Fingers vs Wrists

drummingman

Gold Member
A lot of guys switch to fingers when doing fast single strokes. But fingers seem to only be good for the snare and the ride (or the top of the hats). I as just thinking about the fact the when a person goes to the toms,unless they are tuned very tight, using the fingers in a continual bouncing motion really does not work that well (with the expectation of doing an open close for a double stroke which works well for like 1 double stroke).

The question is what do you all think about just buliding up very fast speed doing single strokes using just the wrists? Or, do you feel that switching to fingers is better for fast singles? If you do what do you do when you go to a low tuned tom?

Me looking into mike magini got me thinking about this because of the fact that mike is very fast using just hos wrists.
 
A lot of guys switch to fingers when doing fast single strokes. But fingers seem to only be good for the snare and the ride (or the top of the hats). I as just thinking about the fact the when a person goes to the toms,unless they are tuned very tight, using the fingers in a continual bouncing motion really does not work that well (with the expectation of doing an open close for a double stroke which works well for like 1 double stroke).

The question is what do you all think about just buliding up very fast speed doing single strokes using just the wrists? Or, do you feel that switching to fingers is better for fast singles? If you do what do you do when you go to a low tuned tom?

Me looking into mike magini got me thinking about this because of the fact that mike is very fast using just hos wrists.

I change the technique I use depending on the surface I'm playing and the sound I'm trying to get. On slack-tuned toms, I apply a lot more wrist to get doubles and multiple strokes. If I've got my toms tuned up for a jazz gig, I can get away with using more fingers and utilising more rebound. Primarily, however, I use my wrists for long groups of fast singles. For Ruffs, etc. I'll often just use fingers for the grace notes and I think it gives the rudiment a nice sound because the finger strokes have a lighter texture than the wrist stroke on the end.
 
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Bottom line is use whatever works for you. We are all different and some people feel more comfortable using fingers, others wrists, others a combination, so whatever way gets results for you is what you need to find
 
As Larry said, there is no right or wrong. I use wrists, fingers, or a combination, depending on the circumstances. I just recently sat in with a band...the drummer tunes his drums by hands...he likes them so loose he doesn't even use a key, just uses his fingers to get them to where he likes them. Due to the venue, I had to stick to almost all fingers, and had no problem with it. My fingers are probably faster than my wrists for singles, regardless of how it is tuned.
 
Well, a couple of things.

1. fingers should work well on any tom. it's just a question of how well do you know the small changes of speed and strength you need to keep it consistent.

2. i'm not saying i like it, i actually hate it, but it is possible to do duble stroke [real duble strokes] on the toms.

3. i personally reach 16th notes in 200 bpm with wrist, and prefer the control i have with it on fingers.
no, you don't REALLY need finger technique, but it's nice to have everything you can have it terms of technique.
i would recomend practicing it, but it's defenetlly not a "must have".
 
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