But I had an unrelated question about grip. From watching your videos you seem to use a combination of French and German grips, and I'm trying to develop a style that changes back and forth between these two depending on the application. Do you work on grip a lot or is it more something that just comes naturally? Are there certain situations where you know that one style will sound better than the other?
Basically the approach I'm taking is one I got from one of my favorite drummers: to use French for speed and German for power. Just wanted to get your take on it...
sorry, butting in again.
french for speed? i have never really thought french was particularly good for any technical advantage (though there are as many ways to play as there are drummers). I really use french alot in jazz drumming because less of your hand is on top of the stick, allowing it to rebound quickly for a light touch and i use a slightly turned in (not quite enough to call fully oblique) on timpani (french gives you the light touch for resonance, but i turn over for a little more control and power). i find german great for speed and power because the fingers can generate more power from this position, plus the fulcrum is much stronger this way.
it really comes down to the way your fingers and fulcrum relate to the stick. in german, the fulcrum is well developed, the force from the stick goes into parts of your hands that can take it easily, and your fingers are wrapped well around the stick with a large amount of control and contact. in french, the fulcrum is naturally weaker because it is more open and the majority of the force from the stick is going into you thumb (which can cause problems in heavy hitters over time). your fingers dont control the stick in quite the same way. they are more open which allows the stick to rebound more naturally. i find this harder to control at high speeds for more than just a few bounces. personally, i use german or oblique about 75%-90% of the time (keep in mind, i play a lot of high energy rock). french just gives me a tool for either efficient moving (if you turn your hand from german to french while moving away from your center, you dont have to move as much of your body) or a comfort thing, like if one hand is spending a lot of time away from my center while the other is still in or on the other side of center or if i just need a real effortless rebound off my ride or something. german supplies the power and speed. in jazz, i use french a lot more.
in the end, it really needs to be a subconscious, effortless and natural feeling switch to be effective.
also, ive found over the years ive spent learning in the drum corps and concert percussion fashions after spending almost all my time playing drum set for years, ive found that there are so many little things in a grip that need to be played with to really see what it can do for you personally. how you move on the x and y planes plays very much into what grip you will use, for example. what kind of strokes you tend to use. how tightly do you hold the stick? there are so many details to look at, but over thinking it all will kill the point of switching, which is an ease thing more than anything.
hope it helped.