Middle Finger Fulcrum

IME, middle fulcrum is the most versatile. When playing matched; French, American, German - can all be played with mid-hand grip.

There are uses for front and back-hand positions, but I Iook at mid-hand as the main position, and front and back as options when needed.

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kettles said:
This:


A while ago I started doing it accidentally on my right hand during rolls. Thinking it was just a bad habit I forced myself back to the "correct" thumb-first finger fulcrum, but now upon seeing this video as well as noticing a lot of other drummers doing it, I've started experimenting with this grip again, does anyone agree/disagree with it? also what are some situations where using one of the two grips be better than the other?
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I don't use the middle finger, because it kept getting me in trouble when I was a kid.
 
Wow resurrecting a thread from 2009!
okay.. so around that time I switched over to middle finger fulcrum based on a Weckl clinic and other sources. Sounded cool.. took a few lessons from a guy that is a world class drummer and it served me well. Loose, relaxed, rebound etc. Fast forward to 2018 and I was shooting a video of me playing.. and noticed my left open stroke was wobbly! Not swinging straight up and down like my right. So i talked to a drummer friend and he instantly got me back onto first finge fulcrum and problem solved!
much better for stick control, finger control and all those fine motor skills I lost with the middle fulcrum.
so now Im a master of both and.. Ill just say.. its a continuum.. I generally use first finger but for really powering out fast rolls around the kit I probbably lean back to the middle and let the sticks fly. But mostly first now as i use fingers more often for precise rolls or rudiment type fills around the kit..
the thing that I never got with middle fulcrum.. is playing a whip cream buzz roll.. its like you just cant get that control from the middle.
 
Stickman said:
Wow resurrecting a thread from 2009!
okay.. so around that time I switched over to middle finger fulcrum based on a Weckl clinic and other sources. Sounded cool.. took a few lessons from a guy that is a world class drummer and it served me well. Loose, relaxed, rebound etc. Fast forward to 2018 and I was shooting a video of me playing.. and noticed my left open stroke was wobbly! Not swinging straight up and down like my right. So i talked to a drummer friend and he instantly got me back onto first finge fulcrum and problem solved!
much better for stick control, finger control and all those fine motor skills I lost with the middle fulcrum.
so now Im a master of both and.. Ill just say.. its a continuum.. I generally use first finger but for really powering out fast rolls around the kit I probbably lean back to the middle and let the sticks fly. But mostly first now as i use fingers more often for precise rolls or rudiment type fills around the kit..
the thing that I never got with middle fulcrum.. is playing a whip cream buzz roll.. its like you just cant get that control from the middle.
Click to expand...
I'm new to this site , so it's all new to me. People are friendlier than where I came from. Drum Dame contacted me and wished me a happy birthday. Very nice. Hello everyone, I think I've found a new home. As for this discussion I use a index finger fulcrum, but the other fingers are definitely used for control.
 
Just to clarify, The continuum I mentioned is kind of a dynamic thing. I use a combo of grips kind of. Ranging from pure fitst finger fulcrum ( where the fulcrum is between thumb and first finger tip - with the other finger tips just touching the stick, or the same grip with first finger and thumb touching the sides of the stick and the fulcrun is kind of teetering on the middle finger 2nd knuckle. The third version is no first finger, just a bit of thumb and middle fulcrum.. lots of bounce but less control. I dont use this much anymore..
 
Just to provide a bit of contrast here, some of the best players in the world use the middle finger fulcrum, and some of the best players in the world use an index finger fulctum. Far more important is that we actually have a functioning fulcrum. One is not inherently better than the other.

For example, Dave Weckl uses and teaches the middle finger fulcrum exclusively. Rick Dior, one of the finest living snare drummers (and a phenomenal kit player to boot) uses and teaches an index finger fulcrum exclusively. It is therefore completley apparent that both can be taken to the highest level, and neither are an obstacle to good technique generally.
 
I should add that I agree with Jonathan... certainly, it's just my opinion that the Middle Finger Fulcrum is "the way to go." Of course there are other fulcrums that successful drummers employ. But the reason I speak so strongly about it is that I've seen it transform the technique of some of my students; consistently, over and over. And the fact that Weckl, one of the greatest to ever play the instrument, teaches it, and that he learned if from Freddy Gruber, speaks volumes to me. I wrote about it in a blog post that you can read HERE
 
Hmm. Interesting discussion. I'm not going to agree or disagree with what is a "better" or more "correct" technique. My fulcrum tends to vary depending on what I'm doing. Almost like it varies from pointer to middle finger dependent on what I need the stick to do (rebound wise). Should we also speak about exactly where to hold the stick? On fulcrum of stick? Behind fulcrum of stick? Ahead of fulcrum of stick? How about left hand trad grip? French Grip? German Grip? Let's also be aware of the fact that as your hands move around the kit, your arms/wrist will most likely rotate to accommodate whatever you're trying to hit/play which will also have an affect on fulcrum/grip.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that its important to be aware of these things in order to progress but strict adherence and teaching of one concept only isn't (in my opinion) the best way to go. To me what's more important is a conceptual approach whereby one is aware of stick mechanics/movements and how that relates to an individuals hands/fingers which differ from player to player. A grip that allows fluidity of movement with relaxation is key.
 
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