I play hihats like a retard.

[milkmit]

since I've started playing 14-ish months ago, I've always played the hats like a retard. instead of playing where my arms/sticks are literally crossed, I instead hold my right arm (the one playing the hats) sorta in front of the other stick, and at more of a horizontal angle. imagine my left stick a bit further out in front of me facing about 1-2oc, and my right stick facing 9-10oc, tucked in a bit closer. sometimes the sticks will hit if I bring my left hand high enough, but usually they're not even crossed enough for this to be a factor.

is this horribly bad technique? am I going to suffer some sort of muscle/joint damage? it feels mostly fine....and works for me....but everyone else seems to play cross-sticked the proper way: with sticks crossed, one on top of the other. and heavy drummers even seem to cross the same airspace with the two sticks, bringing the snare stick down before the hat stick at times.

[Massik Kretal]

Well your avatar says it all. :p

Jk um I don't understand your explanation too well...

[Zildjian]

ure hi hat may be set up weird, that what may cause that

[We_Love_Lime]

since I've started playing 14-ish months ago, I've always played the hats like a retard. instead of playing where my arms/sticks are literally crossed, I instead hold my right arm (the one playing the hats) sorta in front of the other stick, and at more of a horizontal angle. imagine my left stick a bit further out in front of me facing about 1-2oc, and my right stick facing 9-10oc, tucked in a bit closer. sometimes the sticks will hit if I bring my left hand high enough, but usually they're not even crossed enough for this to be a factor.

is this horribly bad technique? am I going to suffer some sort of muscle/joint damage? it feels mostly fine....and works for me....but everyone else seems to play cross-sticked the proper way: with sticks crossed, one on top of the other. and heavy drummers even seem to cross the same airspace with the two sticks, bringing the snare stick down before the hat stick at times.


Aha I think If we had a kid in Jazz band played like that. He looked awfully foolish. I don't know about causing muscle/join damages, but you look rather retarded while playing I presume. Uhh try raising your hats? I on accasion hit my sticks together, I don't worry bout it, just raise my hats, it only happens once every once in a while...

[FL3P]

I play that way too, I dont think it's a problem as long as it's comfortable.

[ZeppaMusic]

reposition your kit so that you dont do that, if it means raising or lowering your hi-hat or even putting it in another spot, maybe lower ya seat, try all posibilities! ;)

[White]

Mabey you play them like a retard. Because you are one? haha jk, dunno what to tell you.

[Arrowsurfer]

i also play that way...it makes it easy if your playing reggae or if i wanna bring the left hand up to the hi hat and back to the snare...only thing is there isnt much room for your left bass pedal

[pabster]

since I've started playing 14-ish months ago, I've always played the hats like a retard. instead of playing where my arms/sticks are literally crossed, I instead hold my right arm (the one playing the hats) sorta in front of the other stick, and at more of a horizontal angle. imagine my left stick a bit further out in front of me facing about 1-2oc, and my right stick facing 9-10oc, tucked in a bit closer. sometimes the sticks will hit if I bring my left hand high enough, but usually they're not even crossed enough for this to be a factor.

is this horribly bad technique? am I going to suffer some sort of muscle/joint damage? it feels mostly fine....and works for me....but everyone else seems to play cross-sticked the proper way: with sticks crossed, one on top of the other. and heavy drummers even seem to cross the same airspace with the two sticks, bringing the snare stick down before the hat stick at times.

You can play cross or open. I play open which is probably similar to you. My snare is between my knees and I hit it with the right hand. The hats are to the left of the snare and I hit those with the left hand. The sticks are no where near each other that way. Not sure what you mean about one stick being in front of the other. You either should play open or crossed, and no other weird combo.

[Seafroggys]

i play with my right hand sorta infront of my left hand, mainly so I don't hit my sticks together

[crazyguy832]

Open-handed, anyone?

Screw those problems, switch to open!

[Panopticon]

Open-handed, anyone?

Screw those problems, switch to open!

YEAAAHHH

Check out this open-hand ridden setup...

*is changed now*

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b379/enemytopublic/HPIM0637.jpg

Yummmm...

[crazyguy832]

Damn, I want to set my stuff up like yours...

Can I laugh about something?

I got a regular double-pedal, and my hi-hats are still as close as yours to my snare.

XD

[Panopticon]

thats cuz i like it exactly how it is...but im seriously considering returning the tranni and getting an ergo double and hat stand...

[We_Love_Lime]

Damn, I want to set my stuff up like yours...

Can I laugh about something?

I got a regular double-pedal, and my hi-hats are still as close as yours to my snare.

XD

But I don't think that's the point of the pedal.

[We_Love_Lime]

thats cuz i like it exactly how it is...but im seriously considering returning the tranni and getting an ergo double and hat stand...

No likely the tranni? How come?

[crazyguy832]

No, not really, but it's still amusing.

That and I'm kind of obsessive about having my hats as close as possible to my snare.

[Panopticon]

No likely the tranni? How come?

link bar keeps coming off...i think the most i've played lately is 10 strokes before it came off...

[crazyguy832]

Are you serious?

Wow... that's horrible...

Mine on the 7002 comes off... I dunno... I haven't been playing a lot lately, so I can't say exactly. But I think the nut has come out once or twice (bar stayed on). Then I was going to adjust the pedal and the thing actually fell off... but not during playing.

:thumb:

[Panopticon]

but anyway...im now in the market for a new pedal!

[crazyguy832]

DW 5002

Or Axis. God DAMN I want some Axis A Longboards.

>_<

[milkmit]

here's a bit of an illustration:

http://www.obleek.com/stuff/musiciansforums/i_play_like_a_retard.jpg

(no, my kit is actually set up as a 4-piece, with 10" & 14" toms)

only my snare might normally be a weeee bit pulled in toward me more (since it doesn't exactly fit under the tom), which means my left hand reaches the center a lot easier than it might look. but essentially, that's how it is.

and yes, one biggg pro to doing this is I can move from the hats to the snare (or even from the snare to the hats) much easier, which I do quite often because of my style of play. but I often wonder if I've just been cheating myself, and I would have learned to move from hats/snare easier by now if I'd played properly cross-sticked....

[Mündo]

raise your hi hat...watch the videos on drummerworld, and change your technique.

[milkmit]

raise your hi hat...watch the videos on drummerworld, and change your technique.

oh yeah, forgot to reply to that, cause other people said the same..

same deal; I like having the hats super close to the snare, since I tend to do lots of work between the two of em.

good to see a couple others play like that as well, though....even if we all look like retards. :)