One unlimited source for open handed drumming ideas is RUDIMENTS. Let’s make them fun to explore! It’s always a nice surprise when playing any rudiment to take away one hand and see what rhythm your single hand is left playing. (We call this ‘mechanics’.) For instance, by playing a flam tap and then shuffling it, each hand on its own ends up playing the jazz ride pattern. Cool! There’s so many other rhythms that happen when playing rudiments in each hand separately and simultaneously that you may not even be aware of. Flam rudiments in particular are fascinating to dive into because the rhythms played with each hand OVERLAP, creating some very rich layers. Taking this to the drumset in open handed drumming, just add one of your hands to the hihat, ride, or other voicing, put the bass drum somewhere simple at first, and the rhythms and grooves that will jump out at you from this concept are endless! Maybe you’ve played these same rudiments for many years, but never explored them with opened handed expression. It’s always a delight to see what some of these one handed rhythms are as they come alive within the groove on the drums, that have been buried inside these flam rudiments the whole time! The LTR method is not about systems and rules to constrain you, but about CONCEPTS for you to take and make your own. Explore deeply, and run with this idea to take your drumming to new heights!
Open handed drumming is all about bold freedom of expression! Even by adding as small as 1% open handed drumming to your playing, your weaker hand will improve, and you WILL come up with some new and different ideas. Unavoidably, you will sound more like YOU! This takes courage, but will make you feel a lot more fulfilled than trying to be a clone of someone else. After all, you can only do YOU; everyone else is taken!
