Just switch to Matched Grip, I'm sure that'll ease your problem. [img]wink.gif[/img]
[img]cool.gif[/img]
Hey chris, nope, I'm not gripping it tight, it's simply sitting in the web of my hand and as my hand comes back my first 2 fingers come off the stick and then drop back onto the stick after I've hit.
Just switch to Matched Grip, I'm sure that'll ease your problem. [img]wink.gif[/img]
[img]cool.gif[/img]
comfort comfort comfort
I hear you steve, thanks. Yeah, I've been sitting here playing along to a frank mccomb track with just my left stick on... the bottom of an adidas trainer which has a nice amount of bounce and won't wake my neighbour upstairs [img]tongue.gif[/img]
It is coming naturally back to the start position pretty much so I'm avoiding letting it stay buried. Recording is the real test for me.
I'm gonna try and record myself tomorrow on my gig and see if it makes any difference. If it does then I'm sticking with it. If not, then.. I'm still sticking with it for a while. I certainly don't mind a bit of discomfort for now if it makes the big difference in the long run for my playing. [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">On floor tom maybe but on snare or higt tom i'am not sure of that, i'am not a pro like you for sure but did you never had the Fact that ( on snare with good tension head or practice pad ) that the stick go back Faster when you just let the stick rebound rather then help the stick to go back ?Originally posted by Steve Holmes:
There's just not enough time in bewteen strokes to allow the stick to fully rebound.
You also have to remember that if you're playing rimshots on backbeats you won't get much help from physics like you would just hitting the head. Where's 90% of the LH strokes coming from?....backbeats. So I'm guessing that's where the pain is coming from. Here's where you need to be as relaxed and loose as you can possibly be, otherwise your hand not the stick, will be absorbing all of the impact vibration. Excessive, repetitive vibration is another of those overlooked ergonomic hazards we as drummers need to be aware of. It's not to the extent that someone who works with power tools has to deal with but it can cause problems nonetheless. When I was a kid my father showed me the proper way to use a hammer. It's exactly the same thing. The most effective stroke comes when you hold the handle at its balance point, you initiate the stroke but let the weight of the hammer do the work and finally you allow the hammer to absorb the blow as it hits the nail by loosening the grip on impact.
These things take some time to learn. It's a timing issue and yes, you will drop sticks in the process. LET IT HAPPEN. That's why you need to work on the one hand for awhile like Steve pointed out so you can put all your focus on doing it correctly till you get the feel down. Once you have that together then you can continue to work it into playing some basic time feels with straight backbeats. Then backbeats with ghost notes and so on. Watching Vinnie or DW on video is great but realize the time spent getting there and for us humans it does not happen overnight. Keep at it. The rewards will be great.
I?m not sure if i?m approaching traditional grip right.
Now i?m playing with a band that?s mostly backbeat oriented music and i?m having a hard time with my left hand.
My bandmates don?t even notice when i switch the grip, but it?s really important to me understand the grip...
I learn the grip basically from dave, from Back to Basics and How To Develop Technique... anyway, here?s the question...
When playing a lot of backbeats, do you drop the stick to the head and catch it after bouncing into cradle position? I found that it?s hard to do it so many times in little time...
I?v seen Chapin play moeller and he?s taking almost no bounce when playing backbeats...
What do you say? Thanks...
I personally don't agree withb the 'work through the pain' theory as there should never be any pain if you are holding the stick correctly. My advice - go and see Hassell [img]wink.gif[/img] PM me and I'll give you his number.
Rudy: I'd ensure that my thumb is always straight. I had the same problem as you and noticed that my thumb was a little bent (fine for certain finesse playing but not for rimshot backbeats). I got pain in the same location as you--trauma from mashing the snare with a sloppy fulcrum and too-tight grip. In fact, I got a blood blister extending down my wrist/forearm. When I straightened the thumb, used the first finger as a "motivator", and got a more graceful motion going with the arm, presto, things got better. Incidentally, Modern Drummer's going to have a huge feature on the grip with loads of photos; it's an issue or two away and that may help. Good luck,
WB
I play both grips, but prefer matched. Less trouble, equal power, and more consistent for me.
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