I once saw a very young student enthusiastically sit down at the drums and start jamming, smiling and having a blast! But in stepped in his well meaning parent, ‘correcting’ him by crossing his arms to play in the traditional way, because he thought it was ‘right’. Don’t forget the 2 rules in drumming: #1 ‘There are no rules’ #2 ‘Follow rule 1’! The consequences of every choice we make either gives or takes away our freedom, expression, and efficiency.
Is there anything wrong with crossing? Of course not! But it CAN limit freedom, develop bad habits, and slow the progress of the weaker side. Here’s something I learned (the hard way) after playing 17 years crossed: it is VERY challenging to play open handed after crossed, but very EASY to play crossed after open handed. If you are an educator reading this, PLEASE consider teaching your brand new students open handed, and then letting them cross if they like the look, the vibe, and the feel of playing crossed. Our job as educators is to EMPOWER our students! At the end of the day, our SOUND is the only thing that really matters, so give your students and yourself more freedom and creativity by constantly challenging tradition! The world of drumming and music is bigger than any one person; the landscape of rhythm, art, and sound will be become richer, and will keep our craft evolving into the future.
*This clip was taken from the masterclass ‘Drum Technique to FLOW STATES’, watch it HERE: http://bit.ly/DrumTechniqueToFLOW
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