Entry 6: Matched or traditional grip?

All throughout junior high I was so happy to get into high school to get onto drum line and do super cool rolls and tricks that would make people go nuts! During my time in junior high I played on this old snare that was in horrible shape and I would bang on that with all my might, trying to make things sound decent for when I transitioned to high school drum line. Unfortunately for me all I knew how to do was push sticks hard into the snare to make it almost buzz.

 When I took my first lessons the summer of my eighth grade year, I was introduced to a new way of playing. Because I knew what I wanted to play in high school, my drum teacher Brett was totally on board and exited to get me working on my hand technique. What I didn't know was that it was going to take a lot more time then I was anticipating.

What I ended up learning the first day was a new way to hold the drum sticks that was going to be the requirement for kids on snare line. I knew if I wanted to make it I would have to be very effective at this new grip so I took hours of my day in the beginning just working on rudiments and cadences with my new grip style. I eventually became more comfortable playing like this then I was with what is called matched grip.

I had come up with some conclusions as to why one might use one or the other and I had heard some reasons why you might use traditional. For instance I heard back in the day when they had tilted drums it was easier to play traditional. Not until recently did I actually do some research to find out what would be best for me now that I am out of drum line and mostly play set.

I found…

Traditional Grip: it is easier to produce a double or multiple bounce with the left in this grip, because the weight of the hand is mostly under the stick and this allows the response to happen easily. This is only true for a right handed person. Also, it is easier to cross over when playing multiple drums or cymbals, because one hand holds from underneath the stick while the other is over the top and this means there is less interference as the hands cross over each other. Furthermore, it must be remembered that when the drum set came about the traditional grip was it and the drum set is set up for it. That is why some drummers now play the Hi Hat with the left hand (matched grip), so they can avoid crossing the sticks and get more power on the snare. This is a non-issue with traditional grip. Another advantage of traditional grip is that it allows you to tilt your snare drum toward the mounted toms and shortens the distance allowing for quicker changes.

The downside of traditional grip is that is takes longer to develop so that both hands have equal strength and endurance. With traditional grip, your left hand has less reach so if you have an extensive set up it can prove prohibitive

Matched grip: It is easier to develop strength, power and endurance and is easier to facilitate reaching around a large set up. The downside is that, because of the many more muscles involved is takes longer to learn left hand subtlety on graces notes and multiple bounce patterns. It is also harder to cross over in playing multiple surfaces.

After this I came to the conclusion that I was just going to play whatever felt more comfortable at the time since I can do both quite effectively now. If you are looking for advice and you are going into high school I would get really good at traditional. If you are looking to strictly play on the drum set I would just work on the matched to get your fills going faster and stronger without worrying about hand technique so much.