Looks so cool ... worth it?

[abe]

I use trad grip for some stuff especialy jazz and sometimes quiet often but I never practice trad. It just feels nice to hold the stick that way.
I saw Jojo playing tune called ''Jabon'' and his left trad. hand is just CRAZY; it looks so COOL. Moeller pull-out accents looks awesome thought maybe I'm not normal and spending to long hours with my drums:) ...
So what do you think: is it worth to spend sometime to really practice grip that I use occasionally?

There isn't many practical reason, right...?

But looks so COOL

[ledzepjb]

Well, you dont really have mcuh to lose if you decide to learn it(exept time)

[jayp]

I practice both matched and tradition(matched is my main grip) and I highly recommend it, I really find it necessary to play trad in jazz I just feel that can get my comping comes with much ease and is easier to control quietly

[jayp]

Eeek sorry double post....

[h3r3tic]

If you're ok with matched, then stick with it. Don't do the same mistake that I did.
Because you can learn other stuff instead of wasting time on learning how to hold the stick in traditional grip...

[Raymond Bloom]

I switched to trad grip as my main grip on 2005 december and I never looked back, my left hand can play things I never even dreamed of!

BUT, you need a really good teacher to show you this grip, because it is so easy to pick up bad habbits if you do it on your own. I was lucky enogh to learn this grip from Jojo Mayer himself, I guess that explains everything :-)

his dvd is an invaluable source for every hand techniqu question yo could ever have

[King Of Drums]

I find it easier do do accents and ghost notes with trad than matched. I use it a lot less in my playing but I don't think it's a waste of time. If you have been playing matched for years and want to switch to trad, I don't know if I'd recommend that because it would take a really long time to get it down. But if you are just starting I see no problem learning both grips. In the long run it really doesn't waste much time.

[Raymond Bloom]

I agree, trad takes quite much time to get it down so your left hand can play the same stuff as your right! Most important - do not stop practicing matched! You'd be amazed how fast is it possible for your hands to 'forget' a technique. After two months of intensive trad grip practice routine I couldn't play matched anymore... needless to say - I was shocked!!

[abe]

What do you think about practicing right hand trad. for acouple minutes each day too.
I'm balance obsessed guy :)

[Raymond Bloom]

I wouldn't advice that, you can position your set-up effortless just for one hand playing trad grip, also there are situations where trad isn't the most usefull technique, for example - playing hi-hats (as the main hand) and ride. Trad grip for me is the asymmetrical way of playing, if your goal is symmetry, trad grip is not for you!

[abe]

I wouldn't advice that, you can position your set-up effortless just for one hand playing trad grip, also there are situations where trad isn't the most usefull technique, for example - playing hi-hats (as the main hand) and ride. Trad grip for me is the asymmetrical way of playing, if your goal is symmetry, trad grip is not for you!

Oh I didn't mean that. I would like to sometimes practice also lefty tradtional: left german, right trad.

[Raymond Bloom]

Oh I didn't mean that. I would like to sometimes practice also lefty tradtional: left german, right trad.
But that won't make any benefit to your matched grip and it's won't add to your coordination also! I'd say it's quite useless idea, but, hey, if you have a LOT of time to practice - why not?! :-)

[abe]

But that won't make any benefit to your matched grip and it's won't add to your coordination also! I'd say it's quite useless idea, but, hey, if you have a LOT of time to practice - why not?! :-)

I don't want to test your patience... :)
But what's then purpose for mainly matched guy to practice traditional anyway?

My idea is this: in case I start to daily practice trad, my left hand would have quiet different feeling in palm because of fingers being trained more versatile. I already feel that because of my occasional trad. grip left hand feel stick in hand differently. It's not only because I'm right-handed. When I just try to play right hand trad. my right hand is very clumsy. So to sum up: I don't want to have one hand that is more versatile then other. Hope it makes sense. Please, don't think that I'm going to practice left and right hand in trad. for hours every day :)

P.S. Guys like Morello and Chapin easily demonstrates lefty trad as well as righty. So they practiced it, I guess!

[Vinnysimmo]

There isn't many practical reason, right...?

I think there is. Traditional Grip is my main grip and i just find it so much more comfortable. I also think it is more controlable, dynamics-wise. The only downside i can think of is that you power may diminish slightly. (this isnt really a problem for me because ive never been a hard hitter.)

My advice would be to go for it!

[Raymond Bloom]

I don't want to test your patience... :)
But what's then purpose for mainly matched guy to practice traditional anyway?

My idea is this: in case I start to daily practice trad, my left hand would have quiet different feeling in palm because of fingers being trained more versatile. I already feel that because of my occasional trad. grip left hand feel stick in hand differently. It's not only because I'm right-handed. When I just try to play right hand trad. my right hand is very clumsy. So to sum up: I don't want to have one hand that is more versatile then other. Hope it makes sense. Please, don't think that I'm going to practice left and right hand in trad. for hours every day :)

P.S. Guys like Morello and Chapin easily demonstrates lefty trad as well as righty. So they practiced it, I guess!
Traditional grip is another ''tool'' in your ''toolbox'', it's a different grip and it offers different possibilities! Like french grip is different from german grip etc

Why I play trad grip? I like it! My philosophy of playing is the same as Jojo and Tony Williams, I love having a left arm and right arm, as Jojo says: ''symmetry is boring'' We are not symmetrical in terms of being right handed and left handed, although our body is almost symmetrical the left side is a bit different than the right side

Of course, if you practice trad grip with your left hand only, your left will be much more comfortable with this grip, but your left hands matched grip won't benefit from that! So there's really no reason to worry about some kind of disbalance between your hands. For example my I can do many things with my left hand with trad grip that I really can't do with matched grip, my right hand is superior with matched grip, but I can't play anything using trad with my right hand! left - trad, right - matched works great.

looking from a different angle - if you practice trad and matched with your left hand, and matched with your right, left hand will be more versatile, because you'll be able to use more grips with it, then again, there are no practical reasons to practice trad with your right hand, because of the position of the drum set-up

I hope it makes sense!

The only downside i can think of is that you power may diminish slightly.
Once you learn the Moeller whip, power is not an issue with trad grip anymore! The key of getting power with trad grip is correct fulcrum, correct angle of the stick in your hand and holding the stick in the ballance point!

[abe]

Traditional grip is another ''tool'' in your ''toolbox'', it's a different grip and it offers different possibilities! Like french grip is different from german grip etc
... there are no practical reasons to practice trad with your right hand, because of the position of the drum set-up

Acctualy it's very logical.
Only issue would be if you enjoy playing open handed and you like trad. feel on snare drum!

[abe]

Another question: does traditional grip really doesn't affect overal control over hands?

We brush our teeth, write and do many other things whith right hand. And when we start to drum we feel right hand's superiority over left mainly because of those different thing we do every day with right hand. Genetics isn't that big factor. If you condition your nervous system and parts of brain, you can become ambidexterous. Or if you stop one hands development by not using it or very little, you can even change from lefty to righty and verse. ( I've read that in ancient Middle Eastern cultures there were troops whose right hands were tied from early childhood to make them left handed)

Hope I won't make anyone angry with my too complicated thinking :)

[Raymond Bloom]

Another question: does traditional grip really doesn't affect overal control over hands?

We brush our teeth, write and do many other things with right hand. And when we start to drum we feel right hand's superiority over left mainly because of those different thing we do every day with right hand. Genetics isn't that big factor. If you condition your nervous system and parts of brain, you can become ambidexterous. Or if you stop one hands development by not using it or very little, you can even change from lefty to righty and verse. ( I've read that in ancient Middle Eastern cultures there were troops whose right hands were tied from early childhood to make them left handed)

Hope I won't make anyone angry with my too complicated thinking :)
yes, but to move the stick in trad grip you need to rotate your hand, in matched grip it's a wrist turn (although I'm using a hybrid rotating motion with my right hands matched grip too!) if you practice trad with your right hand, it will improve the wrist rotation, but why improve that if you never use this movement with matched grip? Things like Moeller whip, Gladstone technique is what will dramatically improve your balance, at some point trad grip isn't much different from matched grip, especially in my case, since I use a rotating motion with both - matched and traditional

You need to get a lesson with Jojo or buy his dvd to understand all this concept!

[abe]

yes, but to move the stick in trad grip you need to rotate your hand, in matched grip it's a wrist turn (although I'm using a hybrid rotating motion with my right hands matched grip too!) if you practice trad with your right hand, it will improve the wrist rotation, but why improve that if you never use this movement with matched grip? Things like Moeller whip, Gladstone technique is what will dramatically improve your balance, at some point trad grip isn't much different from matched grip, especially in my case, since I use a rotating motion with both - matched and traditional

You need to get a lesson with Jojo or buy his dvd to understand all this concept!

Well, I must agree.
Also I agree with you about matched rotation! In my thread about Free Strokes I asked does in matched it really involves only wrists pivoting. I was pretty sure that in Morello's video he use little rotation. Many told that Dom teaches free stroke only with pivoting. After spending some time with slow motioned videos of Morello, Chapin, Dom and Jojo, I came to conclusion that no matter what Dom say, there is little rotation involved. Respect to Dom but it's not only pivoting. I made this little video to explain it better.
Sorry for crapy quality. I didn't have my cam with me :( Sorry for my crappy grip as well:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYkXmvKjDa0




I do have Jojo's DVD and it's fantastic. I'm using it everyday :)

Only thing, I was worried about regarding to trad. practice, was disbalance. I don't want to train my one hand more versatile. I know that I won't need that much rotation for my right arm but trad. ''educates'' not only in rotation but also different fulcrum feel, finger motions, and also bit different muscles in palm. I didn't want my left hands differently ''sensative'' palm and fingers make too different overall feel and control when using matched. But I guess it's not such a big deal :)