Matched or Trad?

[Rhythmatist]

At age 4 I learned TG and played that way till high school.
In high school I experimented with MG but still favored Trad.
In college I did a complete switch to MG for a period of time. Then after my Jr. year played jazz w/TG, rock and legit w/MG.
Early years on the road went to strictly MG.
Off the road and freelancing toying with TG for some things.
"Fusion" years 50/50.

About 15 years ago I made a decision to go back to 100% TG. All the time I attempted to play MG was just a lie to me. I first learned to play using TG and it has always simply felt more natural to me. I was constantly forcing things when I played MG. A couple weeks ago I was doing a fairly loud gig and thought I'd flip the stick over and play w/MG. After a couple backbeats I flipped back, knowing that for myself, it was no longer a drumstick but a club, and that's not how I want to play.

What I believe is; there are those who should play TG all the time, those that should use MG all the time, and others who are comfortable either way and can make either way work for them. I just wanted to cite my own case to show how you can wrestle with this dilemma for years before really settling on something. It surely doesn't hurt to try new approaches though. You may find you get more enjoyment from playing a different way and isn't that why we do this in the first place?

[matricks]

Matched grip just makes more technical sense. However, i would feel kinda sterile if i had to play that way and couldn't play Trad (which is what i am, a trad-grip player... even worse, i'm left-hand, trad-grip player!).

I actually think of it sometimes and think how weird it is that i play trad grip... i don't ever think of myself as playing that way, i just pick up the sticks and that is how they remain. However, yeah, hehe... something kinda hip about it when i think of it.

Really, from a mental standpoint, it is kinda nice having that asymmetry. From a technical standpoint, i can't think of a reason for playing that way.

[Gary Husband]

For me I guess it's more or less exclusively matched consistantly now. Main reason is simply I'm riding both sides in just about every situation I play in these days.

Generally though, it has to be simply what feels best for the individual I reckon. I felt it hard to maintain both grips, as I did try a few years back. Plus, I just kept seeing Dennis Chambers flicking back and forth between grips so effortlessly I just got too depressed to even think about it or struggle with it anymore!

I like the balanced feeling of matched, and it generally seems to award me with the kind of power I want too. Plus, my left hand and wrist really didn't like trying to stretch like that after not really playing traditional since I was a kid. It pretty much let me know the score (!) and I figured actually I may have left it a bit late to get that grip feeling strong and natural again. Just wasn't working.

That's just me though. I know many who can slide back into playing trad grip like an old shoe.

GH

[mwm]

When I was younger, I played matched for rock and traditional for everything else. Seemed to work ok.

When I came back to playing, matched didn't feel right, and now I play everything traditional grip.

Who knows.

[S.P]

i once asked thomas lang this question over email and his reply was something along the lines of "Traditional Grip helps me to feel like my hands are 2 seperate identities and therefore helps me concentrate on each one seperately when i am playing polyrythms, i have found that in this way traditional grip has best suited my playing style"

Wasn't exactly that but similar

[XNavyDrummer]

When I was 8 my instructor told me that my left hand traditional grip didn't look right and that I should walk around with my little finger taped in position to get used to it. So, I literally slept with my little finger taped down for months so my traditional grip would be correct.

At 18 I just burned out on trying to get my left hand to function as well as my right and just decided to make the permanent switch to matched grip. I did loose some things making the switch but what I've gained more than makes up for it.

[Groovemeister]

I can't understand why people even start with Trad grip other than if their teacher (and I've never heard of one) explicitly says it's better for whatever reason...

It all started because drums used to be slug over the shoulder and rested by the drummers side. It was impossible to play matched at that angle so tradwas concieved.

Personally I play trad grip only really for jazz stuff, but it's about the feel for me. I can't get the power out of trad grip that I can get out of matched. Also, I don't know how your bones are formed, but to me, the wrist is supposed to go up and down (like bouncing a ball) not twisted side to side...

If it feels good why change it? There are more important things we can do with our time! [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]wink.gif[/img]

MP

[drumgod1]

I started playing drums the year they quit teaching trad and only taught matched. I'm still working on my left hand with matched grip and trying to make both hands look & work equally. I flirted with trad for a while, but couldn't get around the toms like I wanted when soloing. I've also gotten used to playing brushes with matched. It's getting easier.

Mike