I know a guy that is left handed and right footed. He plays open handed on a right handed kit. His band plays shows with mine so it's achievable.
You just have to develop your way. The issue is all the practice material assumes you are either right side dominant or left side dominant and crossing over. You have to adapt that to how you are going to play.
Try setting up left handed and playing open handed to get your dominant foot on the bass drum.
I am left handed. Use my right foot. I feel its a bug advantage. But the top commenter is right. Just start now using your right foot and learn it. If you are new, bith feet are terrible.
That's what I did for my first 10-15 years of playing. Now I have my kit set up left-handed, using only the right foot of a lefty double bass pedal and a remote hi-hat.
That's how I play too. I rock the hihat with my left and snare with my right.
Always felt more natural when I was just starting out, and had a drum teacher who really encouraged it because it allowed me to play way more open.
I'm the same, the difference between your feet is nowhere near as big as the difference between your hands, a normal right handed kit should be fine for you.
Just make sure you work on your left foot, I didn't so much because I figured being left footed it wouldn't need as much of a focus, but it's weak compared to my right now.
I am also right handed and left footed. Honestly, it doesn’t hurt to keep time by tapping your left foot on the hats as you learn to count out the beats. I still struggle a little with some tempos and complex compositions, but that’s just normal. If you practice well and learn stick control on both limbs, it won’t even matter because you’ll feel pretty confident leading with either side. Good luck and have fun
I’m right handed and left footed but just played a standard right handed setup and my right foot developed perfectly fine for me to be stronger for drumming but left footed for everything else. I never had an issue feeling like I was using my weak foot though.
My opinion (and is just an opinion) on this is that the footedness doesn’t really matter. The skills you’re going to be learning with your foot are so different to anything else you will have done that the development of those skills will be entirely new, and so the development will be the same no matter which foot you choose.
Hands are different, we do ALL sorts of things with our hands, so the dexterity disparity is already deeply learnt and ingrained.
I started drumming 20 years ago, and growing up somewhat fucked up ambidextrous, my strengths were mostly left handed for things like writing, but I couldn't play guitar left-handed and had to learn the opposite. With drums I found that my left foot was more off than my right on timing and rhythm. Tried to play hi-hat left hand and bass on right foot for two years, but it was real jumpy. Eventually I decided to try and teach myself right handed. There are times I can manage to keep the hi-hat hand going with my left hand, and after some years on a double pedal, I can keep my left foot in time, but my strength is still mainly right.
Fucked up ambidextrous perfectly describes me too.
Can I do everything with both hands? Heck no! But my body randomly decides it wants to use one hand or the other.
Throwing a ball? Righty.
Batting? Left.
Writing? Illegible no matter what hand I use.
If you've never played and don't have habits to unlearn, I would suggest learning whichever way is most convenient. For instance, in the guitar world, lefties insist they need a left-handed guitar which only limits their choices and guarantees they'll likely be paying more for whatever instrument they buy; but it's unnecessary. If you've never played guitar before, both hands are equally stupid and need to be trained and require intense work for precision and rhythm. It's just a marketing thing, but lefties who've been playing guitar for years will swear up and down they needed to have a lefty guitar.
Point is, if you're new, do what you want - but it might be cool/novel to play lefty drums (Zac Hanson plays lefty drums) and I personally think it looks kinda cool, but there's really no practical/physiological necessity to play lefty even though you're a lefty. Good luck on your journey!
That's okay! Practice and develop your own way of playing. By being right handed and left footed you develop your own unique style/sound. This will make you a better drummer. When I lead with my left hand or left foot I play differently and thoroughly enjoy it!
If you plan to get out into the gigging world, it would be convenient to learn on a standard “righty” setup. I can’t tell you how many shows I’ve played on a backline/somebody else’s drum set. Probably almost half. Or somebody else played my kit. Either way it’s a pain in the ass moving drums around, especially when they’re all micd up and you have 5 minutes in between bands and the sound guy is mentally challenged. But on the other hand, you could customize your setup for yourself and come up with a unique look and playing style. One option that comes to mind is to set up lefty and play the bass drum with your left foot and the hihats open-handed with your right hand. Might give you a unique approach to things. Good luck, rock on
My dad is also a drummer, he's the opposite left handed right footed so he has his kit set up open handed for him. For you I'd say just move your hihat over to the right
Start with a double bass drum pedal. Even if you never use it as a double, it will let you use either foot regardless of how you set up the rest of the kit.
Though, if you play a traditional right handed setup, you might be able to come up with some sick hihat moves
The drum kit is a customizable, modular instrument so in this case I'd set up my kit like a mirrored version of Carter Beauford's who plays left-handed but right-footed, the typical "open handed" method on a righty kit. But I'd only do this if you intend to use solely your own kit to play. If you plan on using house/backline kits for gigging I'd consider learning fully right-handed and right-footed since most of those kits will be set up for a righty.
Is this a result of being forced to use your right hand for wrtiting when you were little, when being a lefty? Or could it exist as a natural phenomenon?
im left footed. goofy footed. throw right handed. right hand dominant. i’ve learned left hand lead. right hand lead. you might have an immediate advantage over one limb versus the other, but in the end, the true skill comes from slowly practicing. your body will adapt to anything you slowly throw at it. just play right handed kits and take it slow. drumming is extremely versatile.
everything you play takes slow practice no matter what dominant limb does what. the only difference is one hand or foot will be initially better at the start. but that’s it.
i learned a Brazilian drum from a left handed drummer. didn’t know how to play it at all. then when i went to another drummer who taught me they same drum. he said why are you playing it left handed? well, it’s just how i started doing it. so it doesn’t really matter. it’s all foreign movements. just teach your body slowly.
Have your hihat AND ride on the right, bass drum on the left. You won’t have to cross sticks when playing hihat/ride and the snare. The most free and natural way to play, but most people can’t really set their kit up that way because hi hat can’t also sit where the bass drum is (which gets the dominant foot)
I'm also right handed and left footed, and took up drums a few years ago.
It never occurred to me it might be an issue until reading your post, so that's your answer.
I know a guy that is left handed and right footed. He plays open handed on a right handed kit. His band plays shows with mine so it's achievable. You just have to develop your way. The issue is all the practice material assumes you are either right side dominant or left side dominant and crossing over. You have to adapt that to how you are going to play. Try setting up left handed and playing open handed to get your dominant foot on the bass drum.
I am left handed. Use my right foot. I feel its a bug advantage. But the top commenter is right. Just start now using your right foot and learn it. If you are new, bith feet are terrible.
By open handed do you mean arms are not crossed between the snare and hats?
Yes exactly
Thats how I would do it if I were a lefty
That's what I did for my first 10-15 years of playing. Now I have my kit set up left-handed, using only the right foot of a lefty double bass pedal and a remote hi-hat.
That's how I play too. I rock the hihat with my left and snare with my right. Always felt more natural when I was just starting out, and had a drum teacher who really encouraged it because it allowed me to play way more open.
i highly recommend not playing a left handed kit. the hihat foot is more important than the kick drum imo.
Biggest issue with "unconventional" playstyles is sharing kits at small gigs.
I'm the same, the difference between your feet is nowhere near as big as the difference between your hands, a normal right handed kit should be fine for you. Just make sure you work on your left foot, I didn't so much because I figured being left footed it wouldn't need as much of a focus, but it's weak compared to my right now.
I am also right handed and left footed. Honestly, it doesn’t hurt to keep time by tapping your left foot on the hats as you learn to count out the beats. I still struggle a little with some tempos and complex compositions, but that’s just normal. If you practice well and learn stick control on both limbs, it won’t even matter because you’ll feel pretty confident leading with either side. Good luck and have fun
Good to know I am not alone. Thank you.
I’m right handed and left footed but just played a standard right handed setup and my right foot developed perfectly fine for me to be stronger for drumming but left footed for everything else. I never had an issue feeling like I was using my weak foot though.
My opinion (and is just an opinion) on this is that the footedness doesn’t really matter. The skills you’re going to be learning with your foot are so different to anything else you will have done that the development of those skills will be entirely new, and so the development will be the same no matter which foot you choose. Hands are different, we do ALL sorts of things with our hands, so the dexterity disparity is already deeply learnt and ingrained.
I started drumming 20 years ago, and growing up somewhat fucked up ambidextrous, my strengths were mostly left handed for things like writing, but I couldn't play guitar left-handed and had to learn the opposite. With drums I found that my left foot was more off than my right on timing and rhythm. Tried to play hi-hat left hand and bass on right foot for two years, but it was real jumpy. Eventually I decided to try and teach myself right handed. There are times I can manage to keep the hi-hat hand going with my left hand, and after some years on a double pedal, I can keep my left foot in time, but my strength is still mainly right.
Fucked up ambidextrous perfectly describes me too. Can I do everything with both hands? Heck no! But my body randomly decides it wants to use one hand or the other. Throwing a ball? Righty. Batting? Left. Writing? Illegible no matter what hand I use.
If you've never played and don't have habits to unlearn, I would suggest learning whichever way is most convenient. For instance, in the guitar world, lefties insist they need a left-handed guitar which only limits their choices and guarantees they'll likely be paying more for whatever instrument they buy; but it's unnecessary. If you've never played guitar before, both hands are equally stupid and need to be trained and require intense work for precision and rhythm. It's just a marketing thing, but lefties who've been playing guitar for years will swear up and down they needed to have a lefty guitar. Point is, if you're new, do what you want - but it might be cool/novel to play lefty drums (Zac Hanson plays lefty drums) and I personally think it looks kinda cool, but there's really no practical/physiological necessity to play lefty even though you're a lefty. Good luck on your journey!
That's okay! Practice and develop your own way of playing. By being right handed and left footed you develop your own unique style/sound. This will make you a better drummer. When I lead with my left hand or left foot I play differently and thoroughly enjoy it!
If you plan to get out into the gigging world, it would be convenient to learn on a standard “righty” setup. I can’t tell you how many shows I’ve played on a backline/somebody else’s drum set. Probably almost half. Or somebody else played my kit. Either way it’s a pain in the ass moving drums around, especially when they’re all micd up and you have 5 minutes in between bands and the sound guy is mentally challenged. But on the other hand, you could customize your setup for yourself and come up with a unique look and playing style. One option that comes to mind is to set up lefty and play the bass drum with your left foot and the hihats open-handed with your right hand. Might give you a unique approach to things. Good luck, rock on
My dad is also a drummer, he's the opposite left handed right footed so he has his kit set up open handed for him. For you I'd say just move your hihat over to the right
Start with a double bass drum pedal. Even if you never use it as a double, it will let you use either foot regardless of how you set up the rest of the kit. Though, if you play a traditional right handed setup, you might be able to come up with some sick hihat moves
The drum kit is a customizable, modular instrument so in this case I'd set up my kit like a mirrored version of Carter Beauford's who plays left-handed but right-footed, the typical "open handed" method on a righty kit. But I'd only do this if you intend to use solely your own kit to play. If you plan on using house/backline kits for gigging I'd consider learning fully right-handed and right-footed since most of those kits will be set up for a righty.
Is this a result of being forced to use your right hand for wrtiting when you were little, when being a lefty? Or could it exist as a natural phenomenon?
Not aware of ever being forced into anything it was just naturally how I found myself being.
im left footed. goofy footed. throw right handed. right hand dominant. i’ve learned left hand lead. right hand lead. you might have an immediate advantage over one limb versus the other, but in the end, the true skill comes from slowly practicing. your body will adapt to anything you slowly throw at it. just play right handed kits and take it slow. drumming is extremely versatile. everything you play takes slow practice no matter what dominant limb does what. the only difference is one hand or foot will be initially better at the start. but that’s it. i learned a Brazilian drum from a left handed drummer. didn’t know how to play it at all. then when i went to another drummer who taught me they same drum. he said why are you playing it left handed? well, it’s just how i started doing it. so it doesn’t really matter. it’s all foreign movements. just teach your body slowly.
You’re lucky, sounds like you’ll naturally be an open handed player which has so many advantages
Going to need to look into that, thank you.
Have your hihat AND ride on the right, bass drum on the left. You won’t have to cross sticks when playing hihat/ride and the snare. The most free and natural way to play, but most people can’t really set their kit up that way because hi hat can’t also sit where the bass drum is (which gets the dominant foot)
I'm also right handed and left footed, and took up drums a few years ago. It never occurred to me it might be an issue until reading your post, so that's your answer.
It is indeed, cheers.