Gladstone technique?

[raymond90]

I've been playing drums for a long time now, and now I want to improve my techniques. I have learned the moeller technique, but this Gladstone technique is absolute unknown for me. I have searched a little bit after this technique, but I haven't yet found som good answers. So can someone tells me what this actually is? Or someone maybe show some pictures which illustrates that technique.

- Raymond

[Jeff Almeyda]

I would rather refer to techniques by descriptive terms than by a person's name. Billy Gladstone was a drummer at Radio City Music Hall and he was a teacher of Joe Morello. He did not invent these techniques named after him. He did develop them to the next level and pass the torch to Morello but he did not invent the technique just as Moeller did not invent the whip.

Dom Famularo's book "It's Your Move" is the only book that I have ever seen that analyzes all aspects of hand motion and codifies it into a comprehensive system. Dom's strength lies in his full panoramic view of drumming and it's techniques and history. He's literally seen it all. I mean from Papa Jo to Marco Minneman.

Basically, "Gladstone" technique is formal motion from the wrist and/or fingers. It's basis is the free stroke and it goes from there. It does not whip like a Moeller, more like dribbling a basketball.

Anytime you're using finger control or doing a free stroke (from low, half or full height) you're using "Gladstone"technique.

Remember there are really only two correct ways to hit a drum: Free stroke: in which the stick is allowed to rebound freely and whipping motion (ala Moeller). Any other way transmits too much stick shock.

[raymond90]

Thanks for answer! (20 characters)

[MrChops]

I would definitely cough up the money and get "It's Your Move". I think it's only $18 on Tiger Bill's Drum Shop.

Anyway, here's a great link for you to start with: http://www.tigerbill.com/drumlessons/buildingmonsterchopsgladstone_part1.htm

There's 3 parts to it, and it goes pretty in-depth as to the basics of the technique.

The next step I would suggest is to go out and get "It's Your Move", or Tiger Bill's DVD, which is coming out soon.

But my best advice to you is, to look for a teacher who was taught this technique by either Joe Morello, or any of his students. A good instructor will only SPEED up the process and point out any flaws you may be doing.

Dom teaches in Long Island, and Tiger Bill teaches in Central New Jeresy. If you have a chance to go to either of them, please do!

[Latin Groover]

try tigerbill.com

20 cha

[Stu_Strib]

Tiger Bill has tons of videos on it. He calls it "freestroke" I think, but it is the same concept. I always found it odd that this type of stick control is named after a person, since this is how I naturally play, never having heard of Billy Gladstone ;-)

[DWDrummer]

is there anyone i can send a personal message with questions about travis barker's techniques/grips?

[Tex12]

Jim Chapin has a video that covers Moeller and Gladstone techniques

[samthebeat]

is there anyone i can send a personal message with questions about travis barker's techniques/grips?

im sure travis uses the same techniques we all use, he is a rudimental trained drummer after all. Like jeff says there is only two ways to hit drum.

[centralzeke]

Jim Chapin has a video that covers Moeller and Gladstone techniques

Well, Jim doesn't really go into the Gladstone rebound technique too much, but he does talk about relaxation and grips. Gladstone = rebound/correct motions.

[jazzsnob]

Jeff brings up an interesting point. A lot of people call things "gladstone technique" but they are really just "not moeller." Including Dom's book and method. All these things base themselves on looseness, rebound, wrist and finger control and little to no arm usage. It's good, but it's not based on Gladstone's GRIP. That's the one major difference, Dom teaches all of Gladstone's methods, but not his grip. But since Dom's methods are pretty modified from Gladstone's, I've always thought he should change the name to the Famularo method or something.


But nomenclature aside, the principle of Gladstone techique is basically a super intensive study of rebound. NO PILLOWS, EVER. Low strokes, endurance excercises, and a specific grip. I think I've posted picture tutorials on how Gladstone taught both matched and tradititional grip. They are as close to how he did it as anyone today, and before you go "hay guy, that grip doesn't look like joe morello's," you need to remember that Joe only studied with Gladstone after ten or so years of study with Joseph Seifck(SP?) and G. L. Stone. He only studied with Gladstone for a year, and they almost surely spent all their time on playing and rebound concepts, not grip. So really, Joe is not the perfect example of Gladstone's grip, which was much more open then his.

The most important thing is the focus on rebound and tone more than muscle and motion, really. Look into Gladstone, look into the grip, but at least try to get the concepts together.

[skaman]

Dave Weckl in his video Natural Evolutin 1 teaches interesting grip on rebound technique. You might check out this DVD too.

[T-1000]

Tiger Bill has tons of videos on it. He calls it "freestroke" I think, but it is the same concept. I always found it odd that this type of stick control is named after a person, since this is how I naturally play, never having heard of Billy Gladstone ;-)

Stu, are you sure you play like this naturally? Because all the professional drummers that use it talk about it like it's the second coming - and they all seem to have to start from scratch in order to learn it - including Tiger Bill.

And many people say that you have to start from 1bpm, and increase by about 1 bpm each year - it seems like a pretty elusive technique to master, but you'll probably be able to play absolutely effortlessly once you truly get it down.

I'm not saying I don't believe you, but regardless, If you use the gladstone naturally, you're one hell of a lucky guy.

[centralzeke]

And many people say that you have to start from 1bpm, and increase by about 1 bpm each year - it seems like a pretty elusive technique to master, but you'll probably be able to play absolutely effortlessly once you truly get it down.

I'm not saying I don't believe you, but regardless, If you use the gladstone naturally, you're one hell of a lucky guy.

You've got to be kidding with the 1 bpm a year thing.

Most people don't do the Gladstone technique naturally and I'd question whoever claims that they do. Can you do singles at 190 bpm plus, with no effort or fatigue? If you had Gladstone down naturally, it wouldn't be very hard to get there, and higher, and then comes finger technique.

Most drummers do try to use rebound as much as they can and not gripping the stick super tight.

[Scatman]

What videos I've seen of Chapin he doesn't use much isolated fingers at all
Everything is a whipping motion with accents
This is really total Moeller