What do the worlds Wealthiest drummers share with Mozart, Beethoven, and DaVinci?

Left-Handedness!

Phil Collins, Ringo Starr, Stewart Copeland, and Anika Nilles (to name just a few) share left handedness (and footedness) with DaVinci etal.

By extension, being left handed in a right handed world means Ambidexterity is much more developed in Left-handed/footed humans!

Even today left handed people are forced to play right handed drum kits because…thats the norm.

It was not so long ago that children at school, who were left handed,  were forced to write with their non-dominant hand.

Medieval Drum School Mindsets

That tyrannical approach to teaching is no longer the case in any Schools …but that medieval attitude persists to this day with drum teachers, and drum schools.  

And…strangely, many dont see this as anachronistic and stodgily conservative!!!!

NOT AT SYMMETRICAL DRUMMING AUSTRALIA, however!!!.

At Symmetrical Drumming I encourage ambidexterity for left handers and right handers and I definitely  do not force anyone to play right handed only!

Indeed I promote the simple change to drum kit layout that allows all drummers to use both sides of the kit equally by sitting head-on and addressing the kit equally to the left and the right.

After all…its the high hat mechanism that is the key obstacle. 

Ive fixed that at Symmetrical Drumming Australia.

Centre those Hats

https://SymmetricalDrummingAustralia.Org

Moving the high hat from far left or far right to the middle…front and centre, aligned with the snare and the kick.

On the Spectrum of Handedness

Yes, handedness exists on a spectrum or a scale, not as a simple, absolute division between "100% right-handed" and "100% left-handed". 

Handedness is a complex trait influenced by many genes and environmental factors, and individuals can have varying degrees of preference and skill for different tasks. 

The spectrum includes: 

Strong Right-Handedness: 

Most people (around 80-90%) are strongly right-handed, using their right hand for nearly all fine motor skills.

Strong Left-Handedness: 

A minority (around 10%) are strongly left-handed, showing a consistent left-hand preference across tasks.

Mixed-Handedness (Cross-Dominance):  ie Drummers!

Many individuals fall in the middle of the spectrum and are "mixed-handed" or "cross-dominant". 

These individuals might:

• Write with one hand but throw a ball or use scissors with the other.
• Have no preference for certain two-handed tasks like using pliers or typing.
• Be able to use their non-dominant hand almost as well as their dominant one for some tasks, often due to adapting to a right-handed world (e.g., using right-handed tools or equipment).
   

Ambidexterity: 

• A very rare subset of the population (about 1%) can use both hands with equal skill and have no natural preference. 
• Drummers…particularly those who play symmetrical kits…Truly symmetrical kits develop this skill systematically and creatively!

At symmetrical drumming I recognise the indisputible the link between creativity and ambidexterity exemplified by the worlds amazingly innovative left handers like Nicola Tesla, Simon Phillips, Billy Cobham, Ringo Star, Phil Collins, Stewart Copeland.   

Left handers in a staunchly right handed musical environment

… having to adapt to a world designed for right-handers forces lefties to be better problem-solvers, which could foster a certain type of ingenuity or resilience. 

This constant minor problem-solving may give lefties a unique perspective, but it is a learned adaptation, not an inherent biological predisposition to creativity.

I propose that right handers moving ‘into’ their left side by playing on truly symmetrical kit can promote lifelong drumming and ever improving Ambdexterity! 

And…by extension a doubling of the pallete upon which you paint your drumming music!

What on Earth is Symmetrical Drumming Australia?

See video.