Ringo: Left-handed drummer, right-handed drum kit?
Adam
I recall reading somewhere that some of Ringo's fills, riffs, etc. were
often not the usual ones because he was left-handed, but had his drum
kit set up for a right-handed drummer. Is this correct? Why might he
do this?
If so, how are drums typically set up for a right-handed drummer, and
why does that arrangement work better for righties? (A link to an
explanation would be fine.) Thanks!
Adam
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RichL
> Caveat: I am not a drummer. I don't even play one on TV.
>
> I recall reading somewhere that some of Ringo's fills, riffs, etc.
> were often not the usual ones because he was left-handed, but had his
> drum kit set up for a right-handed drummer. Is this correct? Why
> might he do this?
>
> If so, how are drums typically set up for a right-handed drummer, and
> why does that arrangement work better for righties? (A link to an
> explanation would be fine.) Thanks!
>
> Adam
I'm not a drummer either, but I sired one ;-)
The typical set up for a right hander has the hi-hat on the left and
floor toms on the right. Other toms are arranged in order of decreasing
pitch from left to right behind the snare. Cymbals (other than those in
the hi-hat) are arranged more or less from center to right.
As to why Ringo preferred that arrangement, I can only guess. I suspect
he simply started playing with right-handed kits (belonging to friends?
instructors?) and got used to it, so he kept it that way.
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cuppajoe2go
That's right. Ringo set up like a righty. Look at a picture of his
kit and that's just how a right handed set is usually set up. He
played mostly right-handed because he rode his ride cymbal, hi hat,
floor tom, etc. with his right hand. He also played the bass drum with
his right foot. A true left handed set up would be just like looking
at his set up in a mirror. The weird thing about him is that when he
would do a roll he started it with his left hand. A right-handed
dominated drummer would naturally start rolls with his right hand. So
you can see that with a right-handed set up it's a little awkward with
the way the hands descend down the drumset. That's what contributed
to his "funny" fills. I know lots of left-handed drummers who set up
right. I think it might be because it's a right-handed world and they
find a way to adapt. Dino Danelli from the Rascals was also left-
handed and set up and played righty. Phil Collins is an example of a
true lefty with a true lefty set up. Some left-handed players also
set up right-handed and use their left hand to ride on the hi hats.
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Adam
> That's right. Ringo set up like a righty. Look at a picture of his
> kit and that's just how a right handed set is usually set up. He
> played mostly right-handed because he rode his ride cymbal, hi hat,
> floor tom, etc. with his right hand. He also played the bass drum with
> his right foot.
Thank you very much, both of you, for such thoughtful, thorough,
informative replies!
By coincidence, I was just watching the movie "The Magic Christian"
(filmed between "Let It Be" and "Abbey Road"), and Ringo's character
seems to be right-handed, e.g. he signs a document, holds his drink,
megaphone, etc. with his right. Is he really left-handed? Or
ambidextrous? Or is he one of those lefties who were forced to write
right-handed? Does anybody know? Thanks in advance!
cuppajoe2go
>
> By coincidence, I was just watching the movie "The Magic Christian"
> (filmed between "Let It Be" and "Abbey Road"), and Ringo's character
> seems to be right-handed, e.g. he signs a document, holds his drink,
> megaphone, etc. with his right. Is he really left-handed? Or
> ambidextrous? Or is he one of those lefties who were forced to write
> right-handed? Does anybody know? Thanks in advance!
>
> Adam
Hmmm, go here and look at question #6
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1694689,00.html
Ringo: "......I was born left-handed. But....."
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Adam
>> Is [Ringo] really left-handed? Or
>> ambidextrous? Or is he one of those lefties who were forced to write
>> right-handed? Does anybody know? Thanks in advance!
>
>
> http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1694689,00.html
Thanks again for a definitive answer on this! For the benefit of
everyone here, and to get it in the archives, here's Ringo's complete
response:
~~~~~
Q: How would you describe your drumming style? —Terry Matlen,
Birmingham, Mich.
A: I was blessed with great timing. The other blessing that makes my
drumming individual is that I was born left-handed. But my grandmother
turned me into a right-handed person. So, I'm actually ambidextrous. If
I throw anything, play cricket or golf, it's done left-handed, but I
write and cut with my right hand. I'm a weird, handy guy. That makes my
style really personal.
~~~~~
Once we're discussing handedness, I know that Paul's left-handed, but is
he left-handed for everything? IIRC, his bass and guitar are NOT
restrung, so when he holds them, the high strings are on top. Does
anyone know which way Paul's own drum kit is set up? Thanks!
Adam
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Tony Quinn
<lo...@bottom.of.message> writes
>
>Once we're discussing handedness, I know that Paul's left-handed, but
>is he left-handed for everything? IIRC, his bass and guitar are NOT
>restrung, so when he holds them, the high strings are on top. Does
>anyone know which way Paul's own drum kit is set up? Thanks!
Nonsense - in the Live(ish) At Abbey Road show that I have on DVD (the
one with the Studer J37), he plays a conventionally strung rightie 6
string upside down for a few chords of 20 flight rock, and then changes
to a conventionally strung leftie 6 string. Just because he CAN play
that way, doesn't mean that he does.
--
If one person has delusions, we call them psychotic. If, however, 1.5 billion
people have delusions we must apparently call them a religious group, and
respect their delusionary state.
Adam
> Nonsense - in the Live(ish) At Abbey Road show that I have on DVD (the
> one with the Studer J37), he plays a conventionally strung rightie 6
> string upside down for a few chords of 20 flight rock, and then changes
> to a conventionally strung leftie 6 string. Just because he CAN play
> that way, doesn't mean that he does.
Thanks for the clarification! I misinterpreted something John said in
the Playboy interviews (p.117 in the hardcover):
"Paul taught me how to play the guitar proper -- but I had to learn the
chords left-handed, because Paul is left-handed. So I learned them
upside down and I'd go home and reverse them. I can still play upside
down, with the high strings on top."
Adam
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Tony Quinn
<lo...@bottom.of.message> writes
>Tony Quinn wrote:
>> Nonsense - in the Live(ish) At Abbey Road show that I have on DVD
>>(the one with the Studer J37), he plays a conventionally strung
>>rightie 6 string upside down for a few chords of 20 flight rock, and
>>then changes to a conventionally strung leftie 6 string. Just because
>>he CAN play that way, doesn't mean that he does.
>
>Thanks for the clarification! I misinterpreted something John said in
>the Playboy interviews (p.117 in the hardcover):
>
>"Paul taught me how to play the guitar proper -- but I had to learn the
>chords left-handed, because Paul is left-handed. So I learned them
>upside down and I'd go home and reverse them. I can still play upside
>down, with the high strings on top."
But for John (not a lefty), Paul's (a lefty) higher pitched strings
would be on the top ...
I'm a lefty and if you (a righty) invert my guitar then the high strings
*are* nearer your chin
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Adam
>> John said in the Playboy interviews (p.117 in the hardcover):
>>
>> "Paul taught me how to play the guitar proper -- but I had to learn
>> the chords left-handed, because Paul is left-handed. So I learned them
>> upside down and I'd go home and reverse them. I can still play upside
>> down, with the high strings on top."
>
> But for John (not a lefty), Paul's (a lefty) higher pitched strings
> would be on the top ...
>
> I'm a lefty and if you (a righty) invert my guitar then the high strings
> *are* nearer your chin
Ah, okay. So I presume John would hold his own guitar to the right
(inverted for him), and, watching Paul, press down on the farthest
string when Paul was pressing the nearest (highest string for both), and
vice versa. Then John would go home and figure things out.
I'd been picturing John facing Paul as if facing a mirror, like I did
when a lefty tried to show me how to use chopsticks. I can't play
guitar (yet), but I studied piano, which (for better or worse) is always
set up the same way, and (usually for worse) is often an unfamiliar
instrument. Thanks again for all your patient explanations!
Adam, about as right-handed as they get
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Mackenzie
> Adam <l...@bottom.of.message> wrote:
> > Caveat: I am not a drummer. I don't even play one on TV.
>
> > I recall reading somewhere that some of Ringo's fills, riffs, etc.
> > drum kit set up for a right-handed drummer. Is this correct? Why
> > might he do this?
>
> > If so, how are drums typically set up for a right-handed drummer, and
> > why does that arrangement work better for righties? (A link to an
> > explanation would be fine.) Thanks!
>
> > Adam
>
> I'm not a drummer either, but I sired one ;-)
>
> The typical set up for a right hander has the hi-hat on the left and
> floor toms on the right. Other toms are arranged in order of decreasing
> pitch from left to right behind the snare. Cymbals (other than those in
> the hi-hat) are arranged more or less from center to right.
>
> As to why Ringo preferred that arrangement, I can only guess. I suspect
> he simply started playing with right-handed kits (belonging to friends?
> instructors?) and got used to it, so he kept it that way.
>
If I'm not mistaken, Ringo (at least in the early days) used a Ludwig
Maple Drum set with a 20'' Kick. That has only has a bass, possibly
20'' x 14'', a floor tom, 8'' x 12 tom and a snare equipped with a
ride cymbal, crash and hi-hat. Watching videos of Ringo playing at one
of the All-Starr gigs, The ride and hi-hat cymbal and snare were on
his right while the hi-hat cymbals and rack toms were on his left, of
course the bass drum was in the center. Ringo seems to have his snare
drum anchored more towards the right while mine is more towards the
center (I'm a righty myself).
He said that he couldn't "sweep around the kit" and he had to come off
the toms with his left hand and work his way up the kit backwards."
Witness the "You Won't See Me" fills.
RichL
> If I'm not mistaken, Ringo (at least in the early days) used a Ludwig
> Maple Drum set with a 20'' Kick. That has only has a bass, possibly
> 20'' x 14'', a floor tom, 8'' x 12 tom and a snare equipped with a
> ride cymbal, crash and hi-hat. Watching videos of Ringo playing at one
> of the All-Starr gigs, The ride and hi-hat cymbal and snare were on
> his right
I assume you mean crash here, not hi-hat...
> while the hi-hat cymbals and rack toms were on his left, of
> course the bass drum was in the center. Ringo seems to have his snare
> drum anchored more towards the right while mine is more towards the
> center (I'm a righty myself).
>
> He said that he couldn't "sweep around the kit" and he had to come off
> the toms with his left hand and work his way up the kit backwards."
> Witness the "You Won't See Me" fills.
Makes sense. I have a hard time making left turns in my car :-)
Skokiaan
> If I'm not mistaken, Ringo (at least in the early days) used a Ludwig
> Maple Drum set with a 20'' Kick. That has only has a bass, possibly
> 20'' x 14'', a floor tom, 8'' x 12 tom and a snare equipped with a
> ride cymbal, crash and hi-hat.
Ringo has never used a standard ride cymbal. He used crash/rides.
> Watching videos of Ringo playing at one
> of the All-Starr gigs, The ride and hi-hat cymbal and snare were on
> his right while the hi-hat cymbals and rack toms were on his left, of
> course the bass drum was in the center.
Ringo has been using two hi-hats with the All-Starr Band since 1992.
He has the regular set on a stand and a second closed set mounted on
the bass drum between his tom and crash/ride.