Rob Hirons - Open Handed Playing

[douttorx]

Cool. I'm learning to play drums and because I'm left-handed I'm play open-handed. Please post more videos. Thanks.

[darbuka1]

damn you are great - a real master...

[PacisVictus]

I drum open-handed, but switching to right hand was relatively easy. Mabye since I'm naturally right handed?

[AFatGypsyFanny]

what china is dat it smexy

[mikepa67]

Try everything, left side ride, brush your teeth with your left hand, eat with your left hand. Turn your whole set around and try playing a left handed kit. ( it's not easy ) It can only make you a better drummer.....

[RobHironsVideos]

Sure...! If you really want to work on it, take away the ride on the right. I did this for a while to work on the left hand.

[gergenfonchen]

I've done open handed from day one, but I'm still messing around with a comfortable stick grip to increase my speed with my left hand. Would you recommend putting the ride on the left side to build up indurance?

By the way, your right foot is ridiculously fast, and those beats were just as musical as they were rhythmical

[woodfingers1234]

yeah man i went from right to left cause it looked cooler haha ..its a bitch.. my left hand still isnt anywere near as good as my right, im tryin hard as to get it better..

[RacManRhythm]

Impressive, Im sure that took alot of work to master, you mentioned one of my fave drummers there Gary Husband, seen him good few times now with Level 42, like watching open handed drummers.

[xXRASHEEDXx]

beast

[howycwap]

did you put your ride on the left side to practice with your left hand? or because you like it there, because its so much beastier when you go from left hand hihat to right hand ride,

[RobHironsVideos]

@howycwap I put the ride on the left simply to make my left hand work more. Now I have gone back to using a ride on the right also as I feel my left hand has really got used to assuming the ride work so I don't have to put so much pressure on it as I did before.

[PacisVictus]

@howycwap I'm Open-Handed and I usually just cross over if the set I'm playing on has the ride on the right, however if I'm playing quickly, It's often a lot more practical for me to do what you jsut decribed, atleast for the first few strikes (sinmce I'm not particularly used to crossing over)

[VOBallin]

yo no lie man everything u got down is superdope its just all the open hand u got!!

i mean u gotta watch that pinky my dude LOL but yo no lie man youre dope

[MyRidgerunner]

Nice groove dude! Very fine exhibit of excellent open hand drumming, great job!

[aiyic]

How long did you play conventional right-handed before you switched?

I'm two years into the switch, and my right hand is still way more fluid. I could play trad-grip on the right hand first go. That darn right hand has it so easy!! ;-P

I'm working on getting that easy fluid feel you have. My goal is to play Godwacker open-handed.

[RobHironsVideos]

I've been playing for around 25 years now and I switched around two years ago. Just keep at it. My right hand is also still better than the left and maybe it always will be. However, the left is really beginning to work great and continuing in the same manner can only do good.

[SonorPhonics]

I've been playing for three and a half years (very actively.)

Now after have seen this Metzger-dude play, I was so overwhelmed I just had to try open-handed playing too. It's a bitch.

Great to see that you seem to have gotten a grip of it though. Nice playing. Have you learned your old fills so that you're able to play them starting out with your left hand as well?

[RobHironsVideos]

I don't have any fills that I really learn so to speak. All fills are improvised although everyone obviously has sticking patterns that they get used to. I haven't actually adapted any sticking patterns in fills so that they work starting on the left hand during rythms played with left hand HH - I just play my fills as I would have done if I was playing HH with the right hand. However, I definately suggest inversing all sticking patterns and exercises for improvement purposes.

[SonorPhonics]

I'm currently doing that, it's a bitch though:P

I guess that these "sticking patterns" is more what I meant, I don't copy fills straight off. I sure hope that I'll be able play this way instinctively. That would make great independence around the kit, and is what I intended to do from when I started playing open handed.

[blight4hire]

not only does open handed improve your left hand for right handed players, even if you can blast beat with two hands, open handed style really helps in showmanship as well. since showmanship requires you to have high arm movements, so if you cross your hands on the highhat, your left hand cant move high enuff for that of an effect

[swantonbomberx]

Which foot should a right-open-handed player use while leading double bass stuff?

[RobHironsVideos]

I would say on the right as when you're just playing one bass drum. however if you want to strengthen the left foot, try to practise all exercises using the left lead as well. I heard that Gregg Bisonnette plays double bass 16th note rolls leading from the left foot because he's used to playing the hi hat with the left on the quarter note pulse... So I guess it's personal.

[apexpein39]

how ?. i have 1 , its shit

[random333444]

i am left play righty but ill go try open handed

...........

[swantonbomberx]

oh! you should have started playing open handed in a right-handed kit...

[random333444]

lol i tryied doing open hand now i cant stop its soo much better

[blaze1766aa]

interesting how you have your rack tos low to high instead of high to low

[Armistace]

i love your playing man. This sounds crisp, enjoyable, and damn-near professional. I'm wondering though, if you switch to close-handed, do you raise your hi-hat and move it towards your snare, or leave it the way it is?

[coldpleh]

i don't think i can go back to cross. i don't know why, im just so used to open handed :(

[nimajnebenneb]

That's a good thing

[Jazzjin]

I've always drummed open handed and I am and always will be right handed. :D

[bigSheaD]

I've been playing cross all my life, but I recently started picking up OH, mostly just to give myself some freedom with what I can do. I would suggest (for natural cross players) leaving your drums set up for cross but play the hats with the left. One thing though, I can't figure out why some people set their toms like that (T,t,F). Could you explain?

[budmanrt11]

GREAT JOB!! I LOVE YOUR DRUMMING. Im 26 and i used to play when i was younger but now i have my own house im getting back into the grove!! i play the same way as you as far as open handed!! Did you take lessons? and me being left handed playing open handed what do you recommend I could do to improve my skills? I was thinking about getting the rock drumming system. but thats all right handed "crossing" ? by the way what kind of snare is that? THANKS again for your help and ROCK ON!!!!

[RobHironsVideos]

Cheers! I did take lessons yes, and still do! It sounds like what you're doing is just great. Try to exercise the weaker hand as much as possible.

The snare is a Gretsch with a free floating system.

[nickojojo]

Open handed vs traditional grip...Fight continues!!!!!

Mr house 79 st marcel

[RobHironsVideos]

Aie aie aie :-)

[xXdarkwolfXx121]

i lvoe open handed drumming but i dont crossing but i always wanted to try it its a little hard for me and it is VERY VERY VERY creative

[punkrockdrummer1990]

hey i drum but i shud add another video of my open handed playing, its been a long time....:( hey ur playing is great!, iv always played in this style an never realy tried crossing my hands. i didnt realy realise tht i didnt cross my hands cus tht neva seemed important to me, mind u after a while i got alot of people (slagging) me of for it saying its the rong way to do it!....

i can honestly say it is a fantastic way to free urself up an crossing ur hands shud be considerd odd not vise versa:)

[buzzkillor]

I wonder how cross handed drumming got to be the standard.

Wondering if it was the endurance of the strong hand. When I first tried open hand, I couldn't keep up for an entire song. But you don't even have to try it to see the advantages.

[Rokket]

Hi Rob, agree with you 100% about open hand playing. I sent you a video, I'm only recording a drum track for a friends recording project, but if you watch the video you'll see lots of open handed and traditional style playing and swapping from one to the other throughout the video.

[leftovcenta]

Hey Rob, I'm a leftie just starting out and I'm thinking of going down the OH route. On your kits have you changed the placing of the Crash and Ride so the left hand can get to the Ride without crossing the snare, say for songs that need a ride rythm instead of a hi-hat? thanks! Great work! :D

[deinonychusaw]

open handed is the bes form to play!!

[250350murph]

too right, as it says in the description u can move your hand around the kit while keeping a beat on the hi-hat, when i 1st started playing open handed from cross handed, i found it really hard lol, but now, about 2-3 years on its like ive played open handed all my life lol!

[carcrashstar93]

acoustics are really nice in this vid.

[RobHironsVideos]

Thanks. The sound is simply taken straight from the 16 channel desk installed in the studio. Although, there is only one overhead and a kick drum mike. I just added a little reverb on the output to make it a good sound - this is great for the students when they play along to tracks, and the room is acoustically dry anyway.

[bmans7853]

I'm not left handed and i play like this. I'm not exactly sure why, but it works.

Open handed drummer pride!

[slasherzedd]

I am left handed and I play like this too! It just seemed logical. Play stuff on the left with ur left hand, play stuff on the right with right hand. Also, the left double bass pedal meant the hi-hat was quite far from the snare meaning I couldn't reach the hi-hat cross handed. At first I was a bit embarrassed and disheartened seeing all my drum heroes playing in a completely different way to me, but seeing some of the comments and videos on here has inspired me to keep practicing!

[RobHironsVideos]

I completely understand. It is difficult to persist with open handed when you see people kicking butt in the crosshanded way. It's sure easy to ask yourself questions. I went back and forth at the beginning, never being sure. Now I'm feeling so much more comfortable. I wouldn't go back.

I actually have beginner students come to me and automatically want to play this way without them even knowing what open handed is. Before, I would have just put it down to error, but I guess it says something.

[slasherzedd]

Thanks for the reply :)

[mattybreen]

i play like this. but i always have, left handed you see. sometimes it is a hindrance, keeping beat with the left hand means i group my cymbals more to one side of the kit.

[ajm141993]

i used 2 play cross handed, then ma drum teacher told me 2 change my hands around, i dint get wat he was on about! n now am fyn playin open handed! its great and looks cool to wat utha drummers play lyk!

[lonnmaj15]

it's very comfortable playing open handed, your hands are so relaxed playing the drums and have a free feeling moving around the kit. playing this way feels natural to me 'cos I'm left handed. but there's also a number of drummers who play this way but are right handed, awesome!

[kurczepieczone]

Yeah, actualy when i was starting i wanted to play open handed (even tho im right hand.) cause it seemed natural for me to play that way, well too bad i listened to the others back then. Got to relearn it.

[dominikkeul]

I do this because I'm a lefty and play ion a set that is also played bei righties. I'm to lazy to change the setup.

[JKlaw9471]

thats the same thing that i do. im lefty 2

[Vidovic986]

Dom Fomularo setup?Nice!And about your playing;AMAZING!keep on drumming

[miketalbot4]

cool. Playing open handed makes a lot of sense.

[RobHironsVideos]

I didn't have any soreness on the left hand, no. However, lacking the suppleness needed in the left hand, I would find that fluid arm, wrist or finger movement would soon go out of the window. But with time and experience, this obviously gets better.

It's really important to place the hi hat and ride (if it's on the left) in a comfortable place so your left arm is as relaxed as possible.

[centralzeke]

I have a question for you and I hope it doesn't seem too vague.

When you started to play open handed, did you have to change your fulcrum or grip in your left hand at all or did you just go for it and let your body figure it out?

[centralzeke]

Oh and was your left hand sore a lot in the beginning?

[RobHironsVideos]

I just threw myself in at the deep end and started to play hihat with the left hand in a live situation thus putting pressure on my body to find the right feeling in the most effective way. At times I'd get funny looks from band members when it wasn't as smooth as it should be.

Strangely, I have students who told me that a big problem was finding a natural feeling in the right hand. Just doing a simple 2 and 4, the right hand can sometimes feel 'lost', lacking that solid one movement backbeat.

[outsider45]

Hey i play open handed, but how do u make a regular drum set (1 crash, 1 ride, 1 bass drum, hi and lo tom, snare and floor tom) not look gay? i need to have the ride on the left or have it close to me on the right and play it with my left hand, please message me on youtube. :D

[victoriousvictor27]

how would it look gay?it doen't have live,so it wouldn't have relationships.and are there female drum sets?or male ones?

[RobHironsVideos]

Right...

Hey, where I am based (in France), the word drumset is of the female gender! So there's your answer...

[brightness86]

Why is the open style not as common? I play open because it feels natural.

[RobHironsVideos]

You're right, it does feel natural, and having used the technique extensively it feels unnatural to play cross handed.

I guess the drumkit evolved around players using the right hand on the ride and when players later started to 'ride' the hi hats in the same way, they used the same hand. Jojo Mayer states in his video that he belives in an assymetric approach to playing rather than striving for equal strength and technique between the two sides, so all points of view are interesting and valid.

[SavaannahJ]

nice drummin dude! i love playing open handed!

[RobHironsVideos]

Thansk buddy! I'm keeping it going and it's slowly getting there!

[MikeyFlorida]

very fluid, smooth technique

[kimkrutt]

dude!!! that was so fucking awsome!! i love your tecnique! and u really own that kit when u play! so fucking good grows 2 man! shit!! :P

[agathox89]

Nice vid. Keep it up. I play open-handed myself (I'm left handed) but no where near as good as you.