Playing rimshot the wrong way?

N

Noestre

Guest
Hello. Recently I´ve had problems with tendonitis´ish pains in my arm(especially behind my index finger). I got some warm ups from some of the DW members, and even if its better, its still there. So I tried to remember when it started, and found out that it started when i first used rimshots. I then sat behind my kit and watched how i play rimshots. It seems that when i play rimshots the stick lies under my index finger and shocks come through the stick and into my index finger. I tried to poke the area where the shocks went through and it really hurt.

Am I doing it wrong, and is there a right way to play rimshots? I use them alle the time too, thats whats makes it so irritating.
 
hmmm... that's not good. how hard are you gripping the stick with your index finger? i'm thinking that maybe you're gripping too tightly and that's causing the shock to transfer directly to your finger. i usually hang on pretty loosely and grip about equally with all my fingers, depending on what i'm doing. if you do that, you can feel the stick vibrating in your fingers as you hit the rim, but the vibration doesn't transfer directly to your fingers. that might be worth a try.
 
You have to find a way to let the stick absorb the impact, and not transfer the shock to your hand. Don't choke the stick, it should vibrate. JoJo Mayer will back me up on that one.
 
You shouldn't lead the stick into the rim; throw it toward the drum and let go before the impact. This way the stick will vibrate freely, absorbing the majority of the kinetic energy.
 
If you watch Jojo Mayer's videos, you'll notice that as he plays traditional grip and when he does a rimshot his hand and the stick are only touching at the space between his thumb and index finger, and then only lightly. This is the best example I've found of a powerful rimshot that doesn't stress your hands unnaturally. I used to have some real bruises from rimshots in the first year of my playing, but when I realized that you don't need to grip the stick the entire time you're playing, things became much easier. Also watch Antonio Sanchez's video about light grip here (http://drummerworld.com/Videos/antoniosanchezrelax.html) Great example.
 
You shouldn't lead the stick into the rim; throw it toward the drum and let go before the impact. This way the stick will vibrate freely, absorbing the majority of the kinetic energy.
This is key. Literally stop your forearm before you hit the drum, and let the momentum finish the stroke.
 
Hello. Recently I´ve had problems with tendonitis´ish pains in my arm(especially behind my index finger). I got some warm ups from some of the DW members, and even if its better, its still there. So I tried to remember when it started, and found out that it started when i first used rimshots. I then sat behind my kit and watched how i play rimshots. It seems that when i play rimshots the stick lies under my index finger and shocks come through the stick and into my index finger. I tried to poke the area where the shocks went through and it really hurt.

Am I doing it wrong, and is there a right way to play rimshots? I use them alle the time too, thats whats makes it so irritating.


Hi Thaard.

Mate the best thing you can do is to find a good teacher. You should not be getting any shock. In fact your technique should act at eliminating shock. It is very hard to advise on a site because we cannot see exactly what is happening. A teacher can offer help right away. If you cannot afford a regular lesson, even just one can help to some extent. If you are getting hurt, you are doing it incorrectly.

Good luck mate. Wy
 
I've been looking for some teachers, but there aren't any in my local area. I'll check som more though. I've had to learn everything myself. I even got the JoJo Mayer Dvd.
 
I found out what i was doing wrong. I hit to hard and I grip to tightly, fixing it now.
 
I found out what i was doing wrong. I hit to hard and I grip to tightly, fixing it now.

Yeah... rim shots sound much bigger then they need to be usually... you can get the same volume and sound out of a shot if you hit it at the same velocity you usually hit the drum... the rim shot effect just comes in from clapping the rim at the same time as the head.
I always play shots in the exact same position i normally would play but angled the butt lower to hit the rim too.
It sort of sounds like you rotate your hand when you do it too... that shouldn't be necessary.
 
You shouldn't lead the stick into the rim; throw it toward the drum and let go before the impact. This way the stick will vibrate freely, absorbing the majority of the kinetic energy.

Yalp...there it is. If you work on your free-stroke regularly, it'll become natural to let the stick do the work. You should have no problem whipping that stick down from any height and creating a spleen-shattering rimshot, once your technique is right.

I watch a lot of guys, even veteran drummers, who bury the stick into the snare. Some of them can handle it but it would kill my arms, for sure. Someone asked Todd Sucherman about his technique when I was at a clinic of his last year. He said something like, "Yeah...I'm pressing it in...that's bad...it hurts a little".
 
Back
Top