (Earth, Wind & Fire, George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke, Mary J. Blige, Jessica Simpson) [3]
- Mike Mangini (Dream Theater)
- Will Carroll (Death Angel)
- King Coffey (Butthole Surfers)
- John Poe (Guadalcanal Diary)
- Fenriz (Darkthrone)
- Neil Sanderson (Three Days Grace)
- Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band)
- Michael "Moose" Thomas (Bullet for My Valentine)
- Shawn Drover (Megadeth, Act of Defiance)
- Sammy Siegler (Youth of Today, CIV, Rival Schools, Judge, Side by Side, Head Automatica)
- Duncan Arsenault (The Curtain Society, The Curtis Mayflower)
- Mike Bordin (Faith No More, Ozzy Osbourne)
- Steffan Halperin(Klaxons)
- Todd Friend (H2O)
- Mika Karppinen
- Josh Eppard (Coheed and Cambria)
- Ginger Fish (Marilyn Manson)
- Gene Hoglan (Dark Angel, Death, Devin Townsend, Dethklok
- John Kiffmeyer (formerly of Green Day and Isocracy)
- Christopher Guanlao (Silversun Pickups)
- Zac Mayfield (Oh, Sleeper)
- John Zox (ZOX)
- Scott Mercado (Candlebox) (Brandi Carlile)
- Will Kennedy (Yellowjackets)
- Jason Finn (The Presidents of the USA)
- Rob Davidson (Pompeii)
- Ilan Rubin (Nine Inch Nails, Angels & Airwaves, The New Regime, Lostprophets, Paramore)
- Daniel Platzman (Imagine Dragons)
- Dave Dippenaar (Dark Matter, FearFall, Grindlock, PSordid) [4]
- Mark Heron (Oceansize)
- Matt Schulz (Holy Fuck)
- Danny Carey (Tool)
- Matt Cameron (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam)
- Curtis Hall (Grand Archives)
- Travis Orbin
- Ray Luzier (Korn)
- Eli Wallace (Million Hits)
- Blake Anderson (Vektor)
- Neil Mason (The Cadillac Three)
- Sam Bassal (Ocean Grove)
- Alex Rüdinger (The Faceless, Ordinance, Conquering Dystopia)
- Rennert Uri (Häxxan, Balagan, Sick Horse, Yay Nay, Indridi)
- Ryan Shutler (Lazarus A.D.)
- Ryan Strathie (Hungry Kids of Hungary)
- Robert "Sput" Searight (Snarky Puppy)
- Jamal Thomas (Maceo Parker) [5]
- Chris Wee (And So I Watch You from Afar)
- Sal Abruscato (Type O Negative, Life of Agony, A Pale Horse Named Death)
- Simon Allen (The New Mastersounds)
- Paul Mazurkiewicz (Cannibal Corpse)
- Paul Deakin (The Mavericks)
- Drew Larson (Winnebago DangerSnake)
- Harry Miree
- Randy Greer Sea of Sorrow formerly Joss and Barking Spiders)
- Tim Solyan (Victims Family)
- Blake Morey (Verb The Noun)
- Hozoji Margullis (Helms Alee)
- Boris Williams (The Cure)
- Ben Minal (Dorje, Toska) [6]
- Louis Cole (Knower) [7]
- Mike Smith (Suffocation)
- Ricard Bouffard (Blowfuse)
- James Bradley Jr. (Crazy Town)
- John Blackwell (Prince, Patti LaBelle, Bootsy Collins, Cameo)
- Niles Vandenberg (Kensington)
- Menno Duursma (Deification, Electric Pyramids) [8][9]
- Will Calhoun (Living Colour)[10]
- Dave Buckner (Papa Roach) [11]
- Zach Choy (Crack Cloud)
- Darrin White (Multi-Color House, Odyssey)
References
- ^ "Matts Drum Lessons | Open Handed Drumming | Matts Drum Lessons". 2011-04-14. Archived from the original on 2013-04-09. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
- ^ Dom Famularo Books on Open handed playing
- ^ "Gorden Campbell". DRUMMERWORLD. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ^ "Dave Dippenaar". The Metal Archives. 2011-04-25. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
- ^ "Maceo Parker - Shake everything you've got". YouTube. 2008-01-04. Retrieved 2020-05-24.[dead YouTube link]
- ^ "Dorje | Aeromancy | Drum Playthrough". YouTube. 2016-04-26. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
- ^ "Overtime (Live Band sesh) - KNOWER". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
- ^ "Menno Duursma". The Metal Archives. 2011-10-24. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
- ^ "De Groote Weiver Jam". YouTube. 2015-01-11. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
- ^ "Living Colour - Type". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
- ^ "Papa Roach - Last Resort (Squeaky-clean Version)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.