Trad grip...

[LDGuy]

I've started experimenting with this lately. (It was funny the other day, i was playing along to a backing track and picked up a Bill Bryson book. Me being me i decided i would keep on playing, and read at the same time. I put the book on my knees and read. I was annoyed to find that my arm got in the way if i played matched like usual, so twisted my arm round and played trad. This way i could read, but it also made me think about trad as a real alternative. Gees, what a sad life i have... lol). The trouble is that i get a pain in my thumb if i play for long using trad grip. I don't know why this is, but it may be because my other fingers are really loose, and the whole force of the stick ricochets through my thumb and that force is what makes it hurt. I don't think i'm doing it wrong - i've compared my grip to those that i've seen on vids by looking in a mirror, and it looks identical to Vinnie's. I was just wondering how such great players who roam about on this forum (Mr Holmes and others) who play trad have conquered this pain? Have any of you had this experiance? Thanks.

[matricks]

It is probably cause you are 'gripping' the stick... you don't grip it, you cradle it. It is like using chopsticks, you don't hold them tight, you use equal force from all angles available, on them, to keep them in your hand/fingers.

Your thumb shouldn't, nor should your other fingers, be holding onto to the stick tightly. The gentle and equal pressure all around the stick should keep it where it need be.

Also, is your ring finger supporting the stick properly? That should keep it from flopping around. If the stick is flying all over the place it will thus make you want to grip even tighter (which we don't want).

In the mirror your grip my look like Vinnie's but if you just started playing, it isn't going to work like his cause you just haven't developed the muscles, nor any control over it. It is good that it looks proper, that is a step in the right direction. However, spend some time really feeling it out and playing with it SLOWLY. Analyze what is going on with the stick and make it feel GOOD. That is the key. The technique is supposed to work for you, not the other way around. Meaning, if it hurts or feels overly 'wrong', then it probably is. Traditional grip will be awkward at first, but there is a difference between feeling awkward and feeling wrong.

Lastly, seek out a good teacher to help you with this. You don't want to spend alot of time developing this wrong, only to have to tear it all down to start over again.

[sjj123]

Overuse pain.........I switched to Trad grip a few months back and I am surprised how quickly I started to get it once I fought my way through the intitial steep learning curve. It was very hard at first. I'm still much better w/ dbl. stroke rolls and ghost notes w/ matched grip but I'm gaining. I like SSmiths DVD. It certainly is the grip for "finesse" as he puts it. It just plain feels better with certain grooves too

[Rhythmatist]

Make sure you're not too far back on the butt of the stick. If your hand is on the balance point of the stick you won't be fighting it. Also, practice using all kinds of strokes to get comfortable with fingers, wrist and Moeller at a variety of tempos and dynamic levels with the left hand alone and in conjunction with the right. This helps to develop and fine tune the muscles.

Ditto <u>everything</u> Matricks said!

Check out Weckl's How to Develop Technique vid.