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Matched grip

 
Matched Grip

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Matched grip



 
 
Matched grip is a method of holding drum stick
Drum stick

A mallet or drum stick is an object used to strike drums and other percussion_instrument to produce sound. Some specialized mallets are called beaters, drumsticks, or brushes....
s and mallets to play percussion instruments. In the matched grip each hand holds its stick in the same way, whereas in the traditional grip
Traditional grip

Traditional grip is a technique used to hold drum sticks while playing percussion instruments. Unlike matched grip, each hand holds the stick differently....
, each hand holds the stick differently. Almost all commonly used matched grips are overhand grips. Specific forms of the grip are French grip, German grip, and American grip.

The matched grip is performed by gripping the drum sticks with one's index finger and middle finger curling around the bottom of the stick and the thumb on the top.






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Encyclopedia


Matched grip is a method of holding drum stick
Drum stick

A mallet or drum stick is an object used to strike drums and other percussion_instrument to produce sound. Some specialized mallets are called beaters, drumsticks, or brushes....
s and mallets to play percussion instruments. In the matched grip each hand holds its stick in the same way, whereas in the traditional grip
Traditional grip

Traditional grip is a technique used to hold drum sticks while playing percussion instruments. Unlike matched grip, each hand holds the stick differently....
, each hand holds the stick differently. Almost all commonly used matched grips are overhand grips. Specific forms of the grip are French grip, German grip, and American grip.

The matched grip is performed by gripping the drum sticks with one's index finger and middle finger curling around the bottom of the stick and the thumb on the top. This allows the stick to move freely and bounce after striking a percussion instrument.

French grip


In French grip, the palms of the hands face directly toward each other and the stick is moved primarily with the fingers rather than the wrist as in German grip. This allows a greater degree of finesse, which is why many timpanists prefer French grip. Because this grip uses the smaller and faster finger muscles, this grip is used by single-stroke champions. It also comes in handy for playing fast tempo swing or jazz for the ride cymbal. For louder strokes, the wrist rotates much in the same way as when hammering a nail.

German grip


In German grip, the palms of the hands are parallel to the drumhead
Drumhead

A drumhead is a diaphragm_ stretched over one or both of the open ends of a drum. The drumhead is struck with sticks, mallets, or hands so that it oscillation and the sound resonance through the drum....
 or other playing surface, and the stick is moved primarily with the wrist. German grip provides a large amount of power, but sacrifices the finesse provided by the use of the fingers as in French grip. It is used when power is the primary concern, such as when playing a bass drum
Bass drum

A bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch . There are three general classifications of bass drums: the concert bass drum, the kick' drum, and the pitched bass drum....
. This is also the primary grip for the Moeller method
Moeller method

The Moeller method, or moeller technique, is named for Drum Sanford A. Moeller, as described in his book The Art of Snare Drumming, also called The Moeller Book ....
.

American grip


American grip is a hybrid of the French grip and German grip. The palms of the hands typically are at about a 45-degree angle, and both the fingers and wrist are used to propel the stick. This grip is considered a general-purpose grip by percussionists because it combines the power of German grip with the finesse of French grip. It is used to play everything from snare drum
Snare drum

The snare drum is a drum with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or catgut cords stretched across the a drumhead, typically the bottom....
s to xylophone
Xylophone

The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion instrument family which probably originated in Slovakia. It consists of wooden bars of various lengths that are struck by plastic, wooden, or rubber drum stick#Malletss....
s.