Giving Matched its Due
I’ve already sung the praises of traditional grip, so now I have to give matched grip it’s fifteen minutes. This probably won’t be fifteen minutes worth of reading so please just read it at a slower pace.
Traditional grip was developed out of necessity. It was created because of marching snare drums that were suspended with a strap. The severe angle prevented the common sense matched grip from being used. So they made up traditional grip which became a marching tradition (this sentence sounds very redundant now that I think about it.) The marching tradition was naturally passed on to the drum-set because the drum-set is a direct descendant of marching drums. Go figure.
So what are the main advantages to matched grip? The one’s you’ll hear about most of the time are, more power, more speed (supposedly,) and more reach/flexibility.
The first and last reasons I wholeheartedly agree with. The one in-between, I’m not so sure.
The flexibility and the reaching aspect of matched grip is by far its biggest selling point. Matched grip allows for the fullest range of motion on both sides of your body, making it a natural choice for people who want to have a lot of gear on their weaker hand’s side.
Matched grip also maintains more of its efficiency then traditional grip when you reach for something like a tom or cymbal. You might notice that most drummers who play a lot of tom grooves (i.e. Danny Carey) choose matched grip. For short fills or even drum-solos this difference is negligible, but if you have to play a set of songs with heavy tom work… it’s quite noticeable.
You can demonstrate this to yourself quite easily. Hold your arms in the position that you would if you were playing the snare drum. Make the striking motion (forearm turn) that you would with traditional grip. In this position, the forearm turn is as good, (by some accounts, superior) to the wrist bending motion of matched grip. Now extend your arm straight out and continue the forearm turning motion. Got a lot harder didn’t it? Do this same thing the hand in matched position. The difference isn’t nearly as bad is it?
The other main advantage of matched grip is power in striking. The combination of the majority of the hand being on top of the stick, along with the grip being positioned behind the fulcrum of the stick, creates a combination that is perfect for powerful strokes.
I could go into the different variations of matched grip, but I’m lazy so I won’t.
Here’s one more thing about the advantages of traditional and matched grip. While the mechanics and physics involved in the different grips will predispose them to a certain advantages and disadvantages, they are not iron clad rules. Depending on the drummer’s inclinations (both inherent and developed) their comfort and technical proficiency with a particular grip can negate or even reverse most of the weak areas associated with a grip. At least to the point where it doesn’t matter when they are playing music. Now if you’re competing in WFD (World’s Fastest Drummer) and you’re trying to squeeze out every hit you possible can, your choice of grip may indeed be the difference between winning and losing.
Bottom line: the reason I wrote these two articles is to point out that, while both grips have their advantages, neither is so advantageous that it makes learning the other a complete waste of time. All drummers (IMAO) should be able to play both.
More tools in the bag = more stuff you can create.
Filed under: Education, Opinion
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