Ok, so I've noticed that my left hand sucks and i can do absolutely nothing with it. I can barely write my name if I hold the pen with the left hand and on the kit it just seems to sit there and hit the snare on the backbeat a lot of time. So outside of drumming, are there any techniques out there to help me to become ambidextrous? Kinda like switch hitting in baseball. Gotta strengthen up the whole left side and make it as good as my right.

[full metal]

just try and do more stuff with your left.
There are some drum exersises that will help you build up your left.

Ive also heard of people dooing things with rubber bands and like rapping it around your thumb and the end of your finger and streching it and doing that with all of your fingers but I dont know if that works or not.
I baught one off those guitar had things that has springs under all of the fingers and then one for the palm and that seemed to helop me a lot.

One more thing is if you know any snare drum warm ups or anything like that do them on somthing that has no bounce. so that you have to use your fingers to make the stick move and when I do that I do a serise of flam taps and flam accents and Ive been doing that the past few years and it has helped me out a lot.

[gyutae]

how about making a conscious effort to do daily activities with your left hand? I know that we're so accustomed to using our natural side for everything that we do. And because of that, I'm not surprised that our weaker sides become weaker as the stronger side becomes stronger. So make a conscious effort to use your left side for everything - taking out the trash, writing (if it doesn't look too bad), flipping through channels with your left, and of course drumming with just your left.

In about 10 years, your left will catch up to your right

[full metal]

you hit right on the head with that.
It seams like it takes for ever to build it up.

[DRUMMER111]

do this excersise on a drum R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LLR LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LLR LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL R LL.

DO AS FAST AND CLEAN AS YOU CAN TILL YOU CANT NO MORE

whoah thats a lot of R LL's... but yeah its all about working that left hand.. just shut up and do it..

and keep good form.. there's also an article about it on drumset connect

[IBENEZCX160]

There's Two Things That Have Helped Me. While I'm Watching Tv, I Put A Stick In My Left Hand And Just Do Single Strokes On A Practice Pad. You'd Be Surprised At The Results. No One Can Sit At A Set Or Practice Pad And Just Do Single Strokes For Hours At A Time, But Watching Tv Or A Movie Makes The Time Pass While You Are Doing It. Another Way...play Along With A Tape Or Cd Having Some Simple Songs And Play The Cymbal With Your Left Hand And The Snare With Your Right. Never Mind The Bass Drum Or High Hat..this Is For The Hands Only.

[Drumsticks1]

Yo man, same problem here thought not as bad. I can't even masturbate with the left hand! But I'll take the above advise and see what happens. I may be a happier drummer AND a happier guy!

[drumpy]

Drummers have all their own techniques and ways to improve, usually little things that we grasp easy and fit to our abilities.

When it comes to left hand drumming, my little way or technique, was to basically play lefthanded, or rather open-handed. I forced myself to play everything that I usually play with my right hand, now with my left. You will notice that all of a sudden you have the ability to do more ghost-notes on the snare with more control, because your left hand is filling in on the hihats and ride . . .

Try to play Jazz or 5th note rock beats and try to be creative on the hats with your left hand. It is not easy in the beginning, but pracrice makes perfect. I am actually in the habit now of playing open-hand most of the time.

Another trick is, swop your kit around. In other words, hi-hats and snare on your right hand side and your left foot on the kick pedal. Now you feel just stupid, because your left is doing all the lead work, both with your hands and feet. I found that this little trick has helped me to focus on triplettes and other little nifty grooves on my kick, thus resulting in greater , faster and more complex double bass techniques.

Like I said, it felt real weird for me and it took me a while to adjust my brain-hand co-ordination, but I practiced 3hrs a day like that and even did some gigs like that and now it is almost natural for me.

So pull through and pracrtice hard and use all the tricks and techniques every-one is helping you with to become the drummer you want to be. The RLL RLL RRLL RLL RLL LRR LLRR LLRR RRLLR . . . is a good one to practice with.

O yeah, one last trick. Take your stick in your let hand as normal and hold it between your thumb and you index finger. Using one finger at a time, starting with your middel finger, bounce the tip of the stick on the snare. Start slow and the go faster. Do that with al your fingers and then be creative and try combinations.

So ya, I hoped this helped you, because it helped me.

Very best regards
your fellow drummer

[juan (the ping-pong ref.)]

I'm not sure if you can just do that in every day life. But you can practice on the drums untill it becomes second nature. play down the toms, that will get your left hand working. Another way is to do a simple 1-2..3 ( that was the only way i could think or explaining it). ex. hit the snare twice and then tom1 once, then repeat with tom 2 and so on.

those exercises should get your left hand back up to speed.