In this article we will be taking a little look at the humble art of holding the drum sticks.
Before we get into it, don't forget that drum sticks are not the only type of drum-hitting implement you can use. Brushes, rutes and rods can be used instead of sticks.
Drums are full of tones and textures all itching to be explored. For now, the drum stick shall be our weapon of choice...
Confused about grip?
Let's assume that you've encountered many differing opinions on what is the correct way to hold your drumsticks. You probably found many claims all over the internet, in books, and on videos which profess to show you THE definitive correct way to hold a drum stick.
The truth is: There is NO single unique way of correctly holding the drum sticks. This means that you are probably already holding your sticks correctly. Or rather, you are probably holding your sticks correctly for some types of playing, but not for others.
The crux of the issue is this: Sometimes you want to be free and flowing with fast or gentle strokes. Sometimes you need to be loud and precise with strong dynamic strokes. Sometimes you want to create textured sound effects like buzzes and rolls.
As you develop as a drummer, you will find your grip develops too. You do not need to limit yourself to one grip - this will limit the capacity for creativity in your playing. Be flexible!
So, what types of grip are there?
In a broad sense there is 'Traditional Grip' and there is 'Matched Grip'. Ask your drum teacher to demonstrate the difference between the two grips. It's mostly a matter of personal preference. Some drummers will swear by the benfits of playing in one particular way, and most drummers will settle on a general way of playing that suits their comfort zone. Quite a lot of drummers swap between different ways of playing to get a varied range of tones.
Matched Grip
This refers to any type of grip where the two hands hold the sticks in the same way as each other (as in a mirror image). The quickest way to learn this grip is to hold your drum stick as if you were going to throw a stick for a dog in the park but don't actually throw it! Maintain a grip between your thumb and first or middle finger.
Traditional Grip
From marching band 'tradition' where the drummer requires the correct angle to play a drum mounted to the body. The palms of the hands face mainly upwards to achieve this.
Mixed (or Combined) Grip
One stick held in traditional grip method and one stick held in the matched grip style.
French, German, American Grip?
These are all variants on the Matched Grip. The different names refer to the thumb position relative to the stick. With French grip the thumb is on top of the stick. In German grip the thumb is to the side so the palms of the hands face downwards. American grip is where the thumb position is about half way between French and German grip.
How to hold the drum sticks
The general rule-of-thumb (no pun intended) for any type of grip is to locate the fulcrum and to 'pivot' the drumstick between your thumb and first finger (or middle finger) at this point on the stick. The other finger tips gently touch the drumstick. Don't grip the stick too tightly with the 3 remaining fingers, or you will limit its rebound.
Ok, so what's the fulcrum?
To properly understand the drumming fulcrum you have to think of your stick, hand and arm as an elaborate lever. Technically a fulcrum is a 'pivot point'. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the 'balance point', but because we want the drum stick to fall and strike a drum we don't want it to 'balance'. A balancing stick doesn't move whereas a pivoting stick does.
Finding the right point at which to grip the stick is essential to a good grip and a clean sound. The fulcrum is normally around one-third of the way up the stick from the butt-end.
Grab your sticks and have a go! To fully understand grip technique requires quite a lot of experimentation. We hope this article at least gives you a flavour of the possibilities. For a more in-depth analysis of grip, we'll need to spend some time face-to-face working on it...
Take a look at the options for booking face-to-face drum lessons in London.
I want to understand the reason of the drum stroke solo.