Left Hand - Right Hand Independence - Getting Your Hands to Do Different Stuff

[mcraghead]

This might be a dumb newbie question but I'm going to ask it anyway. Are there any tricks to learning how to get your hands to do two different things independently of each other?

My instructor was showing me something else that he wanted me to start using. I'm not sure if the intent was to further develop left-right independence or not but that's what's getting me stuck. He wants me to play quarter notes on the bell with the right hand and on 2 hit a "dead" quarter note on the drum with the left and on 4 hit two lively eighth notes on the drum with the left.

I've done a few other things like cascara with one hand and half notes with the other, cascara with one and clave with the other, and cascara with one and fill notes with the other. I do okay with that stuff but I think that's because it feels more like a pattern. The left and right are working together to make the pattern, which is how I see it in my mind.

For whatever reason this new thing feels different. It doesn't feel like a pattern, just two independent things. When I try to do the eighth notes with the left I end up doing them on the right too. In some cases I even find myself doing eighth notes on the right and nothing on the left.

I don't know why I can't get it but it's driving me CRAZY!!!!

Any ideas on how I can overcome this? ??? Thanks.

[Raymond]

The exercise your instructor is giving you is a good one. However, you are suffering from what I called overexposure to theory and no fun with actual stuff. The tatata ta ta you are probably listening while you do the exercise has run its course. Keep on doing it because it will help you. Now, you need to start doing some actual independence tricks like playing cascara/bell and clave...Do it slowly until you start making sense in the sound.


Be aware that some movements or actions while you are playing timbale, like the standard timbalero hit with your left hand in the hembra drum that sounds and coincides with the sound of the slap of the conga, is another thing that deals with independence but eventually becomes second nature.

You could invent new things yourself to try to reach independence. Don't wait to be instructed do it yourself.

I hope this helps!

Saludos!

[Jongo]

I was trying some independence exercises with rumba clave with the left on a block and then different patterns with the right hand on high and low timb and it was tough at first but Raymond is right, I took it slow and it started to make more sense. Not only did it force my hands to work independently but I also had to listen with more focus. I had to hear the clave and be able to pick it out among the other notes to ensure that I was still on. So not only is the exercise improving my playing but also my listening.