Evolution in sticks grips

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PERCUSSIVE NOTES 60 JUNE 2002

The way in which one holds a drum-stick can drastically affect a playerstechnique, the pace of development

for a young player, and ones overall atti-tude toward sound production, or tone,on a drum. Although rules on how tohold a stick may seem to be steadfast,these rules have evolved through severalschools of thought, and even today arestill changing. An examination of writtenexplanations and pictorial representa-tions from the past 200 years regarding

gripping the stick provides keen insightregarding this evolution of the snaredrum grip.

EARLY INSTRUCTORS

Early nineteenth-century instructors(i.e., instructional books) deal entirelywith military drumming and describe agrip now labeled traditional. One of theearliest books to explain this method ofholding the sticks is the 1815 Britishpublication by Samuel Potter that wasthe basis for most American instructorsof the same era. His description of the

grip includes two analogies often echoedby others at that time: the right-handgrip is compared to holding a sword andthe left-hand grip to holding a pen.

Potter says:The right Hand stick tobe graspd with the whole Hand abouttwo inches and a half from the Top (ormore if requird)as Drum sticks are notall of the same Weight: similar to grasp-ing a Sword or Stick when going to playBack-sword. The left to be held betweenthe Thumb and Fore Finger of the leftHand close in the hollow, the Top towardsthe Wrist leaving the Top of the Stick as

much out of the Hand as the otherrest-ing it resembling a Pen when going toWrite, only with this exception, betweenthe first Joints of the Second and ThirdFingers.

Note that Potter states that the wholehand is to grasp the right-hand stick. Incontrast to this, Ashworth (1812) identi-fies the little finger as the primary fingergripping the right stick, and more clearlyspecifies where the left stick lies on thethird finger: The upper, or left handstickmust be firmly held between the

The Evolution of Snare Drum GripsBY JAMES A. STRAIN

Thumb and two middle fingers, to rest onthe third finger a little above the middle

joint. The lower, or right hand stick mustbe held fast with the little finger and beallowed to play with ease through theothers, as a man may use a stick in fenc-ing.

LATE NINETEENTH-CENTURY METHODS

In 1861, Howe takes the opposite opin-ion regarding the role of each finger forthe right hand: The stick in the right

hand should be held naturally; that is, itshould pass between the thumb and fin-gers; the little finger should be looselyclosed around it, and it should be heldfirmly with the thumb and fore-finger.

The stick in the left hand should passbetween the thumb and two forefingers,and over the third and fourth, the firstand second closed round it to the thumb.

Bruce (1862) differs, saying that theleft hand should grasp the stick firmly,but not too tight, between the thumb andfirst two fingers, passing over the third,and resting a little below the middle (or

large) joint; the thumb in the meantimeresting on the forefinger. Note that hespecifies the thumb should rest on thefirst finger, whereas Howe instructed thereader to close two fingers to the thumb.

For the right hand, Bruce adopts boththe fencing analogy and the little fingeras the primary point of contact: Thestick in the right hand should be held be-tween the thumb and fingers lightly, withthe little finger pressing it, so as to playthrough the hand, as a man would use astick in fencing.

In a British publication, Elliott (1884)

introduces two analogies, one similar to asword, another to a spoon: One drum-stick should be grasped firmly in theright hand in the same manner as whenone is going to strike a blow with an ordi-nary stick, while the other should be heldin the left hand somewhat similar to theway in which we should hold a spoon,only the stick should be passed betweenthe middle fingers and allowed to restupon the second joint of the third finger,the thumb being used to hold the stickwith. The drum-sticks should be thus

grasped about four inches from the top ofeach.

By top, Elliott is referring to the buttend of the stick, as the sticks hang downward to the drum. Other writers mentionthe distance one should hold the stickfrom the butt end in various ways. Forexample, Sousa states: The right handshould grasp the stick at about twoinches from the end, the thumb well un-der; and the left hand should hold thestick lightly, between the thumb and firs

two fingers, passing over the third, andresting on the first joint, the thumb onthe fore-finger. This thumb on the fore-finger for the left hand occurs in manydescriptions, including Flocktons (1898),which states: Close the thumb againstthe side of the first finger, and hold thestick only tight enough to handle it.

TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY METHODS

Langey (1891) provides one of theclearest early descriptions regarding thedistance from the butt end and all fourfingers of the left hand: The right stick

is held between the first joint of themiddle finger and the inside tip of thethumb at a point about four and one-halfinches from the butt end. The remainingfingers curve under the stick and controlit without interfering with its free actionThe left-hand stick is held between thethumb and fore finger, the butt end lyingin the hollow, passed between the secondand third fingers, and rests on the first

joint of the third finger, the butt end pro-jecting out about the same distance aswith the right hand. The tips of the fin-gers are bent towards the palm of the

hand.Flockton (1898) introduces a new anal

ogy for the right hand that recurs wellinto the twentieth century: The stick inthe right hand should be held very muchlike a hammer The little finger shouldhold the stick the tightest, and each fin-ger looser and looser in succession, thefirst finger leaving the stick free. Theball of the thumb should rest against theside of the first finger.

De Ville (1905) is also quite explicit regarding the point one holds the stick:


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PERCUSSIVE NOTES 61 JUNE


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The right-hand stick is grasped with thewhole hand, so that the little finger will

be about three or four inches from thebutt-end. The left-hand stick is held be-tween the thumb and the fore-fingerthe butt-end projecting out about thesame distance as with the right hand.

Bower (1898) in hisImperial Method

includes an illustration as the primarymeans of explaining the grip with the fol-lowing comments: The right stick shouldbe grasped about two inches from the endwith the whole hand being about parallelwith the knuckles. The back of the handshould be inward as in cut No. 1. Graspthe left stick the same distance from theend between the thumb and first two fin-gers of the left hand, with the palm of thehand inward, as in cut No. 2. Note thedirections in which the palm and back ofthe hand should face.

By 1911, however, Bower uses a pic-ture to illustrate the grip, including in-structions for the right hand that state:The stick being held loosely, principallyby the Thumb and first two Fingers, also

the other Fingers must touch the Stick(more or less) while drumming. For theleft, along with the picture he states:Note the Thumb resting on the first Fin-ger, also the little Finger and one next to

it inclined somewhat towards the centerof the hand. One notes that within onedecade Bower has changed his right-hand grip from the whole hand grip to

just using the thumb and first two fin-

gers.Rollinson (1906) provides quite exten-

sive directions for the grip. For the lefthand, he states: Turn the palm of thehand up. Open the first two fingers, turn

Bower 1911 Bower 1911

Bower 1898


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the third and fourth down, until theynearly touch the palm. Lay the stick inthe hollow between the thumb and firstfinger; let it cross the third finger be-tween the second and third joints. Then

close the first and second fingers aroundthe stick, the thumb also closing aroundit and resting on the side of the first fin-ger. The stick should balance on the handin such a way, that when the thumb andfirst two fingers are raised, the small end(tip) of the stick will drop over the thirdfinger. The thumb and first finger shouldhave the firmest grip.

For the right hand, he says: Turn thepalm of the hand down. Close the fingersaround the stick, which should be heldnearly parallel with the knuckles. Thethumb should close as in the left hand.

Balance the stick so that if the fingerswere opened, the small end would dropover the thumb. The little finger shouldclose around the stick, more firmly thanthe others, and each consecutive fingerwith a consecutively weaker grip. Thiswill give much more power than if thestick is held by the first finger alone.Note that he continues with the little fin-ger as the primary finger for the grip inthe right hand, and that the stick is par-allel with the knuckles, similar toBowers early description. He also men-tions that the palm should be downone

of the first to clearly state this.

EARLY TWENTIETH-CENTURY METHODS

Dodge (1917) uses numerous picturesand frames from moving pictures to illus-trate the grip and strokes. Using thehammer analogy, he states: The rightstick is held by the thumb and first twofingers. The other two fingers touch thestick lightly but do not grip the stick, andthe butt (thick end) of the stick restsagainst the heel of the hand. About theway you would hold a light tack ham-mer.

For the left stick, he says: Curve thethumb around the stick, gripping it verylightly. The stick rests on the first joint ofthe fourth finger and the little finger sup-ports the fourth finger, but does nottouch the stick. The index and middlefingers do not touch the stick except occa-sionally to keep it from falling out of thethumb hold. Be sure not to cramp thefourth finger. Note that he is clearlystating that the thumb holds the leftstick, not the thumb and the first and/orsecond fingers.

Gardner (1919), writing a method for

concertnot militarydrumming states:The left stick is held in the crotch of thethumb and forefinger. The first and sec-ond fingers rest above the stick while thethird and fourth fingers rest beneath thestick. Great care should be taken to avoida protruding finger. All the fingers shouldbe wholly relaxed, but with sufficientelasticity to return to position when dis-placed by stick action. The right stick isheld between the inside tip of the thumband the first joint of the middle finger.The three remaining fingers rest uponthe stick in the same relaxed manner as

the fingers in the left hand. Clear pic-tures are given for several angles of thegrip.

Inside View of Left Hand

Outside View of Right Hand

Of importance for Gardner is a noteclearly acknowledging the military styof holding the stick. A right-hand postion common among military drums inthis country consists of holding the st

like a hammer, grasping it between litfinger and palm. This position has thevious disadvantage of control on but oside of the fulcrum and is not to be recommended. Many drummers playing this manner, however, have excellenttechnic.

By acknowledging this second tech-nique, Gardner makes one aware of twparallel methods of performing, basedstyle of drumming. Bower has hinted this, and as the twentieth centuryprogresses, it becomes clear that diffeent grips are used for different musica

styles of drumming.Among those players with excellent

technique, as mentioned by Gardner, Sanford A. Moeller, who, in his 1925method takes exactly the opposite poiof view on the right hand by stating: illustrations are so clear that words aunnecessary, but the attention might drawn to the fact that the right stick iheld almost entirely with the little finas in Plate No. 7. When the stick isplaced on the drum the other fingers aclosed around the stick, but very lightif touching it at all. The left stick is

grasped between the thumb and first ger. The pressure on the drum head ismade with the first finger, the second ger acts more as a guide. The third finis the one under the stick and is used pick it up.

He goes on to defend the right handlittle finger grip by referring to seveprevious methods (including FlocktonPotter, and Langey) that suggest thisgrip. Note that he also uses the first figer of the left hand as a primary meanof striking the stick to the drumhead, contrast to using the thumb, as statedDodge.


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Scott (1930) includes clear photo-graphs with the following directions forthe left hand: Place drum stick betweenthumb and forefinger, allowing it to restbetween the first and second joint of the

third finger. Close the first and secondfingers over drum stick but add no pres-sure.

For the right hand, along with photo-graphs, it states: Close middle finger,not tightly, but merely enough to keepthe stick from falling from the hand.Close remaining fingers, but rememberthat the right stick is controlled mainlyby the middle finger. Note that Scottsright full-hand grip, clearly illustrated bya photograph, is identical to Heneys(1933), both of whom are writing prima-rily for a military style of drumming.

In contrast to the military style, Little(ca. 1930), writing specifically for aswing style drummer, states: Left-hand stick: this rests in the hollow be-tween the thumb and first finger and is

held between the second and third fin-gers, palm upwards. Right-hand stick:this is grasped with the palm downwardsand lightly held between the first fingerand the thumb: the three other fingersmerely assist in controlling the positionof the stick, without in any way grippingit. His illustration shows the stick posi-tioned in the second knuckle of the righthand, not the first. Of interest is thatLittle discusses the various styles ofdrumming (concert, military, and dance),but makes no distinction regarding thegrip for these styles.

Scott Scott


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The 1937 Sears Home Study CourseDrum Method(containing the exact, du-plicated material regarding the grip asthe Haskell Harr method, though notcredited to him) includes complete pic-

tures and makes a clear distinction be-tween a rudimental right-hand grip anda grip for light playing. For the rudi-mental right-hand grip it states: Gripthe stick firmly with the second finger asshown in figure 1. The other fingers andthe thumb close loosely around the stick,permitting it to hinge on the second fin-ger. Turn the hand over and you willhave the closed hand position for playingas shown in figure 2.

For light playing, one is directed toFigure 3 and to hold the hand in thesame position as figure 1, placing thestick so that it will rest across the second

joint of the first finger, then place the

thumb on the stick opposite the secondjoint of the first finger, close the secondfinger as before, and turn the hand overfor playing. The stick will pivot betweenthe thumb and first finger. Retain aslight grip with the second finger.

Of interest regarding the right-handmilitary style grip is the contrasting gripthat Moore (1937) uses when he states:The right-hand stick must be heldagainst the first finger with the thumballowing freedom at heel of stick for con-trol. See Fig. B.

This is a clear shift from the little ormiddle finger as primary point of controlfrom previous military methods, includ-

ing the Harr, written in the same year.Also note that the thumb is not parallelto the stick, instead using the side of thethumb to press against the stick.

In contrast to Moores first fingerright-hand grip, Berryman (1940) usesthe tip of the thumb and the second fin-ger. For the right hand, he states: Thestick is held between the tip of the thumband the first joint of the second finger. Inplaying, the other fingers rest lightlyupon the stick. He further points out,While drum instructors may disagreeslightly on minor points regarding the

correct manner of holding the sticks, themethod here described is most successfulfor concert band or orchestras. For drumcorps or dance orchestra some othermethods may be advantageous.

One such method, written in 1942 withthe dance orchestra drummer in mind, isby Buddy Rich and Henry Adler. For theright-hand grip, Rich and Adler state,Grasp the stick with the thumb and firstfinger of the right hand, at about two-thirds of the distance from the knob (tip)of the stick (the center of balance). The

second, third and fourth fingers act in anauxiliary capacity as they aid in control-ling the various movements of the stick.The palm of the hand is turned down-ward, upon striking the drum.

The left hand stick is held at abouttwo-thirds of the distance from the knob(tip) of the stick (the center of balance) inthe crotch formed by the thumb and firstfinger. The second finger, acting as aguide, is placed on top of the stick. Thethird and fourth fingers, placed underthe stick, act in an auxiliary capacity,while controlling the Swing of the stick.The palm of the hand is turned towardthe body, upon striking the drum. Notethat they shift some guidance of the left-hand stick to the middle finger, and thatthey clearly discuss the direction both

palms face as one strikes the drum.Of major importance in the Rich-Adler

method is the inclusion of the comment,After all of the rudiments and exercisesin this book have been thoroughlylearned, the student may then practicethem by holding the sticks timpani fash-ion as shown. This is one of the firstmethods to advocate what is to becomethe matched grip for general use in performing. It should be noted that it was astandard enough practice for drummersto use this timpani style by the timethe method was written, that they in-

cluded two pictures of the style in thebook.

LATER TWENTIETH-CENTURY METHODS

One other method is necessary to illustrate the wide variety of exact position-ing possible for the traditional grip, aswell as an additional analogy. Mott

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3


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(1956) states: The right stick is held be-tween the thumb and the second joint ofthe middle finger, palm down with the re-maining fingers curled over the sticklightly but securely. Hold it as you would

hold a knife to cut a cake. The left stick isheld palm up, in the hollow between thethumb and forefinger, the first two fin-gers curling over the stick. The last twofingers are under the stick, close togetherwith the tips almost straight out, and inposition to lift the stick. If these two fin-gers touch the palm it will cramp yourmuscles. The stick rests on the third fin-ger which acts as a shelf. Note that Mottspecifically says the second joint of themiddle finger for the right hand, and thatthe left hands last two fingers shouldbe almost straight out (i.e., not curved to-

ward the palm).By 1964, Leach identifies three grips

recognized by percussionists. The first isthe most common field and concert grip.He states, The thumb and forefingerform the fulcrum in both the left andright hands. In the right hand, the sec-ond finger is used for additional fine con-trol, but the third and fourth fingersshould not touch the stick at any time.

The second grip is one which hasachieved more popularity in the jazz anddance field but has also become acceptedin the classical field because this type of

execution allows for a finer, more delicatetouch and a greater sensitivity of sound.The thumb and forefingers are the onlygrips on either stick, thus allowing theother fingers to be used in motivatingand controlling the sticks. This is knownas finger technique.

The third grip illustrated by Leach isthe timpani style or like-handmethod. He clearly advocates this stylefor use on drumset when playing addi-tional Latin instruments or a solo on thefloor tom, and mentions that many per-formers use this grip as a supplement to

their traditional method of holding thesticks.

Educationally, this third grip men-tioned by Leach is renamed the matchedgrip and assumes a position of impor-tance by the early 1970s. Schinstine andHoey include it as secondary method ofholding the sticks in 1972, and by 1976advocate it as follows in their Snare

Drum Primer: In the opinion of the au-thors, the Matched Grip should be recom-mended for the beginning percussionist.Supporting this move toward the use of

matched grip, Faulmann (1976) includescomplete directions for matched as wellas traditional, even justifying matchedgrip as compatible for marching due tothe invention of the High Stepper car-

rier.Of interest during the last quarter of

the twentieth century is a move toward amore restricted grip in the right hand,whereby all fingers and thumb grasp thestick. For the right hand, Whaley (1980)states: The stick is held between thefleshy part of the thumb and the first

joint of the index finger. The butt of thestick fits naturally in the main crease ofthe palm and the remaining three fingerswrap firmly around the stick. Notice thatthe stick is equally supported by thethumb and index finger and, the last

three fingers.He then reiterates, with illustrations

and captions, that The stick is held be-tween the fleshy part of the thumb andthe first joint of the index finger. Thisprovides 50% of the gripThe last threefingers wrap firmly around the stick.This provides 50% of the grip.

For the left hand, in addition to the ac-cepted normal directions, Whaley in-cludes the statement Note that the wristis cocked in toward the body. This is oneof the few occurrences where a methodadvocates something other than a

straight-wrist approach to the grip.Wessels (1992) includes almost identi-

cal directions as Whaley, echoing the po-sition of the right hand stick as in themain crease of the palm with the remain-ing three fingers wrapping firmly aroundthe stick. However, later on the samepage he includes the admonition thatyou must be very careful to not squeezethe stick with the back fingers.

By the end of the twentieth century,the most common method for describingthe right-hand grip might be one similarto that used by Breithaupt (1991), who

states: Place the stick between the firstjoint of the first finger and the flat, orfleshy part of the thumb, one-third thedistance from the butt-end of the stick.This is the fulcrum point of the snaredrum stick. Position the stick so the palmfaces the floor. He continues with bringthe fingers around the stick. The fingerswill not be controlling the stick to a greatextent at this point, but should stay incontact with the stick during all parts ofthe stroke.

It should be noted that many books

have no directions whatsoever, and thmethods written for drumset playershave only in recent years begun to illutrate the various positions the handmight assume (i.e., thumbs up) when

forming on the ride cymbal, as opposethe snare drum. The single picture in

Alfreds Beginning Drumset Method(1990) clearly illustrates a palm dowposition for the ride cymbal. PeterErskinesDrum Concepts and Techniq(1987) andDrumset Essentials(2002)have photos of the right-hand grip in tpalm-down position, but also show theright hand in thumb-up position, whiche advocates for ride-cymbal playing.

Also of interest in one publication isexample of a common practice amongdrumset players when using matchedgrip, that is, the use of a thumbs upsition as the primary position for bothsticks. In PearlsAn Introduction to th

Basics of Drumming(1998), a bookletthat accompanies new drumsets, the

single picture for matched grip shows sticks parallel to each other, with thethumbs on the top of both sticks.

Although there are generally just twgrips for holding the sticksmatcheand traditionala survey of knownmethods identifies numerous variatioin the exact way the sticks may be helnot for matched and traditional, but fothe left and the right hand. The grips,both left hand and right hand, continu


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to evolve even today. A quick search onthe Internet might enlighten one to gen-eral discussion of where the stick lieswhen using a traditional left-hand grip,not in regards to the thumb and first two

fingers, but on which knuckle, or eventhe cuticle of the ring finger, the stickshould lie! As an ever-evolving process,the grip for the right and left handscontinues to warrant examination andexplanation for any true student orteacher of percussion, based on the usesand styles required for each musical per-formance.

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Useful and Complete System of Drum Beat-

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Popular Tunes for Fife and Drum.New

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and Analyzed by Means of Actual MovingPicture Photographs.Boston: International

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Techniques. Milwaukee, WI. 21st Century/

Hal Leonard.

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Alfreds Beginning Drumset Method.Van

Nuys, CA: Alfred.

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Drum, Xylophone, and Tympani.Boston:

Jean White.

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Music Educators.New York: Henry Adler.

Copyright assigned 1966 to Belwin, Inc.,Rockville Centre, NY.

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Drums, Cymbals, and Accessories. London:

Premier Drum Co., Ltd.

Moeller, Sanford A. (1925).Ludwig Instructor

in the Art of Snare Drumming.Chicago:

Ludwig & Ludwig.

Moore, J. Burns. (1937). The Art of Drum-

ming.Chicago: W.F.L. Drum Co.

Mott, Vincent L. (1956).Evolution of Drum-

ming, The Golden Drum Instructor, Text-

book of the Snare Drum. Miami: Charles

Hansen.

Potter, Samuel. (1815). The Art of Beating theDrum. London: Henry Potter.

Rich, Buddy & Adler, Henry. (1942).Buddy

Richs Modern Interpretation of Snare

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for the Drum, Tympani, Xylophone and

Glockenspiel.Boston: Oliver Ditson.

Schinstine, William J. & Hoey, Fred A. (1972)

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Antonio: Southern Music Co.

Schinstine, William J. & Hoey, Fred A. (1976)

Snare Drum Primer.Pacific, MO: Mel Bay.

Scott, Andrew V. (1930).Leedy BeginnersDrum Method. Indianapolis: Leedy Mfg. Co

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the Field-Trumpet and Drum.(Reprint Chi

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Meredith Music Publications.

James A. Strain holds a DMA degree inPercussion Performance and Literaturefrom the Eastman School of Music, anM.M. degree in Percussion Performancefrom the University of Cincinnati, and aBME degree from Arkansas State Uni-versity. He teaches percussion and musictheory at Northern Michigan Universityand is Timpanist of the Marquette Sym-phony Orchestra. Strain is Co-Historianfor the PAS and an associate editor for

Percussive Notes. PN

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Evolution in sticks grips