My percussion instructor in high school was very strict about which of us were and were not ready/allowed to use traditional grip. He wanted us to get down the fundamentals with match grip first and foremost. I believe he had good reason for being so strict - this dude got to work with the legendary Scott Johnson
I can actually respect that process. I 100% agree with him that everyone should learn match grip to start out, and work their way into traditional grip when they get all of the other basic mechanics down with matched grip + some rudiments.
I’ve watched so many tutorials and even asked my percussion ensemble teacher back in high school to explain it and sadly he didn’t have a good way to describe it and explain it and now that I’ve watched this even though this will sound crazy it’s helped me with increasing my stick handling skills even with a hockey stick and it is so much easier to do and be comfortable doing. Thank you to the max for the in-depth tutorial and explanation! 😄
I was in Drum Corps in the mid 70s. Everything I swear that I learned back then about strokes and finger/wrist control was anti-kinematic. Thanks for the field drum lesson. I could smell the grass and sweat. I could feel the sun, I could taste the Gatorade, I could watch the beautiful color guard trainees…. I could learn some stuff about strokes!
Bruh, those stick tricks at the end 🔥 I’ve played match grip pretty much my whole life, I was never able to grasp traditional quickly enough to match my speed. It’s something I’ve always wanted to learn and this is the best explanation I’ve seen!
Just want to say real quick that the "balance point" of the stick shouldn't refer to the part of the stick where it rests on your hand without falling, but rather the "balance point" between too high and too low on the stick. If you play from the middle of the stick where it's weighted equally on both sides of your hand, you won't have enough power. (Please correct me if I'm wrong)
It’s why I mentioned in the video it’s going to depend on the sticks that you’re using. For most marching sticks, you won’t find the “balance point” in the middle of the stick since they’re not evenly weighted on each side of the stick.
A lot of pros refer to it as the "fulcrum". It's the location on the stick where when you hold it (no matter the grip) the stick feels like its defying gravity during a stroke. I think I got this tidbit from a Steve Smith video. As an example, Vic Firth sticks have an american flag about 4" down from the butt end. Oddly this is the fulcrum for a Vic stick.
@sdjmalik I must admit, I got fooled by you saying "balance point", as that is virtually the mid-point on a Vic-Firth stick, but as pointed out, the pivot point on the VF is around the US Flag. Great video though
We need more real videos like this....I've been playing and teaching for over 60 years....We did not have youtube then.....I use these to instruct my drum students more efficiently....Good job.
Thank you so much I am in 8th grade and I am trying to get from snare to quad toms by 10 th grade and this is one of the thing I needed to accomplish thank you so much🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁
Cool video. This lesson I'm going to practice hard. My teacher discouraged traditional grip. He looked at me like I was crazy for wanting to learn both match and traditional grips. I like traditional better, I'm not sure why. It just feels right. Also It looks cool. Thanks Man.
"Put your stick in the Groovy Groove". Mr Brizendine taught us about that in the 6th grade..🙂 Thanks for the entertaining and informative grip review lesson.
thank you so much for making this! i was really struggling with traditional grip until i saw this and realised i should propell my stick with my thumb instead of my forearm.
Honestly really depends on what’s being played like accents should involve the forearm movement for more power, but overall yeah you’ll get the most effective results but using mostly your thumb for strokes.
I used this to get started on traditional grip and I couldnt do double strokes, as soon as I stretched my double strokes got a lot better, is this some kinda dark magic? All jokes aside im still very beginner to precussion as a whole and this really helped
now instead of the super tight snare head try it on a loose floor Tom head with no or little bounce. it gets really difficult to do. you got to use moeller or a variant of it then.
@@SSA-de4py Now why would anyone want to play a bunch of rudiments on a floor tom? Aren’t they made to provide a melodic sound for fills or certain type of rhythms? No one in their right mind is trying to play 32nd note rolls on a floor tom for a long period of time so let’s be a bit more realistic.
Question: Are you supposed to use traditional grip on your left hand specifically? Ever since I saw a video of someone using traditional grip, I always thought they were using their right. And now I'm used to using traditional grip with my right hand
Typically it’s used with your left hand, but some drummers like to use it in their right hand. Personally it’s up to the individual to use whichever hand they’d like, but to join a snare line you’ll typically need to be able to use traditional grip if they’re using it at all. But, again it’s up to the individual to use whatever they’re comfortable with.
This guy obviously came from a Drumline,marching where using the faulcrum is paramount,there are so many ways to play left hand traditional grip.Yes of course he can bounce the stick extremely well using his just his thumb I conjunction with the faulcrum(spelling?) but many drummers also bounce with the index finger,jazz guy’s.
There’s a lot of marching drummers that are also Jazz drummers. At the end of the day, it’s up to the player to decide how the want to hold their sticks. I’m just sharing with people how they can have the most comfortable experience using Traditional Grip especially since there’s a huge number of drummers out there that wants to get rid of it completely. Have a nice day 👍🏾
This video I'd not loading for me which totally sucks monkey balls because just by looking at the clip art my left hand finally finally is holding the stick not only more comfortably but smoother oh yesss I can work with this thank you. ❤
Just a suggestion... it would be so informative to see you teach a real beginner this technique from day #1 so we get to see the progress and how you mentor them and as they hit any issue. As you've mastered this, you can obviously show "THESE ARE THE STEPS" .... followed by the END RESULT at 180+bpm, but it's missing (for us starters) the crucial steps from 0 to 180bpm
I do teach beginners, and they get results in a fair amount of time. If you want to sign up for 1 on 1 lessons, you can contact me at Jabril@sdjmalik.com.
This is probably caused by your skin and stick rubbing together too much. Double check your technique because one technique doesn’t fit all playing scenarios…
I just tried your free speed builder bootcamp. Unfortunately, it looks like my skills aren't even good enough to do that, as I can't keep up with 180bpm.😢 Any plans to plug the gap between complete starter to 180bpm with trad grip?
Do you have some idea practice like a muched grip ? When I use muched grip. I can practice with sticks only. I can tap into my forearm.but traditional grip is difficult. so, would you please your comment ?
The exercises at the end of the video are good for working on your technique with Traditional Grip. As for matched grip, search sdjmalik matched grip and it should pop up in the search results 👍🏾
Im a bit confused. This has been plaguing me for months now and now that ive found something your help would been really appreciated. So for finger stability, when i use my thumb, do i basically push my thumb into my index finger to get the rebound?
@sdjmalik it is like dribbling a basketball right? So, using thumb to "bounce" the stick back down when it reaches the top of its lift? I'm very new at the technique, so I'm VERY SLOW at the moment as I haven't developed the fine motor-control in my left hand/arm/fingers to make it consistent (yet). Most of the time my thumb-bounce timing is off, so I'm pushing as the stick is still coming UP, or already going DOWN... result, stick doesn't bounce equally!
so the drum instructor at our school tells us that the middle finger needs to stay on the top of the stick next to the index finger 100% of the time regardless what you are playing. is that just easier to teach or play for beginners or something or is he just getting confused
Putting your middle finger over the top of the stick with your index finger over the top as well will just add extra control over the stick, and it’ll slightly change how your strokes look. Really depends on what you’re playing though, but I hope your instructor understands that using this method of Traditional Grip at all times isn’t ideal and can cause discomfort and pain overtime.
Playing traditional grip on a modern (read symmetrical and level) drum is dumb. There, I said it. The whole point was to compensate for the tilted drum head when the drum was carried with a harness that was slung over one shoulder. Using it on a level drum can lead to hunching over, and makes it harder to get the same sounds out of both hands. SMH.
Even so, marching percussionists figured out years ago that Traditional Grip can still be used even on a leveled drum, so there’s nothing dumb about it. You obviously didn’t really watch the video as your theory of “hunching over” has been disproven.
@@sdjmalik "can still be used" - sure, you *can* do a lot of things. But why *should* one do *this*? For the sake of discussion, I'll set aside the hunching argument. What about the asymmetrical muscles/motions tending to create asymmetrical sound? It takes more work to even that out (and builds the muscles asymmetrically) compared to matched grip. What is the purpose of using traditional grip on a modern, symmetrical, level drum?
@ratamacue0320 not to make this a long winded argument, the question that should really be answered is why should Traditional Grip be thrown out especially for Jazz and Snare Drummers? I have yet to hear a good answer or argument that suggests that all drummers should just use matched grip and ditch Traditional Grip. I get if some drummers don’t want to use it, but to try to force those that actually want to learn and use Traditional Grip to use match grip because you or some else finds it “useless” is nonsense gatekeeping.
There’s nothing to dodge. Traditional Grip has been used over 40 years or so after the first harness was invented to level marching snare drums. Snare drummers have already shown and still show that there’s no “advantage” to using matched grip vs Traditional Grip, but sure I’ll drop some reasons why Traditional Grip is still preferred over Matched (for marching snares). 1. Simply put It presents uniqueness and exclusivity. 2. More visuals compared to matched grip. Contrary to popular belief, visuals in snare drumming are as important as other aspects of playing (techniques, rudiments, etc.). 3. Techniques. There’s no such thing as ‘one technique fits all’ with drumming. Whatever techniques there are for match grip can also be used with traditional. 4. It’s more comfortable than you may want to believe. Finger placement is important just like matched grip. You’re just as prone to injuries with match grip if you have bad finger placements and use bad drumming techniques. 5. There’s no convincing reason to stop teaching Traditional Grip and switch away to matched grip. 6. Collegiate / professional Drumlines and competitive drum corps still use it and will most likely continue to use it for the foreseeable future. Those who decide to matched grip and wants to be on any snare lines will be at a huge disadvantage. Now, I’m not saying drummers should never use matched grip as we should all know how and when to use it, but again there’s no real valid reasons in my opinion to drop or cancel Traditional Grip. That’s all I got to say about it. It’s on y’all if you want to learn Traditional Grip or not.
Struggling With Drum Speed? Test Your Chops For Free:
superdrummersbootcamp.com/free-workshop-signup/
Bro... thank you! Thumb not the finger. I've been drumming since 92 & not a single person told me that when I tried traditional grip.
Literally same lol
My percussion instructor in high school was very strict about which of us were and were not ready/allowed to use traditional grip. He wanted us to get down the fundamentals with match grip first and foremost. I believe he had good reason for being so strict - this dude got to work with the legendary Scott Johnson
I can actually respect that process. I 100% agree with him that everyone should learn match grip to start out, and work their way into traditional grip when they get all of the other basic mechanics down with matched grip + some rudiments.
Everything he said… plus hours of practice.
I’ve watched so many tutorials and even asked my percussion ensemble teacher back in high school to explain it and sadly he didn’t have a good way to describe it and explain it and now that I’ve watched this even though this will sound crazy it’s helped me with increasing my stick handling skills even with a hockey stick and it is so much easier to do and be comfortable doing. Thank you to the max for the in-depth tutorial and explanation! 😄
I was in Drum Corps in the mid 70s. Everything I swear that I learned back then about strokes and finger/wrist control was anti-kinematic. Thanks for the field drum lesson. I could smell the grass and sweat. I could feel the sun, I could taste the Gatorade, I could watch the beautiful color guard trainees…. I could learn some stuff about strokes!
Awesome! I've been a matched grip drummer mostly but gonna give these tips a try!!!
Thanks- as a marching band director this is super helpful.
Bruh, those stick tricks at the end 🔥
I’ve played match grip pretty much my whole life, I was never able to grasp traditional quickly enough to match my speed. It’s something I’ve always wanted to learn and this is the best explanation I’ve seen!
My young friend, thank you. The stretch exercise is very helpful. Well done!
My friend this is gold! As a newer Scottish snare drummer , this has helped me so much, thanks for a great piece of knowledge.
Just want to say real quick that the "balance point" of the stick shouldn't refer to the part of the stick where it rests on your hand without falling, but rather the "balance point" between too high and too low on the stick. If you play from the middle of the stick where it's weighted equally on both sides of your hand, you won't have enough power.
(Please correct me if I'm wrong)
It’s why I mentioned in the video it’s going to depend on the sticks that you’re using. For most marching sticks, you won’t find the “balance point” in the middle of the stick since they’re not evenly weighted on each side of the stick.
A lot of pros refer to it as the "fulcrum". It's the location on the stick where when you hold it (no matter the grip) the stick feels like its defying gravity during a stroke. I think I got this tidbit from a Steve Smith video. As an example, Vic Firth sticks have an american flag about 4" down from the butt end. Oddly this is the fulcrum for a Vic stick.
@sdjmalik I must admit, I got fooled by you saying "balance point", as that is virtually the mid-point on a Vic-Firth stick, but as pointed out, the pivot point on the VF is around the US Flag. Great video though
We need more real videos like this....I've been playing and teaching for over 60 years....We did not have youtube then.....I use these to instruct my drum students more efficiently....Good job.
Rank beginner here, your video is very helpful and much appreciated.
Thank you so much I am in 8th grade and I am trying to get from snare to quad toms by 10 th grade and this is one of the thing I needed to accomplish thank you so much🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁
dude. this video is a game changer. i’ve been trying to learn trad for ages and this video finally got to me and made sense. thank you so much!!!
Cool video. This lesson I'm going to practice hard. My teacher discouraged traditional grip. He looked at me like I was crazy for wanting to learn both match and traditional grips. I like traditional better, I'm not sure why. It just feels right. Also It looks cool. Thanks Man.
"Put your stick in the Groovy Groove". Mr Brizendine taught us about that in the 6th grade..🙂
Thanks for the entertaining and informative grip review lesson.
Shaking hands😂 how you doin? Working the left. Weak . Thank you for posting. 🤟
That opening sequence was tight bro!
Very good vid. I appreciate anyone posting about traditional grip. So many lessons just show matched. Thanks.
thank you so much for making this! i was really struggling with traditional grip until i saw this and realised i should propell my stick with my thumb instead of my forearm.
Honestly really depends on what’s being played like accents should involve the forearm movement for more power, but overall yeah you’ll get the most effective results but using mostly your thumb for strokes.
You explained it very clearly.
You have made more sense than every other so called instructor trying to explain this method
I miss this you making vids like this makes my day honestly
Dude, I love your attitude and approach to drumming.
Dude, 8 To 68 best class yet.
That casual intro into the groovy dance though 😂
Thanks for sharing!
Informative AND entertaining!
Happy Drumming!!!
wow, coolest drum video (maybe) ever :)
real master !
This really helped! I was doing it all wrong and no one ever explained it right so thank you!
Glad it helped!
Bro thank you so much my traditional grip is so much better now cause of your videos keep going 👍
Thanks for frame 2 56 cam in back of you.
Thank you, sir! This is a perfect explanation!
love the video, trynna prepare to audition for an HBCU drumline. Trynna brush up on technique fasho. Again great video.
Your one of the best on the tube...😊
Bro, U R AWESOME !!!
I watch Drum videos all the x, this is a good one.
Have you served? Great clear, concise instructions mate
For jazz it’ll be a little different but drum corps or any fast percussion this’ll be very useful
Good video, love the humor as well, especially the stick gun, that was a stroke of genius (I'm sorry, I had to drop that pun, it's too good)
Your hand and grip skills are seriously Superior!
Great lesson….great teacher….thanks!
Nice one mate, I'm going to try that excellent advice, thank you🖖
Brilliant points and tips. Thank you.
Impressive skills!
Nicely demo'ed.
I used this to get started on traditional grip and I couldnt do double strokes, as soon as I stretched my double strokes got a lot better, is this some kinda dark magic? All jokes aside im still very beginner to precussion as a whole and this really helped
Good effort. Thanks
How in the world did you get the right hand stick to dance on the head like that?
EPIC!
Do a video teaching that!
Holy Cow! EPIC!
This really helped!
now instead of the super tight snare head try it on a loose floor Tom head with no or little bounce. it gets really difficult to do. you got to use moeller or a variant of it then.
@@SSA-de4py Now why would anyone want to play a bunch of rudiments on a floor tom? Aren’t they made to provide a melodic sound for fills or certain type of rhythms? No one in their right mind is trying to play 32nd note rolls on a floor tom for a long period of time so let’s be a bit more realistic.
I STOPPED WATCHING AT 0.14. I dont care how you did that, but that was amazing! I want to leave you new with that astonishment. thank you
Excellent instruction. Great public speaking
Question: Are you supposed to use traditional grip on your left hand specifically? Ever since I saw a video of someone using traditional grip, I always thought they were using their right. And now I'm used to using traditional grip with my right hand
Typically it’s used with your left hand, but some drummers like to use it in their right hand. Personally it’s up to the individual to use whichever hand they’d like, but to join a snare line you’ll typically need to be able to use traditional grip if they’re using it at all. But, again it’s up to the individual to use whatever they’re comfortable with.
Thanks ❤
Supernatural skills
Really helpful
Thanks man
This guy obviously came from a Drumline,marching where using the faulcrum is paramount,there are so many ways to play left hand traditional grip.Yes of course he can bounce the stick extremely well using his just his thumb I conjunction with the faulcrum(spelling?) but many drummers also bounce with the index finger,jazz guy’s.
There’s a lot of marching drummers that are also Jazz drummers. At the end of the day, it’s up to the player to decide how the want to hold their sticks. I’m just sharing with people how they can have the most comfortable experience using Traditional Grip especially since there’s a huge number of drummers out there that wants to get rid of it completely. Have a nice day 👍🏾
I feel like I’m not using my thumb at all when I’m playing and I feel like that’s why I can’t get any better
Genius.
thanks
Watch Secret Weapons of the Modern Drummer by JoJo Mayer and Vic Firth Marching for a deeper dive into technique.
This video I'd not loading for me which totally sucks monkey balls because just by looking at the clip art my left hand finally finally is holding the stick not only more comfortably but smoother oh yesss I can work with this thank you. ❤
Just a suggestion... it would be so informative to see you teach a real beginner this technique from day #1 so we get to see the progress and how you mentor them and as they hit any issue.
As you've mastered this, you can obviously show "THESE ARE THE STEPS" .... followed by the END RESULT at 180+bpm, but it's missing (for us starters) the crucial steps from 0 to 180bpm
I do teach beginners, and they get results in a fair amount of time. If you want to sign up for 1 on 1 lessons, you can contact me at Jabril@sdjmalik.com.
Great, thanks
i dont even play drums but im still watching just for fun
What drum do you use and what snare head do you use as well?
I have a question whats better light or heavy sticks? I bought lighter sticks so that i can control it easier
It really depends on the preference of the user, but personally I like using heavier sticks.
My issue is my ring and middle finger gets a small burn and yet im not holding the stick with much force...
This is probably caused by your skin and stick rubbing together too much. Double check your technique because one technique doesn’t fit all playing scenarios…
I just tried your free speed builder bootcamp. Unfortunately, it looks like my skills aren't even good enough to do that, as I can't keep up with 180bpm.😢 Any plans to plug the gap between complete starter to 180bpm with trad grip?
The full program actually has a beginner level version with slower BPMs to work with 😎👍🏾 but it’s not in the free version.
Do you have some idea practice like a muched grip ?
When I use muched grip. I can practice with sticks only. I can tap into my forearm.but traditional grip is difficult.
so, would you please your comment ?
The exercises at the end of the video are good for working on your technique with Traditional Grip. As for matched grip, search sdjmalik matched grip and it should pop up in the search results 👍🏾
@@sdjmalik
Thank you!
I'll search it.
I came with a crappy attitude and left impressed.....
I’ve been thinking of using wrist and not fingers
I think the fact that my pointer finger doesn’t hurt means i’ve been doing it right though
Thumb yes, wrist no. Thanks a lot!
traditional or matched?
traditional: matched:
👇 👇
Im a bit confused. This has been plaguing me for months now and now that ive found something your help would been really appreciated. So for finger stability, when i use my thumb, do i basically push my thumb into my index finger to get the rebound?
Not quite pushing your thumb into your index finger, but push it at the balance point of the stick to produce rebound
@sdjmalik it is like dribbling a basketball right? So, using thumb to "bounce" the stick back down when it reaches the top of its lift? I'm very new at the technique, so I'm VERY SLOW at the moment as I haven't developed the fine motor-control in my left hand/arm/fingers to make it consistent (yet). Most of the time my thumb-bounce timing is off, so I'm pushing as the stick is still coming UP, or already going DOWN... result, stick doesn't bounce equally!
It happened 😁
Brœthor, do you have merch 4 sale?
Not at the moment
Not me. I'm pulling videos for my 9 month old son. Lol
What happens if my middle finger hurts
🙏
omg snoop dog plays drums!
What drum do you use
I hate learning traditional grip because it feel so unnatural and I don’t know if I’m doing it right
awsesome! i subscriubesd
huh? you seemed to defy gravity somehow in your intro?
so the drum instructor at our school tells us that the middle finger needs to stay on the top of the stick next to the index finger 100% of the time regardless what you are playing. is that just easier to teach or play for beginners or something or is he just getting confused
Putting your middle finger over the top of the stick with your index finger over the top as well will just add extra control over the stick, and it’ll slightly change how your strokes look. Really depends on what you’re playing though, but I hope your instructor understands that using this method of Traditional Grip at all times isn’t ideal and can cause discomfort and pain overtime.
Like 8 roll❤🎉🎉🎉
It doesn’t feel comfortable for me no matter what I try lol
Hi @yeahyeah4244, I'm pretty much at the start too. Are you seeing any improvements in speed/left side dexterity?
hahahahaha..."groovy groove area"
👍🏾👍🏾
That certainly is one way.. in my opinion not the best way
Then don't use it
Playing traditional grip on a modern (read symmetrical and level) drum is dumb. There, I said it.
The whole point was to compensate for the tilted drum head when the drum was carried with a harness that was slung over one shoulder. Using it on a level drum can lead to hunching over, and makes it harder to get the same sounds out of both hands. SMH.
Even so, marching percussionists figured out years ago that Traditional Grip can still be used even on a leveled drum, so there’s nothing dumb about it.
You obviously didn’t really watch the video as your theory of “hunching over” has been disproven.
@@sdjmalik "can still be used" - sure, you *can* do a lot of things. But why *should* one do *this*?
For the sake of discussion, I'll set aside the hunching argument. What about the asymmetrical muscles/motions tending to create asymmetrical sound? It takes more work to even that out (and builds the muscles asymmetrically) compared to matched grip.
What is the purpose of using traditional grip on a modern, symmetrical, level drum?
@ratamacue0320 not to make this a long winded argument, the question that should really be answered is why should Traditional Grip be thrown out especially for Jazz and Snare Drummers? I have yet to hear a good answer or argument that suggests that all drummers should just use matched grip and ditch Traditional Grip.
I get if some drummers don’t want to use it, but to try to force those that actually want to learn and use Traditional Grip to use match grip because you or some else finds it “useless” is nonsense gatekeeping.
@@sdjmalik you've dodged the reason I presented twice (to prefer matched grip), and not yet proposed a reason why it should still be used.
There’s nothing to dodge. Traditional Grip has been used over 40 years or so after the first harness was invented to level marching snare drums. Snare drummers have already shown and still show that there’s no “advantage” to using matched grip vs Traditional Grip, but sure I’ll drop some reasons why Traditional Grip is still preferred over Matched (for marching snares).
1. Simply put It presents uniqueness and exclusivity.
2. More visuals compared to matched grip. Contrary to popular belief, visuals in snare drumming are as important as other aspects of playing (techniques, rudiments, etc.).
3. Techniques. There’s no such thing as ‘one technique fits all’ with drumming. Whatever techniques there are for match grip can also be used with traditional.
4. It’s more comfortable than you may want to believe. Finger placement is important just like matched grip. You’re just as prone to injuries with match grip if you have bad finger placements and use bad drumming techniques.
5. There’s no convincing reason to stop teaching Traditional Grip and switch away to matched grip.
6. Collegiate / professional Drumlines and competitive drum corps still use it and will most likely continue to use it for the foreseeable future. Those who decide to matched grip and wants to be on any snare lines will be at a huge disadvantage.
Now, I’m not saying drummers should never use matched grip as we should all know how and when to use it, but again there’s no real valid reasons in my opinion to drop or cancel Traditional Grip.
That’s all I got to say about it. It’s on y’all if you want to learn Traditional Grip or not.
that snare tuning has me creaming my pants
Rok
.
Hilarious
No where near ideal left hand technique. Need to actually turn your wrist vs just flopping your arm down. Whats your experience?
Clearly didn’t really watch the video and was just looking for something to try to pick apart. No where in the video shows my arm “flopping” down.