Dobbs Ferry Drummer Shakes His Finger at Boring Percussion

I'm not sure about you, but when I think of someone playing multiple instruments at the same time, I think of Dick Van Dyke at the beginning of Mary Poppins clunking around with a harmonica, a trumpet and tambourines tied to his legs...

It's not slick, not cool—not pleasant to listen to.

But Dobbs Ferry resident Ed Betinelli has changed that image for me forever with his recently patented "Thumb Thang."

A lifelong percussionist and owner of at 145 Palisade Street in Dobbs Ferry, Bettinelli said he wanted to be able to improve the depth and enrich the sound of his drumming.

"But we only have four limbs, so there's only so much one person can do," he said. That's when Bettinelli came up with the idea for "Thumb Thang," a "hands-free multi-tasking percussive accessory."

That's a lot of words for a device you put around your finger while drumming that makes an added sound. In this case, it's a shaker.

"What's great about is that it doesn't inhibit the dexterity of your fingers, so it doesn't get in the way of playing your primary instrument," he said. "It's also so easy to use—which adds to the intrigue."

Bettinelli, who has been performing professionally in multifarious venues since he was a teenager, has been using the previously-nameless finger accessory for years.

"I never thought of patenting it or selling it until heavy-hitters in the business started asking 'What is that?' and telling him to get a patent on it," he said.

On the day if its launch on www.kickstarter.com, a company that helps people get the funding for their inventions, drummers from both the David Letterman Show's Band and Saturday Night Live's band sent glowing endorsements.

"Anton Fig from the David Letterman Band really wanted to try it, but I have only one prototype that's worth $3,500, so I couldn't let him use it on the show," Bettinelli said. "It was heartbreaking to tell him he couldn't use it."

Still—Fig, Shawn Pelton, of the SNL Band and Will Lee, also of the Letterman Band—all showed tremendous support.

"It's so exciting to know that these amazing drummers think this is a great innovation," Bettinelli said. "I'm so passionate about it that it makes it an easy sell."

Besides drumming professionally and teaching at his studio in Dobbs, Bettinelli also coaches basketball for the Dobbs Ferry Rec. Department—where his sons Cole, 10, and Miles, 14, play. And it's through the local Rec. and Boy Scouts that Bettinelli met Ed Nammour, the local producer who shot and edited his launch video.

"I didn't even know Ed was in the business until very recently," Bettinelli said.

Through the video, word of mouth, and a massive social media push, Bettinelli hopes to raise the $50,000 to create an initial batch to sell.

"I have 60 days to get the word out," he said.

More than anything else, Bettinelli is thrilled by the idea of making a time-tested contribution to the music industry.

"I feel that this will be around longer than I'll be around," he said. "That's the most exciting part."

Learn more about "Thumb Thang on www.kickstarter.com.