traditional or matched?

what do you guys tend to play on set
or what really feels more comfortable for you?

i tend to flip alot between the two depending on the style of the song/ band
but recently ive almost gone completely traditional, it just seems to feel alot more comfortable
for some reason and i feel like i can flow alot easier on the kit this way.

what about you?

When I play Jazz I use traditional more because it makes it harder to hit hard, and i have no idea how to do a traditional rimshot. But everything else is matched

the easiest way to rimshot with traditional is to angle the snare down and away from you.

similar to (other) sams dark horse snares setup.

I played matched german grip, always have always will.

thats interesting
ive never really seen anybody play german on set
i use german for concert snare but i dont know if i would feel comfortable moving around a kit with my palms always facing down.

Yeah it always seemed like a mix between french and german was the way to go for drum set

Nah i can't stand french at all ! Its done badly so often, So many guys think they can play french grip but they are way too arm orientated which is bad! I always play german as it really encourages me to use my wrists not my arms. Also i see alot of guys with their palm facing up as a result of doing french wrong!
My way works for me, i paly the same grip no maytter what i play, jazz, rock, concert snare, timpani. German just makes sense to me.

how can you possibly play with your palm facing up?

Exactly, some people just end up doing it! One guy i teach, when i first met him was like "yea i have had lessons before, i know how to play". He satarted playing with his palms facing up ! I was like "WHO taught you before me??" ! He is sweet now though! He'll be doing his grade 3 soon enough i hope !

im confused by all this grade stuff. what is it?

sjman409 wrote:Yeah it always seemed like a mix between french and german was the way to go for drum set

Yes, I play set with American grip (mix of German and French) almost 100% of the time. I play concert snare with German grip, and Timpani and ride cymbal with French grip.

Over here in N.I. we have a few boards ABRSM, TRINITY, and Rockschool!
There are grades 1 to 8 (1 being beginner 8 being pro-level) then beyond that you have your diploma's in performance and teaching etc.
ABRSM and TRINITY deal with keyboard percussion, timpani, snare and concert cymbals.
Rockschool deals with drum kit.
Im working on my grade 5 xylophone and timpani and Grade 8 drum kit.

The grades basically incorporate lots of styles and techniques into your playing:
Grade 1 is like an introduction to your instrument, keeping time and basic groove.
Grade 2 adds some fills and applies rudiments etc to the drum kit
Grade 3 more complex grooves and use of syncopation. Broader range of syles now being covered. HH foot more prominent role.
Grade 4 (same as 3 just slightly harder)
Grade 5 intermediate level, complex grooves and odd time signatures becoming more prominent, more ghost notes and quick bass drum patterns. Fills are more elaborate.
Grade 6 HUGE STEP UP FROM GRADE 5!! Advanced grooves and more complex time signatures, elaborate technical fills, all rudiments have now been covered. Alot more styles have been covered.
Grade 7 similar to grade 6 really
Grade 8 Very technical and intricate, all limbs being used freely, technical complex grooves using tasteful cymbal work and stick changes throughout pieces, more styles covered!

Hope that makes sense.

EDIT: Also the higher you get in the grades the more chance you get to play your own thing, e.g. solo or improvised/extemporised sections are incorporated into the peices.

haha wow thats a really great way of teaching.
i kinda wish i was taught on set and not just self taught.

and you'd actually be surprised in a college setting how bad technique can get
alot of guys would destroy french grip to the point where our principal snare player threatened if he saw another person use french grip hed kick em out of the studio haha

Rotation 4 wrote:haha wow thats a really great way of teaching.
i kinda wish i was taught on set and not just self taught.

and you'd actually be surprised in a college setting how bad technique can get
alot of guys would destroy french grip to the point where our principal snare player threatened if he saw another person use french grip hed kick em out of the studio haha

Im so glad i have a great teacher (well really 3 but one is a mentor). its a great way of teaching some of the peices are pretty poor but what can ya do ?

I love teaching, i hope i can get more students but because of the freakin "credit crunch" no one wants lessons.

I would KILL someone hahaha FRENCH GRIP joke.

Rotation 4 wrote:haha wow thats a really great way of teaching.
i kinda wish i was taught on set and not just self taught.

and you'd actually be surprised in a college setting how bad technique can get
alot of guys would destroy french grip to the point where our principal snare player threatened if he saw another person use french grip hed kick em out of the studio haha

haha... in 7th grade I played like that a lot and my friend kept telling me that it wasn't a real grip. He also says that German grip, American grip and French grip don't matter in the least.

Dave-the-drummer wrote:Over here in N.I. we have a few boards ABRSM, TRINITY, and Rockschool!
There are grades 1 to 8 (1 being beginner 8 being pro-level) then beyond that you have your diploma's in performance and teaching etc.
ABRSM and TRINITY deal with keyboard percussion, timpani, snare and concert cymbals.
Rockschool deals with drum kit.
Im working on my grade 5 xylophone and timpani and Grade 8 drum kit.

The grades basically incorporate lots of styles and techniques into your playing:
Grade 1 is like an introduction to your instrument, keeping time and basic groove.
Grade 2 adds some fills and applies rudiments etc to the drum kit
Grade 3 more complex grooves and use of syncopation. Broader range of syles now being covered. HH foot more prominent role.
Grade 4 (same as 3 just slightly harder)
Grade 5 intermediate level, complex grooves and odd time signatures becoming more prominent, more ghost notes and quick bass drum patterns. Fills are more elaborate.
Grade 6 HUGE STEP UP FROM GRADE 5!! Advanced grooves and more complex time signatures, elaborate technical fills, all rudiments have now been covered. Alot more styles have been covered.
Grade 7 similar to grade 6 really
Grade 8 Very technical and intricate, all limbs being used freely, technical complex grooves using tasteful cymbal work and stick changes throughout pieces, more styles covered!

Hope that makes sense.

EDIT: Also the higher you get in the grades the more chance you get to play your own thing, e.g. solo or improvised/extemporised sections are incorporated into the peices.

are there books?

sjman409 wrote:

are there books?

Yea of course! Its a book of the sheet music, rudiments and quick study peice and a CD of the tracks with drums, without drums and no click, without drums and with a click, some listening/ear tests.

Contrary to the way my snare is setup (angled away from me), I never play traditional grip. I've tried a lot, but I just never liked how it felt. Sure, it takes some getting used to, but I don't feel the need to learn it, blah blah blah. I only play matched grip. It's just more than comfortable to have my snare set up like that. I don't like the way it feels/plays when it's flat, anymore.

oh i see,
sorry, i only meant to use your snare as an example.

oh and i love teaching to, its just really fun to share what you know and watch kids just start out wondering how to hold sticks and then suddenly be asking about polyrhythms.

Skinny. wrote:Contrary to the way my snare is setup (angled away from me), I never play traditional grip. I've tried a lot, but I just never liked how it felt. Sure, it takes some getting used to, but I don't feel the need to learn it, blah blah blah. I only play matched grip. It's just more than comfortable to have my snare set up like that. I don't like the way it feels/plays when it's flat, anymore.

This is essentially exactly my feeling. Although I don't think my snare is at quite the same angle, it's still angled for ease of rimshots, but I don't think i'll ever play traditional grip permanently. It's fun to mess around with, but in the end it's not for me.

I'd say it's 75/25 for me. trad grip more.
If I'm playing busy music with more fills and stuff, then I'll use matched.
But for just grooving and jazz I'll use traditional grip.

My right hand plays french grip on the rides for a lighter sound. and french on the floor tom also for ease.

I typically play both, but as of late i'd say it's about 75% traditional and 25% matched.

Trad just never happened for me at all, i mean i totally get what Jojo mayer means when he talks about all that stuff about the right and left side of your brain, not symetrical blah blah blah but matched just works for me.
If i had a ride set up like J's 20" vintage bliss then maybe i would go in between french and german grip to make it more comfy but atm, i have no cymbals there so its all german.
Also my snare is pretty much table top flat, i think its like angled at about 3 degrees away from me but thats just my stand can't get any flatter haha

American matched, snare flat.

I play probably about 40/60 traditional/matched. My traditional is getting alot better now, and I'm playing more and more songs with my band using trad. I have my snare flat, no matter what grip I'm using. I don't do many rimshots, and when I need to do them I'll use matched.