Rob Richard

02-17-07

by Will Spence
(Submitted from The Will of Music)

Will: Rob, would you please give our viewers a brief background of your disability and how it affects you physically?

Rob: I was born with Cerebral Palsy, and when I was about a month old I suffered some blockage on the right side of my brain which caused swelling, and I had to be fitted with a shunt, which I still have today. The CP itself mainly causes problems with my legs, although I can have a few minor quirks with my hands that I don't even consider an issue. First, I have very bad balance, muscle tightness and stiffness, some spasticity, limited range of motion, and weakness. Also, the damage I suffered before I was fitted with the shunt made my right leg weaker and for years I've dealt with legs cramps, more weakness than my left leg, and I can barely move my right ankle, although I've been working on it more lately and I'm seeing SOME improvement; not anything real I can use on the drums, but improvement none the less.

All these issues put together cause a few challenges on the drums:

I have days when I sit at the drums and my legs are really tight and I have a hard time keeping my feet on the pedals without my legs pulling together, which makes playing comfortably and maintaining a good balance on the pedals difficult.

The muscle weakness along with the tightness sometimes makes it difficult to play using both legs at once. If I'm playing something that utilizes both legs at the same time like a Latin rhythm with a constant hi-hat pulse or a jazz pattern with the hi-hat on 2 & 4, I usually can only play heel down on the hi-hat. Also, with my bass drum I usually wind up burying the beater into the head, creating a choked, muffled sound. It's very difficult to play using both legs at once while maintaining good volume and balance between the two.

Mainly though my right leg causes me the most problems with drumming. As I said before, I can't move my right ankle much, which makes it very hard to play busy bass drum patterns. I'm getting a little better, but usually instead of utilizing my whole leg and my ankle to play things I have to either play from my whole leg or use what little movement I have in conjunction with pedal rebound in order to get notes out. At the moment I'm working every day on it and trying to find a technique that works for me.

Will: What sparked the idea of starting a website strictly for disabled drummers?

Rob: One word: Frustration. As I just mentioned, I have some technique and movement issues with my right leg. It's actually better now than it used to be though. From about age 3 until I was 17 I wore plastic leg braces, and played drums with them for 7 years (along with a size 12 shoe!). As you can imagine that gave me almost no technique or any other movement besides using my whole leg to play the bass drum especially. Even after I stopped wearing braces I still couldn't do much with my right leg, I think because I was too frustrated to look at my options clearly, and because I didn't know how to approach doing anything different. I started Handidrummed.com because not only did I want to inspire others who might be as frustrated as I was, but I wanted to inspire myself and see what others were going through, in the hopes that it might give me a different outlook.

Will: What style of drumming to you play?

Rob: I started off in my younger days playing 100% rock/metal. These days, I gravitate more toward nice, sometimes laid back groove oriented drumming like Bernard Purdie, the old Mo-Town drummers of the 50's & 60's, Clyde Stubblefield, Jabo Starks of James Brown. guys like that. I also like to play some jazz because it helps my independence and gets my limbs working together. My last drum teacher got me into a lot of Latin stuff as well which serves the same purpose for me as the jazz does, to gain independence and play smoother. I still love playing Rock too but again, it's more in the pocket sort of stuff. Nothing flashy, just good solid drumming.

Will: Can you explain to our viewers what kind of setup you have?

Rob: Just like my drumming style, my kit has matured and gotten more simplistic over the years. I used to love kits with a bass snare, 2 toms, 2 floor toms, 2 or 3 crashes, 2 splashes, ride, hi-hat, china etc.. But for the last few years I've been loving using a basic 4 piece setup. Right now I have a Gretsch Catalina Birch kit with a 20" Bass, 10" Tom (mounted on a snare stand for that simplistic, vintage look), 14" Floor Tom, and a 13" Yamaha Musashi Oak Snare. For cymbals I use all Sabian HHX: 14" Groove Hi-hats, 19" HHXtreme Crash, 21" Groove Ride, and a 10" Splash. I'm probably going to add a 16" HHXtreme Crash in the next few days, just to give me a higher crash voice on the kit. I also use an LP Timbale Cowbell. At the moment I'm using Yamaha Cymbal Stands, a Pearl H-1000K Hi-hat stand, and a Pearl Strap Drive Eliminator Bass Drum Pedal. My throne is a basic Yamaha round seat (I'm drawing a blank on the exact model). My profile on Handidrummed.com has my setup, but it's outdated at the date that I completed this interview.

I should mention as well that I've used a variety of different setups over the years too in order to get around my right leg limitation. Most recently I used to setup left handed because my left foot is stronger on the bass. I would use my right hand on the hi-hat (open-handed lefty, I called it) and my left hand on the ride. I would start fills most of the time with my right hand unless I just couldn't get away with it. In about 2001 I experimented with a new setup which involved having my bass drum on the left with my toms on a stand, and my snare, floor tom, ride, crashes, and everything else to the right. My hi-hat's were mounted on a remote hi-hat stand. The pedal was on my right, and the cymbals were on my left. This allowed me basically to play right handed with my hands, but left handed with my legs. Here is a picture of the first kit. I really got into this setup.

I played like this until about 2 years ago when I got frustrated with how complex my setup had gotten and switched the left handed setup. Well, eventually I got frustrated with that because not only now did I have to relearn to play a lot of things left handed, but my foot wasn't handling the hi-hat very well and my playing and comfort was suffering. I finally realized that I NEED to play right handed, to work on right foot and accomplish what I used to think was impossible. Now with this setup I have a positive outlook and determination I haven't had in years. My right foot still has a long way to go before I'll be 100% satisfied with it, but I'm closer than I've ever been.

Will: How long have you been drumming?

Rob: I've been playing for about 16 years (I started when I was 10 and I'll be 26 in February). I played non-stop from age 10 up until I was 16 when I got kicked out of the band I was in High School (was under age, couldn't get into a lot of places, didn't have a job to help support the band etc..) That killed my confidence and I played off and on with no real passion. I actually sold my drums in 2000 and took a year off before I decided to give it another go. Then in 2004 when I started Handidrummed, I got inspired again and started playing more than I had in years.

Will: I understand that you recently had surgery for carpal tunnel. How will this affect your ability to play the drums?

Rob: I don't see it affecting me at all really. My Carpal Tunnel Syndrome came about from all the years of my using crutches and the pressure I put on my hands. But, I know that typing incorrectly, and using incorrect technique for years didn't help. I have to have a surgery on my right hand on January 26th. After that I'll speak with the doctor on what I can do especially in terms of my playing to make sure I don't have any further problems. I plan on writing an article for Handidrummed.com (which may or may not be out by the time this interview is) on my experience with CTS, not just as a drummer, but as someone with a disability. If anything, the Carpal Tunnel gave me a different outlook on my technique and how I play. While I was in my wrist splint I was working on a lot of the single-handed grooves and that way of playing that I have in the Lessons section on the website. It's definitely sparked my creativity.

Will: What is the biggest challenge for you being a drummer with a disability?

Rob: Well besides the physical hurdles that I have to overcome especially with my right leg, I think not getting frustrated all the time and staying positive is the biggest challenge. So often even drummers without a disability get frustrated, and depending on how you handle it, it can really kill your passion for the instrument. As I said, that's one of the reasons why I started the website, was to inspire people and hopefully give them a different outlook towards whatever they're facing and the drums, whether they're disabled or not.

Will: I understand you had the chance to interview Rick Allen of Def Leppard, what was that like?

Rob: Yes I did. In March of '06 I did a phone interview with him. You can find that interview on the website here. I contacted him through his organization, the Raven Drum Foundation, and asked to do an interview, but initially I just asked for an email interview like this. To my surprise, I received an email back saying that he wanted to do a phone interview! We set a date and time and I waited anxiously until that day.

Unfortunately, due to his busy schedule, he was unable to call on the day he was scheduled. I was obviously let down, but the very next day I got a phone call from his wife Lauren. She apologized and said that if I was able to, he wanted to do the interview then. Well I wasn't really prepared but I wasn't going to let the opportunity slip away, so I got my stuff together quickly, and we did the interview.

It's still surreal that I actually did it. First, I grew up listening to Def Leppard and before I even played drums, being amazed at this one armed drummer on MTV. After I started playing drums, like most disabled drummers I think, he was my #1 inspiration for overcoming adversity. The interview itself was great. Rick is a very kind, down to earth person, and I felt very comfortable (well as comfortable as I could be. I was still nervous to death!) talking with him. Plus, my wife is a huge Def Leppard fan and because I had him on speaker phone she got to listen in, and I'm very glad that I got to let her share in that experience as well.

Will: What kind of drums, cymbals, and hardware are particular to you?

Rob: Well, really all the equipment I use now I enjoy very much. But, to pick my favorites, I love Yamaha for drums and hardware (their tom holders are #1 in my book), Sabian, Vater, and Evans. I am a fan of Grestch drums as well.

Will: What kind of adaptations have you learned to make as far as your drumming technique is concerned?

Rob: Well again, as I talked about in the previous question about my setup, I experimented with different setups using my left foot on the bass. At one time, remote hi-hats were my godsend. Even at times when I used to setup left handed, I would use them for precise placement of the hi-hat pedal separate from the cymbals. But eventually I found I didn't like the responce of them compared to traditional straight pull hi-hat stands. During those times of using my left foot on bass I used to use the heel-toe technique religiously as it made playing a lot easier for me. Unfortunately at the moment, with my right foot on the bass drum I can't do it at the moment and I'm constantly trying to work up to it or at least come up with a similar technique.

Now that I'm playing right handed again too, I really don't have any adaptations setup wise anymore besides needing to use my own bass drum pedals. I was actually just thinking about this today and how it's ironic that for all the recommendations I make to people regarding alternative ways of setting up, and how much of an advocate I am about using different setups to your advantage, for me personally, I realized that I don't like using an adapted setup. I think it's because I know in my heart that I can overcome my limitations with time, and I'm dead set on working on them until I do. I prefer to not rely on anything to help until I ABSOLUTELY need it; and right now I don't feel that I do.

Will: This may seem like a strange question but hypothetically if I had a passion for drumming but didn't have any ability to move physically what advice would you give me?

Rob: Wow, that's a hard question. I'll be honest that at least right now I'm not quite sure how to answer it. In the past almost 3 years that I've corresponded with and helped other disabled drummers, all of them had SOME ability to move. The person that comes to mind the best is one of the profiles drummers on the site, named Jeff Sanders. He became a Quadriplegic after meeting a brick wall head first in a motorcycle accident. While he doesn't have any movement in his legs, and not much control over the movement in his hands, he still found a way to play utilizing a Roland HPD-15 Handsonic.

I'd probably tell someone to immerse themselves in drumming mentally, even if they can't play. Join an online drum forum and talk about drumming, watch drum instruction videos, watch concert and solo videos of your favorite drummers playing (www.drummerworld.com is a great site for that). I'm sure that all of us before we even started playing, got a thrill just by being around drums and watching drummers play even if we had never held a pair of sticks. I don't think that it should be any different for someone who at the moment has no way of playing. They can still love drums even without playing a note.

I would especially tell someone who has NO movement whatsoever, don't completely give in to the idea that you will never move. I believe that if you have enough determination and work hard enough, you can accomplish anything, even if it's a small step toward your ultimate goal.

Will: Do you feel inspired that you are able to influence and help others with disabilities who have a passion for drumming?

Rob: Absolutely. As I said earlier, I get inspiration from others as much as they might get from myself or other drummers on the site. I've talked with a few drummers who started playing because of the inspiration they received. When I hear about someone who started playing after they didn't think they'd ever be able to, or someone who found a new outlook towards their drumming situation, it inspires me more than anything else could.

Will: Who are some of your influences as far as drummers are concerned?

Rob: Again, I love the groove drummers like Bernard Purdie, Clyde Stubblefield, Jabo Starks, and the drummers of the early Motown recordings like Benny Benjamin, Uriel Jones, and Richard "Pistol" Allen. But I'm also a huge fan of Steve Gadd, John Blackwell, Jr, Billy Ward, D'erico Watson, Dom Famularo, Liberty Devitto, Steve Smith, and the list goes on.

Will: How can other people become involved with your cause and your website?

Rob: Simply by emailing me, either through the Contact page on the website or at rob@handidrummed.com. I not only have disabled drummers who help with the site, but I have a lot of able bodied drummers as well who have done link swaps, written articles, submitted lessons, informed me of helpful drum products, and just done other things to either help the website grow or spread the word.

Will: For you how much of drumming is physical and how much of it is mental?

Rob: I used to think that drumming was 100% physical, and that is where a huge portion of my frustration was directed. But, over the years, especially in this past year, I've realized that it's more mental than anything. Of course drums are physical, but you need to have the right mental state in order to play. You need to be able to go at the drums with a positive attitude and outlook. You need to evaluate mentally what you are able to do with the abilities and talents that you have as well and do it the best you can. I now feel that for me in regards to my own playing, while having a lot of chops, and being able to do technical things is great, playing with great time and feel, even if it's the most basic groove ever played, is more important.

Will: What words encouragement or advice can you give to disabled drummers?

Rob: The biggest thing is to never give up. No matter what your disability is or how your situation may look to you, if you have the love and passion for drumming, you will find a way to get through it. Don't be afraid to be an individual and be unique. As long as it makes you happy, it's the right thing to do.

Will: What future plans do you have? Personally? With the site? With drumming?

Rob: In regards to the site I'm just trying to continue to fill it with as many helpful resources as I can. I have some products that I may be adding soon that may be of some help. As I mentioned earlier, I also want to write an article about my experience with Carpal Tunnel, and as always there should be some new drummer profiles in the future. I would also love to do some more interviews. My ultimate goal is to eventually find a way to also turn Handidrummed.com into an offline resource for disabled drummers who don't have internet access, I'm just not sure how yet.

Drumming wise I just want to improve every day. I especially want to get my right foot to a point that it's never been at before where I can move my ankle. That's not just something to shoot for from a drumming standpoint, but also a personal health standpoint. I also eventually want to get together with a group of musicians to just have casual jams with. I haven't done that in years, but right now I don't have a lot of time for it.

Personal plans. Well, I want what most people want, just personal success, content and happiness. I hope to have kids with my wife someday, and probably closer in the future than that I hope to find a new job (which falls heavily under happiness) *laugh*

Will: Other then Rick Allen who are some other disabled drummers who have gained notoriety that people may or may not be familiar with?

Rob: I'm not sure how many people know this, but Joe Morello, who is a drumming legend, is actually blind. He lost his eyesight in 1976. I'm not sure how much of his sight he lost and how it affects him though. I hope to possibly interview him some day for the site. He was born in Massachusetts like myself, so we'd have something else in common! *laugh*

Sandy Nelson is a name which maybe only older drummers have heard of. He lost part of his right leg in vehicular accident in 1963. He's most famous for his Teen Beat records and the song "Let There Be Drums!"

Evelyn Glennie is a name I'm sure most people have heard, though I'm not sure how many people know that she is actually deaf.

Chick Webb is a jazz legend from the 1930's who had Spinal Tuberculosis. He was very short and height actually played with extensions on his pedals so he could reach them.

Eric "Rickey" McKinnie is a blind drummer who I saw in an issue of Modern Drummer a while back. He plays with a band called "The Blind Boys of Alabama".

Lastly I have to mention one of Handidrummed.com's own drummers, Andrew Hewitt. He is a drummer from Australia who has Cerebral Palsy like myself.

He was one of the first disabled drummers I was able to find anything about on the internet before starting the site and he actually was the first drummer profiled besides myself. In the few years I've known him he has done amazingly well in his career, not just as a disabled drummer but just as a drummer. He has been in Modern Drummer, and Drum! Magazine, as well as other percussion publications. He has done clinical workshops for children with disabilities, as well as at other functions. He has played quite a few high profile gigs around Australia including a fairly recent performance at the Sydney Opera House! He is currently a member of the Vic Firth Education Team and has an endorsement with DW Drums & Drum City in Australia. He has done a lot for Handidrummed.com and is a huge inspiration to me and I wouldn't feel like this list of drummers would be complete without mentioning him.

Will: It has been a pleasure being able to interview you. If you have read anything about me and my site you know that I love drums and always wanted to be the next drumming legend. Because I no longer have the physical ability to play what advice can you give me and other people in my situation?

Rob: Well, as I said earlier, I think that what you're doing with your website is exactly what I was talking about and that is just immersing yourself in music in anyway that you can, even if you can't physically play. Discussing it, listening to it, researching it, educating yourself further on it. They're all things that will help you get closer to the instrument you love even without playing a note.

Will: Do you think that taking away the physicality of playing drums also takes away the fun? The reason I ask is because I know there are many ways and technological advances that have made it able for those with no motor skills to play drums. However, in my opinion it's still not the same as physically playing. What are your thoughts on this?

Rob: I still feel that if you truly love it, any little thing you can do in order to be a part of the instrument can be fun. Even if you don't have a pair of sticks in your hands, if you're making some sort of percussive sound, it can still be a joy because you're the one doing it, even if it's not in a traditional way. Additionally, while one way may not be as enjoyable as another for someone, all that matters is that you find something that makes you happy.

Will: I have always been a fanatic of really fast double bass. Who is your opinion is one of the fastest double bass drummers you have known?

Rob: Double bass used to blow my mind and I thought of guys like Vinnie Paul and Raymond Herrera as double bass gods. They still amaze me, but I'm not as impressed with it as I used to be. I admire the skill, and honestly I would love to be able to do it just to have the tool in my toolbox, but it's no longer what "floats my boat". I'm more about feel and groove now than shear speed.

Will: Who is your favorite drummer of all time?

Rob: That's a tough question. I've never been able to answer the "What's your favorite band/artist/song" questions easily. I'd have to say though that one guy I never get tired of watching is Billy Ward. His unique look at the instrument and style is something that inspires me more than most. I've had the chance of corresponding through emails with him and he's a hell of a nice guy too.

Will: If somebody wanted to make a contribution to your cause how would they go about doing so?

Rob: Again, just by emailing me through the Contact page on the website or at rob@handidrummed.com.

Will: Is there anything you would like to say before we end this interview?

Rob: Thank you Will, for allowing me to do this interview. I am completely honored and I hope that this inspires even more people!

Remember, you can do anything that you put your mind to. If you have the drive and determination, you can find a way.