Trad Grip Group!

Red Menace · #1 05-06-2011, 12:31 PM

Finally started a group for us traditional grip players. Someone dug up an old thread where I remarked as to why we didn't have such a group and it got me thinking...

Please join up and let's have some spirited discussion.

http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/group.php?groupid=90

BTW, Happy Cinco de Mayo

...carajos

Red Menace · #2 05-07-2011, 02:00 PM

Join up! We'd love to have you.

Ian Williams · #3 05-07-2011, 10:27 PM

Igual para tí hermano!...bueno aquí en Venezuela se celebra el Domingo 08 de Mayo (día de las madres)...vergación!

Good job by creating the Traditional/Orthodox grip group!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Menace

BTW, Happy Cinco de Mayo

...carajos

#4 05-11-2011, 02:02 AM

I am so there! Atleast halfway there anyway...

Deathmetalconga · #5 05-11-2011, 09:27 PM

Great idea for a group. I joined.

jaszdrummer · #6 05-11-2011, 09:53 PM

Excellent idea for a group. New to this official forum so please excuse any newbie mistakes.

Bo Eder · #7 05-11-2011, 10:01 PM

Can you join if you don't use trad grip all the time?

Red Menace · #8 05-11-2011, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bo Eder

Can you join if you don't use trad grip all the time?

Yes but only if you wear the Mickey gloves and twirl your sticks ;)

Bo Eder · #9 05-12-2011, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Menace

Yes but only if you wear the Mickey gloves and twirl your sticks ;)

That just ain't gonna happen ;)

Chazz · #10 05-12-2011, 02:18 AM

Okay - Cool, sound like a great idea!!

Muckster · #11 05-12-2011, 08:32 PM

Great idea for a group. I'm in.

Jeremy Bender · #12 05-22-2011, 05:56 PM

After originally playing matched grip in high school and studying classical percussion, I went into the US Navy band. At the U.S armed forces school of music, I started an interest in trad. grip from watching some of the other students who were there.

I saw Buddy Rich play a couple of times as well as Louie Bellson. I was hooked! There's just something about trad. grip that I like. Esp. for brushes and regimental style playing, it just feels right to me.

jaszdrummer · #13 05-25-2011, 08:40 PM

Historical question for the group, and lets go big and wide on this shall we:

Who, Why, When and possible Where was this grip invented?

Remember, keep a historical slant to the answer. In other words how old is this grip, who initially began its use, where did it originate etc.

Enjoy, I await responses.

jaszdrummer

Zickos · #14 05-25-2011, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaszdrummer

Historical question for the group, and lets go big and wide on this shall we:

Who, Why, When and possible Where was this grip invented?

Remember, keep a historical slant to the answer. In other words how old is this grip, who initially began its use, where did it originate etc.

Enjoy, I await responses.

jaszdrummer

I know it was used as far back as the 1700's or even the 1600's in military bands. Further than that I don't know.

Jim G · #15 05-28-2011, 05:20 AM

Learned how to play using the traditional grip back in the 1960's. Tried playing with the matched grip but was never comfortable - just never felt "right" to me.

Jim

Pollyanna · #16 05-29-2011, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaszdrummer

Who, Why, When and possible Where was this grip invented?

Sorry, I felt compelled ... better clear my trollish self off now; I play matched.

bobdadruma · #17 05-29-2011, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pollyanna

Sorry, I felt compelled ... better clear my trollish self off now; I play matched.

Don't feed the troll! :)

8Mile · #18 05-29-2011, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pollyanna

Sorry, I felt compelled ... better clear my trollish self off now; I play matched.

Notice he's playing matched!

Pollyanna · #19 05-30-2011, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobdadruma

Don't feed the troll! :)

Ta for the tidbit, Bob!

Yep 8-Mile, by my reckoning matched would be the most traditional grip ... but you wild and crazy young 'uns came in with your fancy new grip and then had the audacity to call it "traditional" :)

aaajn · #20 05-30-2011, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pollyanna

Sorry, I felt compelled ... better clear my trollish self off now; I play matched.

This guy is at risk for tendonitis. That would be terrible.

8Mile · #21 05-30-2011, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pollyanna

Ta for the tidbit, Bob!

Yep 8-Mile, by my reckoning matched would be the most traditional grip ... but you wild and crazy young 'uns came in with your fancy new grip and then had the audacity to call it "traditional" :)

Haha. Oops, I guess I'm a bit slow and I missed the actual joke. Well played.

jaszdrummer · #22 05-30-2011, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zickos

I know it was used as far back as the 1700's or even the 1600's in military bands. Further than that I don't know.

Excellent! It goes even farther, reaching back into the 1500's. Military drummers employed this grip as did Drum and Fife bands of that era. All used what method or system of playing traditional grip which was then passed down from generation to generation for 500 years plus?

jaszdrummer

mandrew · #23 12-23-2011, 01:10 PM

I joined! great idea for a group!

drumgeek93 · #24 12-29-2011, 07:18 AM

I have been a blinded player, and I have found the light. lol. I have always been an open handed player, and I recently switched to right handed and playing traditional. Its one of the best decisions I've made in drumming. It has a whole completely different feel (better IMO) when grooving.

gish · #25 01-01-2012, 01:30 AM

Hello everyone. I've been playing for about 24 years now, primarily as a matched grip player. I've been very busy the past few years with several local bands, but have since quit all my bands to focus more time on family. I've also decided to use some of that time to do something I've always wanted to do, which is to really get into developing my traditional grip playing. I've been working hard at it for several months, and its really getting comfortable. I'm getting around the kit better every day (which was the biggest challenge, for a while there I was ok playing grooves, but when it was time to leave the snare and go around the kit for a fill...oh boy!). Ben Sesar (drummer for Brad Paisley) wrote a great article in Modern Drummer a few years back detailing his switch to trad, and its been a great reference guide for me. He states in this article how he plays with a different flair with traditional, and how he feels like he's in alignment with the history of the drumset and the great players of the past, and I feel it too. I'm really enjoying my journey into traditional grip, and its re-kindled my love for the drums. So many of my favorite players are trad grip players, and its becoming more apparent to me every day why they favor this grip. Looking forward to learning more from the contributors to this thread.

PQleyR · #26 01-01-2012, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaajn

This guy is at risk for tendonitis. That would be terrible.

He's got less fingers than usual, for one thing.

Pollyanna · #27 01-04-2012, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PQleyR

He's got less fingers than usual, for one thing.

For which he surely deserves credit!

I was wondering what you'd be posting on a trad grip thread, given that you're obviously on the dark side. Okay, I'm a matched grip ring-in too though, like many, I switch to trad for brush sweeps.

Below is another who thrived despite his finger-challenged cartoonhood ... if we cartoonists wanted to take the trouble to get all the details right we'd be proper artists :)

Arky · #28 01-05-2012, 11:18 AM

I like trad grip also. I took up trad grip next to matched almost from the moment I started playing (practicing) drums - 16 months ago. It took some time until it felt comfy and I'm still in this process - only recently did rolls start to feel acceptable. When I'm grabbing my sticks I would first choose trad grip automatically, then after some playing switch to matched to remember there is such a thing, and because some things feel different with matched and I want to do both. One benefit I can't have with matched (apart from the unique feel of trad grip) is the embellishments/rebound/ghost note control, it just feels so much more "finesse" than matched. I'd say I'm playing/practicing traditional grip about 70% of the time, with 50% of that as left hand lead or isolated left hand (to get my left hand up vs. my right hand).

I also like playing Moeller w/ trad grip a lot. I play a lot of left hand lead w/ trad & Moeller, it's so much fun. Moeller feels so differently with matched grip. For pure fun I'm sometimes experimenting with right hand trad grip, or both hands trad. I was shocked to learn that although the motions were quite awkward at the beginning my right hand has so much more power than my left - some stuff happened right away or at a tempo I needed months to achieve with my left hand.

My biggest problem with trad grip is when I'm imitating getting around the drumset - no full kit yet, I'm doing this with various pads for now. I do have a Roland V-Kit for temporary use and it's clear that working on a pad is one thing, playing around the toms is another story. I need to develop more feel/control with trad grip when playing with my arms in a more extended way, when moving across toms. Haven't done this a lot yet.

Pollyanna · #29 01-18-2012, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arky

My biggest problem with trad grip is when I'm imitating getting around the drumset

Surely, no trad grip thread is complete without this video :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0V4Aqs2D48 :)

Aside from the laugh of Buddy creating his matched grip straw man, the vid really shows how to get around the kit with trad.

iamjohn · #30 01-18-2012, 02:46 PM

Count me in. I'm a trad grip devotee.

jackie k · #31 01-21-2012, 12:44 AM

I use the tradtional grip. For me it give me better control of the sticks.

audiotech · #32 01-21-2012, 08:15 AM

I was taught the traditional grip many, many years ago, in fact my dad's opinion was that any other way was wrong. Now a days I play traditional about 90% of the time mixing in match and open hand the other 10%.

When I taught my girlfriend to play, thirty some years ago, it was the traditional grip. She does revert back to the match grip sometimes while playing double bass though.

Dennis

KirbyM · #33 07-08-2012, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pollyanna

Surely, no trad grip thread is complete without this video :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0V4Aqs2D48 :)

Aside from the laugh of Buddy creating his matched grip straw man, the vid really shows how to get around the kit with trad.

For those who know the stories about Buddy Rich, this video is comical for two distinct reasons:

#1 - Buddy used the matched grip many times in his career. You can see it in videos
from the 1940's up through 1987. I have personally seen him use the matched grip
many times.

#2 - Buddy used to state that he never made mistakes. There is a real obvious blunder in
the video. He even says the "s" word while recovering from the boo-boo !!

Ian Williams · #34 07-09-2012, 12:29 AM

Nothing against your dad... Sorry to say but that's a narrow minded concept.

Quote:

Originally Posted by audiotech

I was taught the traditional grip many, many years ago, in fact my dad's opinion was that any other way was wrong.

audiotech · #35 07-09-2012, 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian Williams

Nothing against your dad... Sorry to say but that's a narrow minded concept.

That's OK. Since my dad passed away about fifteen years ago, if I could bring him back, I would let you tell him yourself. Things have changed significantly since he first taught me the traditional grip 52 years ago.

Dennis

dmacc · #36 07-09-2012, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by audiotech

I was taught the traditional grip many, many years ago, in fact my dad's opinion was that any other way was wrong......
Dennis

My Dad also taught me and told me the same.. Up until his death he still asked me my I played matched sometimes and told me I was crazy for doing so.

Anthony Amodeo · #37 07-09-2012, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmacc

My Dad also taught me and told me the same.. Up until his death he still asked me my I played matched sometimes and told me I was crazy for doing so.

all the old timers felt that way

and I love that they did

there was a certain charm to the old school guys that just doesn't exist anymore

Largactyl · #38 08-02-2012, 10:23 PM

Started with matched for a couple of years but switched to trad (perhaps about two years ago) because it looks cooler and for no other reason. Haven't looked back.

Anthony Amodeo · #39 08-02-2012, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Largactyl

Started with matched for a couple of years but switched to trad (perhaps about two years ago) because it looks cooler and for no other reason. Haven't looked back.

because it looked cooler?

hmmm....very interesting

Arky · #40 08-02-2012, 10:56 PM

It does look cool. Many think that trad is just more 'sophisticated' than matched, and this is probably right.

To me, apart from looking cool(er), it's...
- feeling great and comfy (once you're used to it).
- a great alternative to have (and to use whenever I feel trad would suit a situation better).

So that makes 3 reasons altogether - enough to learn it.
(I'm also playing trad grip with my right hand / left = matched for the hell of it every now and then.)