hand technique with marching vs kit play

[beatsMcGee]

has anyone noticed that when watching videos/tutorials about how to play a marching snare drum that it contradicts a lot of the stuff said about how to hold a drum stick and how to strike a head that is said in other works such as the Jojo mayer instructional video? or at least it appears that way to me. Jojo talks about keeping space between thumb and fore finger vs marching trying to close that space.

i am referring mostly to the way that marching bands hold the stick. I always am trying to better technique as most people do, and obviously the snare soloists have amazing chops, but i wonder how much of those chops could be converted to kit play with much less rebound then found on a snare.

here is a link to some videos on marching style that i am referring to:

http://youtube.com/results?search_query=marching+snare+drum+&search_type=

also I've seen drummers like Carter Beauford who appear to hold more a French grip while playing and the dude moves around the kit effortlessly...BUT...the grip described in a lot of marching videos keeps the wrist at a flatter angle or at most a 45 degree angle. has anyone ever gave this much thought, cause like I said earlier I'm always trying to discover the best and more effortless techniques.

Also a lot of the time it seems easier to keep your thumb on top in a more French grip while only using your fingers, but when you hold the stick as directed in marching videos it makes it hard to use fingers because there is nothing on top of the stick (as your thumb is in a more french style grip).. i hope this made sense..

[FourOnSix]

well, the most applicable techniques from marching drums would come from the tenors(quads), and they use the thumb up french style of drumming that you refer to. but there are going to be inherint differences in the technique, just because it's a completely different playing surface.

[maddrummr]

As said before it is completely different playing. There is a great deal of rebound on a marching drum compared to your set. The closed space provides more control. Although, my instructor for my High School line told us that some lines (Cavaliers) are loosening up a bit to fatten the sound.

All Drum Corps lines focus on unity and uniformness. The open space could also create some areas that take the "uniform" out of the stroke therefore making the line look/sound different than it should.

[drumbuddy105133]

well, the most applicable techniques from marching drums would come from the tenors(quads), and they use the thumb up french style of drumming that you refer to. but there are going to be inherint differences in the technique, just because it's a completely different playing surface.

Tenor players do not play in french grip. you must be thinking of timpani. Both grips can be used to play timpani, it depends on the sound you want. On tenors, the thumb may be turned up slightly when moving around the drums, but they are never played full thumb up. It may seem slightly obvious, but I play tenors on my high schools drumline.

beatsMcGee, it depends on the playing, as said before. You just need two different techniques.

[Matt]

I'm glad someone brought this up, because it is a problem I have been dealing with lately.

I marched snare drum in high school for four years. Our technique involved using a closed space between the thumb and index finger. The backs of our hands (or just our right hands when using traditional grip) were basically parallel to the ceiling. Stokes were controlled using mostly the wrists, with help from the fingers, and occasionally the forearms when appropriate. We were taught to play "through the drum." I developed the ability to not be dependent upon rebound, so that I can control a double stoke roll on pretty much any surface. All fingers always were to stay on the sticks, except in the case of a buzz roll. We were not necessarily taught to play using counterproductive muscle tension; however, our strokes were very much controlled, with the default stick tip position to always be just above the head (strokes were "control" strokes by default).

I am now about to be a senior in college, so it's been a while since I've played marching snare. However, those techiques I learned in marching band have always been a part of my basic hand techique. My drumset technique, however, has naturally evolved into a much looser, more undefined (often kind of lazy) set of techniques. I do fine on my own. My chops are fine and I don't usually have problems with pain. However, I started teaching private lessons about a year ago, and I don't want to steer kids wrong, but I've realized it's really hard to teach kids a "right" technique. I've got the JoJo Mayer DVD, and I read many posts about technique on here all the time, but there are always so many contradictions (arguments for/against pillows, stroke types, etc.). I think it does come down to differences in application (concert v. marching v. set, etc.) Some of the things people have said in this thread have helped clear up some of these differences for me, so thank you to the previous posters.

[thesilentnoise]

i marched in my highschool band for 4 years,
one year on cymbals, bass, tenors and snare.

i was always taught to play through the drum.
i used to take lessons, but i dont remember ever covering the subject.


in regards to the discussion about tenor(quad) technique.
just like everything there are different ways to achieve the desired effect.
you can play with a french grip, my old tenor line actually experimented playing that way for a while.
i have bill bachmans quad logic book
(which is a great book btw, he also makes a rudimental one for anyone whos interested)
and he states that playing in the matched grip is the most ergonomic way to move around the drums.


if anything marching with drums strengthens your back.
where else do you march around with 30+ lb tenors on your back for 3 hours straight.

[caddywumpus]

marching technique tends to be tighter and more controlled. This allows the line to look more uniform and sound more uniform. If you play with this technique on a non-Kevlar head, you'll notice a "choked" sound when compared to a freestroke/Gladstone/Moeller stroke, which allows the energy to transfer to the head and "open" the sound up. Also, try both strokes on a cymbal for different sounds.

Which is better for drum set? I prefer to have them both at my disposal, along with others, and be able to get a variety of sounds from a kit, from just my hands.