As most of us know, the brain is made up of a left and a right hemisphere. The left brain is associated with rational and analytical thinking, logic, and with the movements of the right side of the body; its opposite stands for movements of the left body side, spatial awareness, holistic thinking, creativity, emotions and nuanced language. While we use both brain hemispheres in everyday life, it makes a difference whether you are right-or left-handed.

I spoke about this with Rowan Storm, who specialises in Middle Eastern music and plays the (larger) daf and the dayereh, both hand-held frame drums. With more than 25 years of experience with the cultures and the drumming of the Middle East and Mediterranean, Rowan is recognised internationally as a performer and educator. She devised an innovative method for playing these drums by using both hands instead of only one. It is called the Symmetrical Frame Drum Technique.

The shallow depth of Rowan’s Frame Drum designs enables both hands to play all the strokes, while holding the drum equally with both hands. As the non-dominant hand is called into action, the rational is harmonised with the intuitive, and new sources of creativity are unleashed. With a parallel study of brain function and wellness, Rowan is pioneering the symmetrical frame drum position. Moreover, she discovered that using both hands has tremendous health benefits, not only in drumming but in all daily activities.

Many of us are old enough to remember how left-handedness was discouraged in school. I was right-handed, but even as a child I recognised the cruelty of forcing children into doing something that didn’t come naturally to them. Fortunately, my ex-husband was an ambidextrous artist, and he pointed out to me, how important it is to use both your hands for brain health,

Only 1% of the population are naturally ambidextrous, but there are things we all do with both hands, such as riding a bicycle or eating with a knife and fork, holding someone, walking or typing. Most musicians are ambidextrous to some degree. You can easily use your left (or your right) hand more. Start by changing the hand holding your phone. Brush your teeth or your hair, turn the pages of a book or browse with your left hand, pour yourself a cup of tea or coffee that way.

Among the advantages of being ambidextrous: training your non-dominant hand automatically strengthens the fine motor skills of your dominant side. Learning to use your weaker hand challenges the brain and, like psychedelics, stimulates new synaptic connections. Ambidextrous individuals typically possess a more symmetrical brain with a highly functional corpus callosum. Ambidexterity is a kind of superpower!

And are you fit for the fall? Though this year’s drought frightened me, I’m still hoping for some warmer days before the bad weather comes, except for rain, always welcome now.

I’ll be holding my umbrella with my left hand.

Yours,
Susanne

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