playing "backwards" & traditional grip

B

BigKahuna

New member
I play drums all wrong. What I mean is ... I play a right-handed kit, but don't cross my arms when playing a kick/hihat/snare beat. I'm actually left-handed, but know that if I try to play left-handed, I wouldn't be able to play kick with my other foot... no way. I've tried crossing my arms, but find I can't play as well on snare that way. I usually go with what feels more comfortable.
I play guitar right-handed too and that works OK (my own opinion). And, I've been doing ok on drums so far (my own opinion, again) ... but do you guys see any problems or limitations in what I may be able to play later on down the line?
I also play everything with matched grips, and have been thinking about trying a traditional grip (btw ... wow that's hard, any tips anyone?). I think if I try to change grips, I'll have to figure out the whole left/right thing first.
What do you think?
Maybe I should stop thinking about it and just play ... :)

Thanks
 
Yup, I agree. If you have a technique, whatever it might be, refine your technique. Don't try to abandon it to chase someone *else's* technique. I play several flavors: matched-crossed, traditional (Podemski's palm-up-palm-down), and what I call "matched open-handed": left hand on the hat on a right hand kit, like you do. I'm the most comfortable, and the most creative, with the matched grip and crossed wrists. But that's just me.

I figure that I wasted the better part of 10 years trying to develop a traditional grip jazz style and make it be the way I approached a kit, aping The Masters. Don't get me wrong: I learned some tasty chops, but that will never be my style. When I sit down to create a new chart from scratch, I do it the way I started doing it in 1970: matched, crossed. So what?

I still like to alternate hands on the hat and snare, to allow some completely different textures: my hat/snare technique has come from a combination of my open-handed experiments, and ripping off a variety of heavy hitters' traditional-grip chops (from Krupa to Stewart Copeland). It's half-open, half-crossed. And I find capturing the feel of those to be a damned sight easier when playing matched. That's what I've taken away from my experiments. Cool stuff, to be sure, but hardly life-changing. I still play basically the same way I did the first time I sat down behind a kit.

Play the way you play, and please yourself. Life is far too short to pursue someone else's idea of perfection. Don't figure out how they did it: figure out how _you_ want to do it...

Your mileage may vary, of course. (;-)
 
I never have understood the whole traditional grip thing (palm up-palm down), I've tried it a few times and it is HARD!! I can see why you would use it for some marching drums because of the akward angle of the drum, but what advantage does it have over matched grip when playing on a kit? It just seems like more of a hassle to me than anything else. :confused:

-tkr
 
Thanks for the advice, guys!
This has been something I've been a little worried about for a while... but it's just so hard to change. It's nice to hear that you've all been there too.
I really appreciate you sharing your persepectives!
Thanks again!
 
Tekker said:
I never have understood the whole traditional grip thing (palm up-palm down), I've tried it a few times and it is HARD!! I can see why you would use it for some marching drums because of the akward angle of the drum, but what advantage does it have over matched grip when playing on a kit? It just seems like more of a hassle to me than anything else. :confused:

-tkr
Click to expand...

Well, it shouldn't be hard...if it is, you're probably holding the stick too tightly!
I can play traditional and hit just as hard as I can with a matched grip. The key is you use your hand like a whip, and sort of "snap" it.

For inticate snare work, I break out the traditional grip, but another thing that helps is the positioning of the drums...they need to be more "flat", and your snare needs to be about level with your belly button.

I'm not sure if there is an actual advantage to using it, but I know sometimes I find it more comfortable, and I started using it more, after I found out Neil Peart switched to it, I thought If he can do it at this point in the game, then so can I, just to have another "tool" in the toolbox; after all, it works a different set of muscles...on the other hand, I flip my kit around lefthand and play left handed as well.
My goal is to have a "mirrored" set, where I would have the left side of the kit and right side exactly the same, so that I can work in either direction at any time.:p
To be completely ambidextrious on the kit is my longterm goal.

Tim
 
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