Help with French grip technique

I think ost of us except use them all. French, American, German... it's just names of gradations. Plenty of various possible neuances within each.

I guess Billy C mainly plays French. Simon P, too.

In schools I know what is taught is about placement. French for ride and FT. B

It obviously depends on what you're trying to do, though.

If I'm playing a bell pattern it'll probably be more German and if I'm doing something bouncy, similar to standard ridework on the hats I'll play French the to get the bounce on the first finger. Whatever gets the job done the easiest and most comfortable.

We all got different hands, too. Wrist angles and such are personal.
 
Great suggestion Tony and it works moving hand to floor tom too -flipping the wrist into angled French on tom. Just naturally flip your wrist into the next object. I noted the other day (on another thread) with the triplet you posted a video (actually you just describe it I think). You used your left hand on mounted tom, and alternating right hand snare to floor tom, then kick. I've always used my left on snare and just moved my right hand to mounted and floor (sometimes with a smaller kick I'd add two beats on floor so one synchronized with kick hit)and essentially the same as you were doing. I started thinking about "Why would you do that" and the ergonomics of it struck me too (easier less arm motion)-as you describe now-all makes sense to me. It's not that you can't do it either way-but if a better more ergonomic way-why not. I also agree with comments we use all grips-and I move my hand up and down a stick too to change my fulcrum-so I dislike those rubber grips.
 
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If we practice with all the grips, and there are at least five, then we can switch on the fly when something becomes uncomfortable, and switch back etc.
 
Odd-Arne Oseberg said:
...it's just names of gradations.
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Exactly.

thebarak said:
If we practice with all the grips, and there are at least five, then we can switch on the fly when something becomes uncomfortable, and switch back etc.
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I see that as one of the big advantages of learning different grips. If my hand gets tired or starts, cramping, I can change my grip and get some relief.

But we still haven't answered the original question, how to play French grip without discomfort? I'd like to know, because I find French uncomfortable to play for long, yet I see some drummers who use nothing but. I'm wondering if it relates to how heavy a person is playing. Maybe some of us are just trying to get too much volume out of French grip?
 
thebarak said:
If we practice with all the grips, and there are at least five, then we can switch on the fly when something becomes uncomfortable, and switch back etc.
Click to expand...

we don't "switch" we play drums

there is absolutely no way to play a drum set and be affective at all using one "grip"

we use every single one of them that people for whatever reason attached names to ... and then some ... we have to

if you are consciously switching "grips" there is an issue ... this should happen constantly and completely unconsciously
 
pt3407 said:
I’ve posted about wrist pain before in my ride cymbal hand. Initially I thought it was because I was playing with too much tension but I discovered that it’s because I’ve been playing with my wrist moving in a vertical motion if you were to look at the hand in French grip, which is not the way the wrist is meant to move. I’ve heard about usin wrist rotation in French grip to get the strokes in, not wrist extension/flexion. How do you execute French grip with wrist rotation?

https://youtu.be/v_K5sDtPz64
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The following two videos may prove useful for your inquiry regarding french grip and the utilization of pronation and supination. My technique can be used exclusively as one main technique for both percussion and drum set application. Hope that helps!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hpiIKvBkDg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvonGvAhE9s
 
I always thought French grip was finger driven with only secondary or consequential wrist movement.

I naturally default to using French when I'm riding. I like the sound of my riding better with French than American or German. Something about my thumb on top makes it sound more awesome to me than the other grips. Plus my arm/wrist/hand naturally goes to a position when I ride where French grip is the easiest to do. My ride is over my floor tom. It's the only place where I use French. Strangely, I use German for my bellwork. I just prefer the sound of my palm over the stick when I bell. It's all about the tones each grip makes for me.
 
So basically, French grip is the one here labeled "posh".

DRHhhTsXcAAtP5A.jpg
 
WhoIsTony? said:
we don't "switch" we play drums

there is absolutely no way to play a drum set and be affective at all using one "grip"

we use every single one of them that people for whatever reason attached names to ... and then some ... we have to

if you are consciously switching "grips" there is an issue ... this should happen constantly and completely unconsciously
Click to expand...

I would agree that our body decides which way our hand is when we play at different angles.

However, I would still leave room for distinct decisions to change grips. Traditional to matched is an easy one. Doing that weird index finger out Brazilian grip would be another.

I think thinking 'Okay, he is the bell part, time to whack the ride this way" counts as consciously thinking about it even if you don't specifically think "German grip" or whatever.

I would say you just go to whatever grip without thinking it 99% of the time assuming you practiced that grip in question.
 
larryace said:
I always thought French grip was finger driven with only secondary or consequential wrist movement..
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That’s the common misconception - it is a way to play French, but not the only way. Think of it as French motion, then a grip. I often use a middle finger fulcrum with French - the exact same way I hold the sticks for German. I simply turn my wrist inward to get to French.

If I took a snapshot of my hands during a song one hand might be German the other playing French. Then later into the song both will be American, or left will stay German and my right will switch from French to German on the ride, etc. I have no idea that I’m doing it I work out the possibilities on a pad or snare drum, then forget all about it on the gig. I’m just navigating around, the easiest, most natural way my hands will go.
 
WhoIsTony? said:
...if you are consciously switching "grips" there is an issue ... this should happen constantly and completely unconsciously
Click to expand...

That's the goal, but most of us have to spend some time practicing each grip slowly with exaggerated motion before figure it out.

And some of us left-brain types never get past "stinkin' thinkin'" (an overly self conscious and analytical approach).
 
pt3407 said:
I’ve posted about wrist pain before in my ride cymbal hand. Initially I thought it was because I was playing with too much tension but I discovered that it’s because I’ve been playing with my wrist moving in a vertical motion if you were to look at the hand in French grip, which is not the way the wrist is meant to move. I’ve heard about usin wrist rotation in French grip to get the strokes in, not wrist extension/flexion. How do you execute French grip with wrist rotation?

https://youtu.be/v_K5sDtPz64
Click to expand...

Greetings! When playing wrist in French you'll want the wrist to rotate instead of going up & down. The hand should be cocked out relative to the forearm like a Miss America wave. This gives you a way bigger range of motion from the wrist. As you get lower/faster/more fingery the hand would get cocked out a bit less as you want the wrist in a more relaxed neutral position as the fingers do the brunt of the work.

Also from watching the video I'd advise you to work the free strokes where they are pure dribbles--you'd never close the fingers down on the stick such that it touches the inside of your hand (think of the palm as the brakes--don't hit the brakes when it's time for flowing dribbles).

All the angles relative to wrist/finger ratios & such will become automatic defaults once they're trained. You'll naturally go from one thing to the next without ever having to think about technique in the moment, your body will know the most effective way to do something and will do it that way.
 
I personally often switch from a more overhand grip to french grip for the ride for a couple reasons:

- Easier to get more finger motion and wrist rotation (turn the wrist almost backwards) vs up and down wrist motion. I think I prefer this cuz I like having the ride off to the side kind of over the floor tom and I can't get a good overhand grip over there without a lateral angle in the wrist.
- I don't have to move my whole arm out. Just flip the wrist over as the hand moves toward the ride

No idea if this is right or wrong, it's what is working for me so far in the short time I've been at it.
 
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