Will Rowden
Location: King's Somborne
Challenge: Spinal Injury
Website: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573106450372
Will Rowden is a drummer from King's Somborne, England.
Will became paralysed from the chest down after a fluke spinal hemorrhage when he was 8 years old
He always had a passion for music and when he was 14, he sat behind a drum kit and figured out a way to operate the kick drum pedal using his wheelchair.
Simply by placing his front right wheel on the pedal and shifting his body weight forward, he was able to play the drums and has, over the years, perfected his technique and the only adaptation has been the addition of a self made pocket in the shape of his wheel to keep it secure on the pedal to ensure it doesn't slip off.
Will says "This method should be doable for anyone in a wheelchair who is able to do a Wheely. It's all about finding the center of mass and a bit of trial and error. Things like the kick pedal spring tension is really important and makes a huge difference to the playability, so keep adjusting it until you feel like you can push it down easily just my leaning forward. Also, your wheelchair set-up will make a big difference as well. If you're finding it too difficult to do a wheely, you could try adjusting your chair to make it more tippy. But please be careful not to hurt yourself by tipping backwards!"
Will has been drumming like this for 19 years and knows his limits with balance but he adds "If you're trying this technique for the first time, make sure you have someone behind you. Stabilisers might not be that helpful because you need to be able to tip quite far back but just make sure you stay safe while you get the hang of it!"
The other thing Will has found extremely helpful is a trigger mic on his kick drum skin which beefs up the sound of the kick and gives you more volume even if your momentum isn't enough to really thwack the kick.
Will's main influences are José Pascillas from Incubus, Chad Smith, Jimmy Chamberlain from the Smashing Pumpkins and Stewart Copeland.
He says "I played in a band when I was in college and jammed with a few people since then but nothing serious. I've been looking for people to form a band with but it's hard to find the right people with similar music tastes and local to my area."
To find out more about Will and his drumming techniques, please follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and Youtube.
Will Rowden