Holding your drumsticks well is the first thing to learn when you want to learn how to play them.
Acoustic or electronic drums or Senstroke sensors: it is impossible to play drums correctly without going through the “hold sticks well” process.
Luckily, Redison explains everything in this blog article that is essential for beginners, and that won’t hurt more experienced drummers either !
Why hold your drumsticks well ?
The question may, at first glance, seem a bit easy.
However, it is essential to answer it before going any further.
Holding your drumsticks well is an essential element in order to play the drums correctly. A drumstick is above all an extension of your arm. It is the element that directly connects your body to the drum set itself.
It will be much easier for you to learn to play the drums with a correct stick holding. Your rhythms and rudiments will be more fluid, and the precision of your strike will be even more precise.
In addition, holding your drumsticks correctly will also increase your stamina during the game: it reduces the effort needed to hit the drums and the risk of injury if you play too long.
Indeed, the risk of tendinitis becomes real with a bad stick holding: beware of injury!
The different ways to hold your drumsticks
There are several ways to hold your drum sticks. They can be grouped into two categories: the traditional grip and the match grip.
The match grip
Used by the majority of drummers, the match grip is the most common grip.
In fact, it is the grip used in the most popular styles of music: Rock, Metal, etc…
It is possible to hold your drum sticks in 3 different ways with the match grip :
The French grip
The palm of the hand is vertical: it is the grip that allows to use the maximum of dynamics in the play.
The German grip
The palm of the hand is oriented towards the ground: this allows a very powerful play using mainly the wrist.
The American grip
The American grip is a mix between the French and German grips. It is a very popular grip for beginners because it is versatile and allows you to play all styles of music.
The Traditional grip
Originally from the army, this grip is used by the military to beat the inclined drums while walking.
Very common among jazz drummers, it is quite possible to combine it with other holds and even to go off the beaten track !
Holding well your drumsticks is an indispensable and sometimes unfairly neglected step in the drummer’s life.
Never forget to take the time to check that your stick holding is correct before playing.
It is with time and practice that you will find the ideal outfit for your playing style. Feel free to experiment, and above all, find the outfit that suits you and with which you are most comfortable.
If you are hesitating in your choice of drum sticks, go read this Redison blog article about the different types of drumsticks.
We come back quickly with a new article on how to learn the Drums.
In the meantime, keep on drumming !
P-A
