A couple of things Joe showed me, were to play buzzez instead of accents. Play a paradiddle rlrR lrlL with the capitals as buzzez. Pull out accents as well rrrR lllL. He called it a squeeze out technique.
My studies with Jim and Joe are blended, so I'm not sure who said what---it all makes sense
Joe played me a ruff a diddle lrl RLRR rlr LRLL, which blew me away---it took a few years to get that one down. He threw the sticks and created a very nice buzz sound with the quick ruff.
It's all about being relaxed, but sometimes you have to use some energy or tension. I play finger technique either french style(thumbs on top) or palms down(chaffee showed me that way) And I work each finger for exercise. Sometimes my pointer finger leaves the stick(or fulcum) and kinda hangs on top, and the thumb and middle finger are an offset fulcrum. Kinda like a fulcrum with fingers around it. Make sense?
When I play with my band, which requires endurance, I go up into my arms and use wrists as well. The larger musicles deal better with endurance than the small ones in the hands. The fingers and hands just keep the stick relaxed in my hand and I use mostly arms. I played a jazz gig recently and I noticed a lot of control by using my arms to form the notes. It has a very primative feel, but it works great, especially of you are tired. Plus it keeps the dynamics more even. It may have been cause I did not warm up----arms are a great way to start cold. But the dinga ling on the ride was more wrist.
I dunno, technique changes for whatever situation you are in, musically and physically.
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