The low hi hat technique reverse crossover

[Frank Godiva]

@JDA pointed this out to me a while back; Buddy was not the only one to play a low hat

“this particular left hand approach is simply a left-over-right cross-up. That is, when Buddy plays his hi-hat with his right hand, he reaches over his right with his left hand to play the snare drum. (See the video here. It's Artie Shaw's 'Lady Be Good' from 1939; you first see Buddy doing this at about 0:36.) It seems wrong and awkward to do this, but if you look closely at the video, his hi-hat is positioned at a low height, about at the level of his snare drum. I've never heard anybody mention this before, whether in the context of Buddy or otherwise, and I can find no discussion of it on the internet. Why someone might do this is a bit of a mystery. Of course, it has a certain flair to it that makes it a bit of a visual treat, though it is subtle to say the least. One would assume that with the fairly simple jazz patterns of the day, such an approach was not overly limiting. As the style advanced, however, it would have proven untenable it seems to me.”

Rain City Drummer

vancouverdrummer.blogspot.com

 

[Houndog]

I could swear I saw a video or pic of someone else playing the same way .
It was in here or on FB …

 

[ThomasL]

I think I've seen a video where Tony does it. It was probably dictated by crappy hihat stand adjustability?

 

[afwdrums]

Sandy McKee of the band Cold Blood played like that, here's an old thread with some discussion

Speaking of unorthodox setups, Cold Blood's Sandy McKee

I will admit that I only discovered the incredible Sandy McKee fairly recently while on a Youtube binge: I stumbled upon 1971's "Last Days at the Fillmore" documentary, which featured 2 songs by the killer Bay Area funk band "Cold Blood". I was blown away by McKee - he sounded like a rock...

www.drumforum.org

 

[Griener]

You should know that those old Walberg hihat stands were not height adjustable.
And drummers sat much higher back then because they had a bigger bass drum.
I own a W&A hihat stand #502, the legendary one that everybody played back then; the one that sounds so great when you play with your left stick on the shaft because it's brass.
When I tried to sit on a canister throne, like a lot of drummers did back then, the level of the hihat cymbals was at the same height as the snare drum.
If you play with a traditional grip, it's actually much easier to play with your left hand on top.
Buddy certainly wasn't the only one who did it that way.

 

[Griener]

Unfortunately you're just scratching at the drum with the tip of the stick, so the tone quality sucks.

Actually, with the extreme tilt that drummers used back then, the left hand stick was still at a good angle to hit the drum.

 

[vintagedrummersweden]

In the Gene Krupa Drum Method book there's a pictorial on the techniques for hi-hat/snare combinations.
If you want to master the technique mentioned above.

 

[HalldorL]

I saw a video where Elvin was doing this.

 

[JDA]

.. Elvin, on a song called "Is There A Jackson In The House" but the best live version is not on you tube (it's in a VHS) the live versions that are on on youtube are fair/ok to see. He rides Hi Hat underneath because he's setting up a Left hand crash on left cymbal; it facilitates that
This isn't the VHS version)

(there ^ is also the day 1990 he has with his pre-split Isti's ...a Sabian Sound Control w/rivets 20" ....far right 3rd.. in his flirt with Sabian)
that's a 7 chorus over the form solo exactly
count the pulse it's to the T

 

[toddbishop]

Actually, with the extreme tilt that drummers used back then, the left hand stick was still at a good angle to hit the drum.

Haha, of course-- I withdraw my initial rash judgment!