During the few times that I’ve been up late enough to see “Late Night”, it seems that Max Weinberg is using traditional grip when he drums. However, when he was playing on Saturday Night Live with Bruce Springstein, it looked like he was using matched grip.
Do set drummers change their grip style depending on the style of music? Is there an actual sound difference, or could it be that the grip changes his mental mood to play in a jazz style vs. a rock style? OK, I know I’m talking gibberish know, so I’ll shut up and listen.
Type of music
What sticks you’re using
What song you’re playing
How your kit is set up
Being a blues and jazz drummer, I will mostly use a traditional grip with thin sticks (usually, a 7A) or brushes for swing. If I’m playing a blues with a lot of cymbal crashes, I’ll use a matched grip with heavier sticks (5B). Matched grip gives you a little more power with your left hand, and the strokes sound about the same, whereas, with a traditional grip, the left had has a different tone - at least, to me.
My background was drummer for pianist and organist Eddie Buster and his trio for 6 years (Eddie passed away a couple of years ago - you can hear him on some early Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammoms, and B.B.King recordings) and having my own quartet “Take Note” , with vocalist Kitty Laine for several years
I’m a drummer who listens to more contemporary music such as country and classic rock as well as jazz, blues, etc. I like the grip in general because I’m able to keep my left arm tucked in a bit more than it would be if I was playing matched; this is more comfortable to me.
I use any and all sticks for this grip, from 7A to 2B (or 3S sometimes when practicing). You can easily play harder with suck a grip, but you have to use your arm just right in order to lift the stick without putting too much strain on your wrist. This and the multi-percussion nature of a drumkit can make matched grip a bit more feasible in some cases.
As to any sound difference between traditional and matched grip, that is a matter of debate. It is believed by many, however, that holding the sticks a different way in each hand opens up the brain to rhythmic possibilities that would likely be passed over when using a likehanded grip for the sticks; this comes in handy for jazz comping and odd meters, etc.
Since you guys know your stuff, could you explain Bev Bevan’s grip? For those who don’t know, Bev was the drummer for The Move, The Electric Light Orchestra, ELO2 (feh!), and, for a time in the 80’s, Black Sabbath. I don’t know the technical terms so I’ll describe it: left stick: hold your hand in an open fist, thumb side up. stick rests just behind the base of the thumb and goes THROUGH the forefinger and middle finger. The right stick is held by the thumb and rests against the side of the first knuckle of the forefinger.
I have a friend who’s a drummer (playing in local bands for about 25 years) and I showed him a video of Bev playing. His response: what the hell is he doing?
If you can get a hold of the Wembly “Out of the Blue” tour that also has the videoalbum for “Discovery”, you can see what I’m talking about.
I’m inclined to say the same thing! The drum forum that I hang out at is currently under repair until tonight sometime, otherwise I’d ask there.
From what I know, however, it sounds like the rare case of an unschooled drummer who just managed to be successful with this awkward grip (that he learned as a child, I gathered); a mistaken imitation of tradtional grip that he probably learned from his father.
Hmm. Odd. I’ve never seen him play, I’m just guessing from what I know. Maybe he liked the added bounce. I just tried playing that way on the pad here, and it hurts the flesh in-between my fingers when I do that.
I know that Billy Cobham is known for his mastery of different drumstick grips, such as French (freedom? ) grip, German grip, etc. He’s also been known to hold both sticks like the left hand in traditional grip; perhaps this is the manuever that confused legions of non-drumming animators when they drew/draw drummers in cartoons?
The drum forum that I hang out at is currently under repair until tonight sometime, otherwise I’d ask there.
) grip, German grip, etc. He’s also been known to hold both sticks like the left hand in traditional grip; perhaps this is the manuever that confused legions of non-drumming animators when they drew/draw drummers in cartoons?