6 year old left handed student. Teach him lefty or righty?

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Today I got a new student, a 6 year old boy. He is left handed when it comes to writing, but his dad (who sat in on the lesson) says that he will use his right hand for a lot of other things. Apparently he plays golf and plays right handed. So I made the decision to just teach him how to play right handed. I told his dad that this will make him a stronger drummer if he's used to using both sides. He may not be as "left side weak" as a lot of drummers are.

But in the back of my head I wonder if that's the best way to go about it. I think on the kit he might not have a problem, but when we were doing exercises (started with quarter notes) he was leading with his left a lot.

In advice on how I should approach this?
 
My drum teacher is left handed, and he says left handed drummers should play on right hand kits and right handed drummers on left handed kits because your ride hand (or hihat hand) will be your weak hand so in the end both hands will be strong hands.
He also said alot of the legendary drummers were left handed (I only remember him mentionning Elvin (well I think, im not sure of this)

So I think teaching him on a right handed kit would be a good idea.

but isn't 6 year old a bit early to be taking lessons ? Usually lessons start a 9..
 
Today I got a new student, a 6 year old boy. He is left handed when it comes to writing, but his dad (who sat in on the lesson) says that he will use his right hand for a lot of other things. Apparently he plays golf and plays right handed. So I made the decision to just teach him how to play right handed. I told his dad that this will make him a stronger drummer if he's used to using both sides. He may not be as "left side weak" as a lot of drummers are.

But in the back of my head I wonder if that's the best way to go about it. I think on the kit he might not have a problem, but when we were doing exercises (started with quarter notes) he was leading with his left a lot.

In advice on how I should approach this?

No mystery...teach him open handed on a right handed kit. Any experienced teacher should know this. And the reasons why.

PM
 
No mystery...teach him open handed on a right handed kit. Any experienced teacher should know this. And the reasons why.

PM

Yeah that thought crossed my mind as well, and I do know the benefits, but I didn't see the harm in if he played cross, especially because only writes with his left hand; his dad says he does just about everything else with his right. I just wanted to weigh all the options as I'm not as experienced as a teacher yet and haven't encountered a left handed student. Do you suggest still having him lead with his left when it comes to exercises and fills or lead with his right?

Tuxido - Yeah I personally think 6 years old is a bit too young. He really didn't seem interested in being there. I think at his age he'd rather just beat on the drums than take any sort of structured lesson. I told his dad that if he seems to not have the focus for what we're doing off of the kit when it comes to reading and what not, that I can try and get some hand percussion and something that he can use where he doesn't have to worry for the moment about technique and just have fun banging on something. He'd still have to learn technique and playing with sticks on a pad but this might break things up.
 
I suggest not teaching open handed, since most people hit the hihat or ride more (vs the snare) it would build up his weak hand much faster, but I do see the advantages of playing open handed..
 
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I suggest not teaching open handed, since most people hit the hihat or ride more (vs the snare) it would build up his weak hand much faster

I have absolutely no idea what that means.

The reality is that the "weaker side" thing is a myth and a totally misunderstood subject.

To the original poster.

If you are really inexperienced in teaching, i would consider taking teaching lessons from a master teacher. Why you want to teach is what is interesting to me. It is a great responsibility and you could be doing more harm then good. Can you give me an idea why you are teaching?
PM
 
well, people are born right handed or left handed, so the opposite side of the "natural side" would be weaker (try writting with the other hand) so to me using the "unatural" side more would make the hands more even... but thats just my opinion, I know you have ALOT more experience than me.
 
Hey, im a left-handed drummer on a left-handed kit and when i go to my drum lessons my teacher is a right-handed drummer so all his kits are right-handed. The electric one that he teaches on is right-handed so i learn opened handed, but when i get home im on a left-handed kit. This is good in a way because song i will become almost amidexterous(think i spelled it right?). See him playing opened on a right handed kit is like playing the ride but on the hi-hat and the snare but with using his right foot for the bass drum if you get were im heading. He should get used to it later on. Hope that helps.
One thing is he playing on a left or right handed kit?
 
well, people are born right handed or left handed, so the opposite side of the "natural side" would be weaker (try writting with the other hand) so to me using the "unatural" side more would make the hands more even... but thats just my opinion, I know you have ALOT more experience than me.

Dear brother Tuxido: With all my time behind the kit ie...coming up on 25 years of playing experience, I am cautious to the point of reluctance in some cases, about giving my "opinion" on these matters. Why would you just throw something like that out there without the slightest thought to what could be the result of your "opinion" - This man could loose his student, injure him and forever turn the kid off to drumming if he makes wrong choices. Is that something you want on your shoulders?

PM
 
If you are really inexperienced in teaching, i would consider taking teaching lessons from a master teacher. Why you want to teach is what is interesting to me. It is a great responsibility and you could be doing more harm then good. Can you give me an idea why you are teaching?
PM

No disrespect Phil but I don't like the tone of this response. If you didn't mean any harm, then I apologize. But I get the impression that from my initial question you don't feel that I should be teaching if this is something that I have to ask about.

I have been playing drums for 16 years, granted some of those years were off and on. Every new teacher has to start somewhere and it isn't always immediate that the new teacher has a plan for how they want to approach certain methods, especially when those methods may not apply to every student. Before I started teaching I spent time with the teacher I had at the time (who also works with me still as a teacher at the store) work with me on teaching. I expressed interest in wanting to be a teacher, and when an opening came up, he gave me his full support on it.

I am teaching because I like passing on what I have learned over the years to other people, which is also the reason why I am here as well. I am involved more in the drums and music, and hopefully helping ot pass on the love of drums to others. That is why I am teaching. As I said above, this is my first time teaching, but everyone has to start somewhere. Having all the knowledge of your instrument doesn't guarantee that you will be a good teacher. There are plenty of pros who couldn't teach if their life depended on it. It doesn't mean that I don't know what I'm doing, it's just that I haven't found the best method of teaching certain things that works for myself and the student. Especially with students who you may not encounter every day, some questions may come up on the best way to handle them. Just in the same way that as a disabled drummer, when I took lessons, my teachers had to found the best way to show things to me. It wasn't because they weren't experienced, it was because they hadn't run into this particular student situation yet.

I don't see how I would be doing more harm then good unless I just didn't know what I was doing as far as whatever I was teaching was concerned. Being unsure on whether or not to have a left handed 6 year old (who is still figuring out what is best for him in day to day life) play cross handed or open handed, or whether or not to have them lead right handed or left handed is not going to doom them as a drummer. In my own drumming experience, I have played both ways due to physical issues and it didn't do any harm to me because I had a strong knowledge of what I was playing and how to execute it. That's all that matters.
 
No mystery...teach him open handed on a right handed kit. Any experienced teacher should know this. And the reasons why.

PM

I agree.I play open (left hand hats and ride) even though I am right handed. I just like the advantages that come with playing open and having my more dexterous right hand on the snare.

To me, there is no "left-handed" or "right-handed" way to play, just open or crossed. We do everything else open handed - type, drive, eat, use tools, open doors, play musical instruments - that it makes sense to play drums open handed along with everything else. I would NOT try to get him to do both at this early stage. Getting the coordination down is hard enough without having to deal with cross-training the hands. Choose crossed or open and have him stick with it.

If you hand sticks to a kid and tell them to start hitting things, they show an obvious bias for open playing. fourstring, have you asked the student how he prefers to play? Maybe he doesn't care one way or the other as you were saying he's not too much into it.
 
I'd give him extra work...cause if you teach him open handed, the first time he goes to play on that ride, then BAM! you got trouble, but yeah, I'd say open handed, I think it'd probably be better for him.
 
fourstring, have you asked the student how he prefers to play? Maybe he doesn't care one way or the other as you were saying he's not too much into it.

Yes, I did but he's 6. He doesn't know. His dad just answered and told me that he does most things right handed except for writing. That he does lefty.

That still raises the question of if he does play open, how should I have him lead for exercises and fills. I know open handed drummers who do it both ways.
 
I'd give him extra work...cause if you teach him open handed, the first time he goes to play on that ride, then BAM! you got trouble, but yeah, I'd say open handed, I think it'd probably be better for him.

I'm sorry I don't really understand. Give him extra work? How would the ride be trouble if he's playing open handed?
 
I agree.I play open (left hand hats and ride) even though I am right handed. I just like the advantages that come with playing open and having my more dexterous right hand on the snare.

To me, there is no "left-handed" or "right-handed" way to play, just open or crossed. We do everything else open handed - type, drive, eat, use tools, open doors, play musical instruments - that it makes sense to play drums open handed along with everything else. I would NOT try to get him to do both at this early stage. Getting the coordination down is hard enough without having to deal with cross-training the hands. Choose crossed or open and have him stick with it.

If you hand sticks to a kid and tell them to start hitting things, they show an obvious bias for open playing. fourstring, have you asked the student how he prefers to play? Maybe he doesn't care one way or the other as you were saying he's not too much into it.


Very well said! That is exactly right.
PM
 
What I am saying is,
we are born right handed or left handed. There is a hand we use more than the other.
on the kit, usually we start out by doing a basic rock beat, 8th notes on the hihat, 2 and 4 on snare, 1 and 3 on kick.

What most people will do, is use their stronger hand to do the 8th notes.
so thats 8 notes for the STRONG hand, and only 2 for the WEAK hand wich makes the strong hand better and leaves the weak hand as it is.

Now, If people use their WEAK hand to do the 8th notes, it makes them use it 4 times more than the STRONG hand. And that evens out the hands.

and I dont see how doing that would "injure him and forever turn the kid off to drumming"

.
 
i do everything lefty and was forced to learn on a right handed set up. i taught myself. I dont know what i would do if i were you.
 
i do everything lefty and was forced to learn on a right handed set up. i taught myself. I dont know what i would do if i were you.

Do you cross your arms or play open handed? Do you usually lead right handed or left?
 
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