Question on Left Grip

My son and I have a debate about the traditional vs new way of holding the left drumstick. I am an old long time fan and believe that the holding of the stick between the middle fingers allows for faster more precise drumming while holding the same as the right hand allows for a louder more powerful sound.

I recognize that I probably have a prejudice in that I believe that there are no more skilled drummers than the jazz drummers. While I am not a musician I do understand the difficulty of the polyrhythms that they play with such seeming ease.

Any comments would be appreciated.

I use both and I started playing at the age of 7 in 1960 something I was lucky to have a teacher that was open minded and we worked on both for the 2 years I studied with him. I find traditional grip best for my swing/bebop/jazz/New Orleans/etc. styles. I also think one could argue it's the best way to play traditional Jazz brush styles. I use matched grip for any Rock playing where I need to bash, but I also use matched for any Classical music applications. It also transfers nicely into timpani, although I use french grip (thumbs up) for that, and mallet keyboard instruments.

There are many great players that play one way or the other. One teacher I had said 'choose one grip and stick with it' (I never did!). I also remember an MD interview with the great avant-Jazz drumming artist Ronald Shannon-Jackson where he speculated that the right hand, which usually plays the time keeping function, is guided by the left brain, which is thought to be the mathematical side. The left hand, which in jazz provides a more interpretive and responsive role by 'comping' on the snare, etc, would be guided by the more creative right side of the brain. At least I think

the question about why he used a larger diameter stick in his left hand, but I think it also addresses the use of traditional grip in the Jazz tradition. For me, I just find it easier to swing when I play trad.

I usually start most students with matched grip.

I would also add that there are some incredibly skilled non-Jazz drummers, especially the recent explosion of double bass artists who can mix meters, polyrhythms, and four limbs with an incomprehensible degree of skill (at least to this geezer) and can still rock you into bad health (to paraphrase an old Jazz aphorism).

John, Thanks so much for your thorough response. Even though it does not support my view (which I have now altered) I will forward it to my son. Thanks again

I don't think you are correct in saying that trad grip allows for faster playing, but that is just my opinion. IMO the best grip is the one that you are most comfortable with and can play most accurately and smoothly with, although traditional grip looks really cool!

No idea about trad grip and brush technique. In that scenario trad may well be a better grip. I use matched but there are many excellent drummers using each grip. Phil Seaman (sp?) played jazz with matched, Tony Royster plays funk with both trad and matched, and has been known to switch mid-song.

Well I think the message from TJ Hertz is correct in stating 'the best grip is the one that you are most comfortable with'. I also think your son won't be disappointed further down the road if he learns to use traditional grip to some degree, in addition to the matched grip. There's more than one way to strike a drum. (I hope that doesn't sound too corny!)

I went to a drum clinic by Sonny Emory and a kid asked Mr. Emory the question, 'if you had to choose which one grip to play with, what would you choose?' His response was along the lines that he wouldn't play drums if he couldn't use both grips. I'm sure he was being facetious, but his point was to learn both! He had an outstanding performance on his solos interchanging between both traditional grip and matched grip. I learned, and play, traditional grip and have yet to put forth the effort to develop my other hand for matched grip, but I would love to be able to go around the toms with matched grip as Mr. Emory does. It seems to me that matched grip allows a little more flexibility and 'comfort' when going around the toms, but a well developed traditional grip doesn't sound any different that a matched grip, in my opinion.

Just food for thought.

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What has been said so far is essentially correct. Each grip has a particular advantage. I play both. Matched works well for mallets. I like it for rock as well and for me I can get more power with it. But I've seen trad players who get more power with trad. I like matched for toms, but trad is no problem, but you have to change the angle of the toms. (I rotate them on the L rods when going to trad grip) You need them flatter for trad.

But for brushes, trad rules. Matched just gets the strokes in the way of each other. You need that wide angle thing. And for jazz trad tends to rule as well. And the reason (in my humble opinion) is that in Jazz the left hand tends to do these fast bouncy licks on the snare. For me trad just makes that bouncy stuff so much easier. Playing that matched works but I always sort of feel like somehow I'm not swinging up to potenial. The looser trad grip on the left hand just seems to translate to a looser musical feel.

While I learned trad grip starting out on drumset, I also plauy vibes and when I do the classical thing I use matched on the snare (don't know why, just always have since HS).

I think the corny point about 'different ways to hit a drum' is a correct idea. Each grip has it's own best and worst points. And I've noticed quite a few drummers use both grips to take advantage of those differences. But most beginners don't need the added hassle of learning two grips at once (unless you are learning keys as well as drums) It's like the French or German grip thing on tymps. people argue half a day about which is 'best' but fact is that each is sort of best for the things it does best!