Buddy Rich had strong opinions when it came to what grip to use–but let’s be real, he had strong opinions about everything.
As you wander through the vast world of the drum-internet, you’ve probably wondered about drummers using traditional grip, as opposed to matched. Or, maybe you've wondered if there's some secret benefit to some grips that you’re missing out on. Or maybe it doesn’t matter. Let’s see if we can get some clarity on the situation.
There are several kinds of grips available for us. Even within matched grip there are several variations, the most prevalent being German, French, and American grip. These each have their own strengths, weaknesses, and associated styles. On top of that, we have the enigma of the Traditional grip. Let’s dive into what each of these have to offer.
German Grip
This is the grip I start students with since it is simplest to explain and execute correctly. Since most of the action is coming from the wrist, you can get a lot of power from it, and a lot of control. This grip is usually what I use on the snare for a powerful 2 and 4, or if I’m playing a very soft passage in a classical snare piece. You’ll most often see this as the introductory technique if you search “how to hold drumsticks” on Google. However, this is also what most players would use if they are playing on one drum, or a drum pad. It seems to be a natural feeling and effective grip, a classic go-to.
French Grip
This grip was originally used by timpanists to get maximum rebound and resonance. This grip focuses primarily on using the fingers to drive the stroke with minimal wrist movement. When playing timpani, the quality of sound is of utmost importance, so having nothing impeding the upward movement of the mallet was an ideal innovation. It shows up in drum set playing in a few ways, most notably as a comfortable way to play the ride cymbal (usually positioned at the right side). Interestingly enough, it’s also widely used by metal drummers to drive high tempo blast beats. By using effective finger control, these drummers can achieve seemingly impossible speeds consistently for long periods of time; which makes sense considering our smaller muscles move more quickly than larger ones. Very often, these drummers will also use triggers to amplify, or even replace, their sound to give it more presence in the music. But, that’s for another blog post 🙂
American Grip
This grip comes directly from the lineage of drum set players, who switch back and forth between German and French grip hundreds of times each session. In this grip, your wrists are turned approximately 45 degrees. This offers fluidity and freedom of movement to other surfaces. This grip is something most players end up developing without trying, because of their movement between different parts of the kit, often quickly switching from one side to the opposite. In these movements your hands will naturally turn over to execute them with less work involved, making it possible to play these movements at higher speeds. You’ll see this grip among many drum set players most especially when they are playing fills and solos.
Traditional Grip
This is a grip that some people have some confusion about, and see with a degree of enigma. Simply put, there is no technical advantage to using traditional grip vs matched grip unless you are playing a rope drum. This would position the drum at your side and put the drum head at a steep angle. The most popular grips only exist for practical purposes, and this one is no different. Since many drummers in “older times” (prior to the drum set) played in a marching band of some kind, they needed to use this grip to get the right angle to play. After people started playing drum set, this grip had already become the tradition–hence, the name. I personally love playing traditional grip from my experience in marching band and drum corps, but I also recognize that it isn’t at all superior to any other grip. In fact, unless someone very badly wants to learn it, or wants to join a snare line, I avoid it. It actually creates twice as much work to learn two totally different techniques, and it really doesn’t serve any purpose for that person.
Each grip has its own unique qualities and style. Each grip came about and stayed within the mainstream because of its practical applications and usefulness to achieve technical goals. So, it’s important to remove judgements about which is the “best” grip from our minds. As you progress in your practice, you will find the grip that fits you best and serves your musical style most effectively. Personally, I primarily use matched grip on drum set, but love to indulge in traditional grip when playing snare solos or practicing on a pad. The most important thing is that you find the right grip for you that serves your sound, and hold on to it! (bu-dum-tss)
With that, I’ll leave you with this: Get a grip! But get your grip.
I hope you found this blog informative and helpful. Leave a comment telling me what you would like to learn about!
Keep on drumming!
-Nate
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