traditional or matched?

[vdreignsuponus1]

this might have been asked b4, but im just curious.

what do u prefer, traditional or matched grip? i, myself, am more of a matched person. i cant say i cant do some stuff traditional, but compared to my matched playing, my traditional blows asshole! i kinda wish i wouldve started playing traditional though. especially seeing ppl like buddy rich, vinnie colaiuta, dave weckl, VIRGIL DONATI, and so on..

id also like to know how many left handed drummers we have on this messageboard. one of my friends is left handed and is gonna start playing drums. well, attempt drums. he's more of a bass man though. he's a jaco pastorious fan, for anyone who knows him. anyway, go ahead..

[Xen-]

I'm a left-handed drummer on a right-handed kit. I'm really comfortable this way and having my strong hand on the snare is, I think, a great advantage. It went really fast when I started working on double bass seriously as my left leg was stronger, too.

I switched from matched to traditional a few months ago to balance my speed/control so my right hand could catch up my left in matched grip. I found out that my playing was greatly affected by playing trad. The ideas were flowing more naturally and the result was more musical. I worked hard and now I'm always playing trad like most of my influences (yes, Virgil). There's something about this grip.

[Lucius]

Ever since I started playing, I wanted to play trad, but I didnt have the guts to ask my teacher, cause he used to play it sometimes, but a few years later, I switched, it was tough, and I felt like quitting, but I said to myself, I will keep at it, i'll get there, and sure enough, I did, now I play trad, and can get a fairly damn hard hit out of it as well! So answering your question, I prefer trad, but id like to have the ability to switch grips when I want, so every now and again I will work on matched, but there are a lot of things trad can do that matched cant, and vice versa, and right now, im still uncovering what it can do! By studying guys like Virg, Vinnie, Lang, Weckl, Buddy, Morello and other masters, to find out what the have in common, and what they do different! And I think that if everyone tries trad for the first time from matched, their trad playing will blow a**hole haha, anyway, theres my little rant! :D

[alencore]

all i know traditional grip was used in the first place bec. marching drummers had their drums slanted so they have to use a different grip for the left hand.

afaic it doesn't matter what grip is used though it does look cooler drummers hitting hard using match grip.

[Donny Dee]

This question has been asked for ages. Many have said, "traditional is the RIGHT way," others have said it's more natural to play the "same" with both hands? Who's right?? Actually I think no one is right. It's a matter of preference.

Seeing ppl like buddy rich, vinnie colaiuta, dave weckl, VIRGIL DONATI show those who've developed Traditional likewise, seeing ppl like Simon Phillips, BILLY COBHAM, The Late Jeff Porcaro etc etc. using matched grip sow players who've developed matched. I think which ever way is confortable for you that is the way you should use as long as you can do what's necessary to be a technically proficient player and persoanlly you should learn both grips.

If you want to look at it historically, the history of drums goes back a long way. In various forms, they have existed since before 6000 B.C. and have been found, historically, in nearly every culture of the world. They weren’t used for entertainment way back then, but had ceremonial, sacred, and symbolic associations. Many civilizations used drums, or similar instruments, to warn their people against dangers or to initiate their armies. The drum was the perfect choice because it was easily made, made a lot of noise, and could be heard loud and clear.

Right up to the time when men started marching with drums at their sides, matched grip was used to play these drums, and rightly so … because it was the natural way to grip the sticks used. So in reality, we can say that the “matched grip” is really the traditional grip and the grip we know as “traditional grip” was devised as a logical answer to playing a drum slung at the side but was never meant for drum set playing. A better label for “traditional grip” would be to call it the “marching grip.”

In my personal opinion, if you approach gripping the sticks logically, it makes sense in all situations, except if you are playing the traditional field marching snare drum, to grip the sticks the same with each hand (matched grip). Even in marching and drum corps they now have slings that enable the drummer to utilize matched grip. In my opinion, matched grip is better suited to most situations, except side sling marching, and enables the drummer better control of the sticks along with “open handed” lead playing with the weaker hand.

BUT, the bottom line is still preference. If the player CHOOSES to develop playing matched he'll do well, if he chooses to develop playing "traditional" he'll do well.....either way it's preference and there is no Right or Wrong way to grip as long as your using the correct sticking method utlizing your fingers and wrists.

Just another way of looking at it.

Keep kickin'

[vdreignsuponus1]

yeah, i get what ur saying man. and, of course, u're right. lately, ive been thinking that maybe i should just switch to traditional right now to be like all of my favorites and the greats, but, i just always seem to stay with matched. for a while, i thought that was just plainly the wrong way, but hey, its my life, its my technique, im good with it!:)

[scorponock]

Hello I'm new here, i'm from Brazil and my english is bad... all right my opinion
My preference is Martched, because my tradicional is very bad... I will trainning this...
Exist some video in the net about it...?

[Brobjer]

I play both and I now feel that I have the same abilities with both. I have trained up a traditional technique where I use my thumb, which allows me to play harder. For more techniqually hard and more controlled playing i use the fingers too.
My matched grip is now german/french with palms down.

Brobjer

[shaftninja]

My matched grip is now german/french with palms down.
American grip?

[alencore]

during college I joined our school marching bec. it was a 100% free tuition fee. I really had to learn traditional grip bec. as mentioned by Donny Dee on marching bands the snare was slung on the side. It was really cool coz I was kinda fascinated by the t- grip on a classic situation. it was the purest moment imho to use t-grip.

[stapper15]

iva couple months ago i switched to trad grip. it was a little harder to get use to but i got it now! i really enjoy playing this way i donno i just like it better its weird! when i play matchd grip i alwasy end up with a trap grip i like just switch to it with out knowing haha! but i think everyone should learn it just to be familer with it, and knwo know there are more ways to hold a stick than just matched grip.

Stapper

[drum_addict_48]

Im not really all that good, with trad. But When I played jazz, march, ect. I always tried to play trad. It seemed to help me to be more creative, especially in jazz.
It almost changes my state of mind, I think in more of a jazz realm. Its almost like how an actor has to get into charactor before they can deliver a good performance. Also when I play rock or metal, matched has the same effect on me. I seem to play with less finess and more raw energy.

[jimi]

both, but i use trad primarily.
check out www.houseofdrumming.com and download a movie about the debate (it's a comedy too!)

[Paas]

I play with the matched grip but I have decided to learn the traditional.
I mean I know how to play trad but I don't have it under controll yet. I don't get enough power to the strokes. :rolleyes:

[DavidPartay]

I play traditional grip. I played matched for years, and was giving myself wrist problems because I never managed to get my technique right. So I forced myself to change to traditional. It was actually PAINFUL at first to learn it, but now I'm faster and more relaxed playing traditional grip. The way I got started was doing these exercises in my drumming book written by my old teacher that had exercises to be played on the snaredrum. They were all in groups of 8th notes, triplets and 16th notes. There's two pages of accents, two pages of double strokes and two pages of flams for each subdivision. All the accents, etc. are in the same places. But anyway I worked on the accents and the double stroke exercises and that really strengthened my ability.

Last night I watched Virgil's solo on the TUDW dvd again, and am going to put tons more effort into my double stroke rolls, getting them smooth, fast and consistent.

I also realised just how much I need to work on my feet, so I went to my drums (it was too late to play them), and re-set them up. I ALWAYS set up my kit based on the position of my bassdrum pedals, so I set up the pedal so it is basically straight in line (for the smoothest action possible), and I moved my cymbals down to shoulder height like Virgil has them.

I don't know if I'll have time to practise when I get home from work this afternoon, but I can't wait to play them :) I might be more comfortable, because the cymbals were very high before, and my pedal was at quite a lot of an angle previously.

[Adam]

Switching from matched to tradition for me was based COMPLETELY on the visual aspect. It's just something I've wanted to incorporate into my playing as part of it. As Thomas Lang said: The majority of your audience will not be drummers, so looking good is really the name of the game. I'm at the point now though where both grips are even, and actually my trad might be a little stronger. It doesn't affect my playing in the slightest....nor does it help/hinder my "musical playing" or technique at all.

In my opinion, traditional just looks so much more impressive when played with power like Virgil or Lang can do...Very few matched grip players have done that for me....minnemann, royster, and cobham....maybe a few others, but you know.

To those of you though taht said it helps you think more creativly...I don't know what to say about that....it's just a placebo, if that makes sense you know? Like...it's just a mind game because traditional grip isn't the most natural grip out there.

[DavidPartay]

Ever since I started using traditional grip, matched grip players look just... so much more neanderthal ;)

[Lad.]

My band director at my school hates trad. grip more than anything else. He thinks it looks very homo, and he would rather us not do it. On a set though, I try traditional occasionally. I practiced with some traditional today, and it seems like something fun to do. ANYWAY, matched is the way for me, though it is neandertal.

[glory run]

man, i cant play through one song without switching methods.. I always alternate, i was told it works different muscles so that'd help develop my strength.. then it just became a habbit !

[D. Slam]

Ever since I started playing, I wanted to play trad, but I didnt have the guts to ask my teacher, cause he used to play it sometimes, but a few years later, I switched, it was tough, and I felt like quitting, but I said to myself, I will keep at it, i'll get there, and sure enough, I did, now I play trad, and can get a fairly damn hard hit out of it as well! So answering your question, I prefer trad, but id like to have the ability to switch grips when I want, so every now and again I will work on matched, but there are a lot of things trad can do that matched cant, and vice versa, and right now, im still uncovering what it can do! By studying guys like Virg, Vinnie, Lang, Weckl, Buddy, Morello and other masters, to find out what the have in common, and what they do different! And I think that if everyone tries trad for the first time from matched, their trad playing will blow a**hole haha, anyway, theres my little rant! :D

I play both grips... I don't know what matched grip can do that traditional can't and vise-vera though. My choice to use one grip or the other is purely an emotinal decision... Trad seems to be a more 'intimate' grip however.

D. :cool:

[Lucius]

Bit of a Weckl fan ay ;)

[Lad.]

"intimate" grip? Sorta like a Barry White kind of intimate? Anyway, singles in TRaditional should fix the control right up, so I'm keeping at it.

[D. Slam]

Bit of a Weckl fan ay ;)

I think Dave Weckl is a very good player, but no, I'm not a Weckl fan particularly. Why do you ask?

D.

[D. Slam]

"intimate" grip? Sorta like a Barry White kind of intimate? Anyway, singles in TRaditional should fix the control right up, so I'm keeping at it.

Lad,

Holding the sticks in that cradle like positioned grip gives me the feel of being a bit more in touch with the drums physically. Not that it's a better grip. That's just the way that particular grip approach makes me feel.

Now, when one picks up his drumsticks and starts thinking about intimacy and Barry White, well, that's a whole other thread that should probably be discussed on a different kind of message board... :p

D.

[Lucius]

D. Slam m'man, The reason why I said that is cause I've heard Weckl mention it quite a few times, then again, so have many drummers, it just seems to be a common opinion amongst all trad players. Which is great!

[D. Slam]

D. Slam m'man, The reason why I said that is cause I've heard Weckl mention it quite a few times, then again, so have many drummers, it just seems to be a common opinion amongst all trad players. Which is great!

Yeah, Lucious,

Outside of just wanting to have the ability to use traditional grip, there's really no other reason behind the switch. Well actually, when I think about it, that statement is not entirely true. Sometimes when I'm playing matched and the groove is a bit intense, my left hand will sometimes start to hurt and begin to go numb. Switching to trad grip will aleveiate (sp) much of that discomfort. :D

Like Virgil, the one thing I really admire about Dave Weckl is he has taken the time to sit down and work it all out. Understanding that there are no shortcuts will drastically enhance one's ability and skill level behind the kit. The reason for this is once you have this understanding, you will develop the time, patience and work ethics to do what you need to do, to get where you want to be. Virgil and Dave are two perfect examples of this.

The problem I personally have with Dave's playing is the CONSTANT linear patterns he applies to EVERYTHING! It gets to be a little much. But that's just me.

D.