My Traditional Grip Journey and the Ring Finger

[poco rit.]

I would like to share my experience with traditional grip, in hopes of helping anyone who is trying to learn the grip, because I could not find this type of information myself when I started to learn. Our main topic is regarding the ring finger when holding the stick in traditional grip, and which knuckle should you rest the stick upon. For the sake of the conversation, let us call one grip "the first knuckle grip", and the second one "the second knuckle grip".

I started my journey about 7 years ago simply because I was bored with my playing and wanted to try this traditional whatever grip. At this time, I am very comfortable playing with this grip that whatever idea comes to mind, my left hand can pull it off without me thinking about it too hard. Ya know?

I became obsessed with improving my technique and I hit the pad hard. I bought snare drum rudimental books and played through them in traditional grip. I became obsessed with this endeavor, not unlike George Harrison with learning the sitar. But at the beginning stages of my journey, I became confused as to WHAT THE HECK KNUCKLE AM I SUPPOSED TO REST THE STICK ON???? The books will say to rest the stick on your first knuckle. But I saw guys like Steve Gadd or Virgil Donati who played with the second knuckle grip, but Vinny Colauita and Tony Williams were using the first knuckle grip. But for me, what was natural for my hand at the time was the second knuckle grip. I did not know how on earth it was possible to play with the stick resting on the first knuckle. I just could not do it.

HOWEVER AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, after about 3 years of playing in the second knuckle grip, one day my hand just decided that the first knuckle grip was more comfortable. You see, there was about 4 weeks where I couldn't play drums due to a heavy work load at my then job. When I came back to the kit, my hand magically held the stick in the first knuckle grip. Now to this day I cannot play with the stick resting on the second knuckle. It has to be first knuckle grip.

Has anybody here had this same experience with your hand deciding to switch knuckles on you? And which type of knuckle grip do you personally use?



tdlr: You can rest the stick on any knuckle of your ring finger that you want.

 

[mydadisjr]

Solution:

Switch to matched grip and quit giving us the finger.

 

[Matched Gripper]

I would like to share my experience with traditional grip, in hopes of helping anyone who is trying to learn the grip, because I could not find this type of information myself when I started to learn. Our main topic is regarding the ring finger when holding the stick in traditional grip, and which knuckle should you rest the stick upon. For the sake of the conversation, let us call one grip "the first knuckle grip", and the second one "the second knuckle grip".

View attachment 605388 View attachment 605389 View attachment 605390 View attachment 605391

I started my journey about 7 years ago simply because I was bored with my playing and wanted to try this traditional whatever grip. At this time, I am very comfortable playing with this grip that whatever idea comes to mind, my left hand can pull it off without me thinking about it too hard. Ya know?

I became obsessed with improving my technique and I hit the pad hard. I bought snare drum rudimental books and played through them in traditional grip. I became obsessed with this endeavor, not unlike George Harrison with learning the sitar. But at the beginning stages of my journey, I became confused as to WHAT THE HECK KNUCKLE AM I SUPPOSED TO REST THE STICK ON???? The books will say to rest the stick on your first knuckle. But I saw guys like Steve Gadd or Virgil Donati who played with the second knuckle grip, but Vinny Colauita and Tony Williams were using the first knuckle grip. But for me, what was natural for my hand at the time was the second knuckle grip. I did not know how on earth it was possible to play with the stick resting on the first knuckle. I just could not do it.

HOWEVER AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, after about 3 years of playing in the second knuckle grip, one day my hand just decided that the first knuckle grip was more comfortable. You see, there was about 4 weeks where I couldn't play drums due to a heavy work load at my then job. When I came back to the kit, my hand magically held the stick in the first knuckle grip. Now to this day I cannot play with the stick resting on the second knuckle. It has to be first knuckle grip.

Has anybody here had this same experience with your hand deciding to switch knuckles on you? And which type of knuckle grip do you personally use?



tdlr: You can rest the stick on any knuckle of your ring finger that you want.

I spent a few years learning traditional grip. IMO, the stick should rest along the side of the fingernail of the ring finger most of the time. It can vary depending on what you’re doing.

 

[jmpd_utoronto]

I spent a few years learning traditional grip. IMO, the stick should rest along the side of the fingernail of the ring finger most of the time. It can vary depending on what you’re doing.

Should we trust this advice given that your username is, um, “Matched Gripper”?

 

[Tama CW]

52 yrs of traditional grip only before trying matched the past 4-5 yrs. I never dug into which knuckle in all that time....nor did my 1st instructor give me any preference to it.
In what I've learned since in switching grips back and forth frequently is to get the fingers involved in helping to move the stick quickly....like the fingers of a violinist. Whatever
you do with the LH traditional grip....those fingers need a way to flutter the stick rapidly. Buddy and others like him knew how to do this well by rolling with just their left hands.

With that 1st knuckle grip I lose all sensitivity in trying to massage the stick with the top 2 fingers. I'm a 2nd knuckle guy, and maybe no knuckles as the stick swings free for
stronger hits. I think the most stick speed and fine control of that stick can be made with the top pad of the first 2 fingers and upper knuckle. If you want a more clear example of
this rotate your hand over with palm facing downward. Now those top 2 fingers sit on top of the stick and can push down more easily with gravity. Over the past 6 months
i've worked on rotating the left hand back and forth from normal to palm down position....while keeping the rudiment going. The more those fingers can push on the stick,
the more control and speed you can get with just fingers/hand. Interesting that my "weaker" left hand in the palm down grip is faster than my stand right hand grip. So for finer
work like in jazz it comes in handy. I always wondered why some drummers pointed the stick down with traditional left hand. Now I understand some of the reasoning. And you'll probably
also find if you try that palm down grip on your right hand....it already knows how to flutter the stick with the top 2 fingers.

Stewart Copeland invented his own traditional grip with stick (LH) between 1st and 2nd fingers. He was able to get a more forceful strike this way for his heavy back beats.
And for me, I never really thought much about how my left hand worked....UNTIL....I tried to bring my left hand under matched grip to do "exactly" might right hand fingers are doing.
Eventually applied that new knowledge to my LH fingers using traditional.

 

[Matched Gripper]

Should we trust this advice given that your username is, um, “Matched Gripper”?

Maybe!

 

[Seb77]

I've never heard of the stick resting "on" a knuckle. For me, if I play trad., the stick might sometimes lie between first and second knuckle, but it might often not lie on the fourth finger at all. The only constant is grippng the stick with the thumb.

 

[mebeatee]

I’m going to throw a wrench in the works....
I often play “trad” grip with the stick (and always this way with brushes) between the index and middle finger....not the middle and ring fingers....lol.
My wrist angle is the determining factor....
bt

 

[piccupstix]

I would like to share my experience with traditional grip, in hopes of helping anyone who is trying to learn the grip, because I could not find this type of information myself when I started to learn. Our main topic is regarding the ring finger when holding the stick in traditional grip, and which knuckle should you rest the stick upon. For the sake of the conversation, let us call one grip "the first knuckle grip", and the second one "the second knuckle grip".

View attachment 605388 View attachment 605389 View attachment 605390 View attachment 605391

I started my journey about 7 years ago simply because I was bored with my playing and wanted to try this traditional whatever grip. At this time, I am very comfortable playing with this grip that whatever idea comes to mind, my left hand can pull it off without me thinking about it too hard. Ya know?

I became obsessed with improving my technique and I hit the pad hard. I bought snare drum rudimental books and played through them in traditional grip. I became obsessed with this endeavor, not unlike George Harrison with learning the sitar. But at the beginning stages of my journey, I became confused as to WHAT THE HECK KNUCKLE AM I SUPPOSED TO REST THE STICK ON???? The books will say to rest the stick on your first knuckle. But I saw guys like Steve Gadd or Virgil Donati who played with the second knuckle grip, but Vinny Colauita and Tony Williams were using the first knuckle grip. But for me, what was natural for my hand at the time was the second knuckle grip. I did not know how on earth it was possible to play with the stick resting on the first knuckle. I just could not do it.

HOWEVER AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, after about 3 years of playing in the second knuckle grip, one day my hand just decided that the first knuckle grip was more comfortable. You see, there was about 4 weeks where I couldn't play drums due to a heavy work load at my then job. When I came back to the kit, my hand magically held the stick in the first knuckle grip. Now to this day I cannot play with the stick resting on the second knuckle. It has to be first knuckle grip.

Has anybody here had this same experience with your hand deciding to switch knuckles on you? And which type of knuckle grip do you personally use?



tdlr: You can rest the stick on any knuckle of your ring finger that you want.

If you haven't checked this out yet it's got some pert good closeups of Mr. Weckl's technique

 

[bigbeat]

I started my journey about 7 years ago simply because I was bored with my playing and wanted to try this traditional whatever grip.

It's just 'traditional grip.' I have used it exclusively for 50 years, and the stick rests between the two joints of my ring finger and moves around depending on my stroke.

 

[poco rit.]

It's just 'traditional grip.' I have used it exclusively for 50 years, and the stick rests between the two joints of my ring finger and moves around depending on my stroke.

That traditional whatever bit was just me being facetious.

Very interesting how long you've been playing for and that you play with the stick on the second joint of your ring finger. So from your description, your ring finger does NOT look like this picture? The stick rests on the joint passed the finger nail for you? Is that right?

 

[bigbeat]

Here is my left hand grip. Stick resting on ring finger between the two joints.

 

[Seb77]

You'll want to have the stick touch the soft part between the knuckles, i.e. the middle joint of the ringfinger. The stick should not rest on any joint bone.

 

[luckydrummer95]

Does anyone here know of Greyson Nekrutman? He has probably the most entertaining traditional grip I've ever seen.

 

[Tornado]

Does anyone here know of Greyson Nekrutman? He has probably the most entertaining traditional grip I've ever seen.

Never heard of him.

 

[BoomBoom]

I’m going to throw a wrench in the works....
I often play “trad” grip with the stick (and always this way with brushes) between the index and middle finger....not the middle and ring fingers....lol.
My wrist angle is the determining factor....
bt

My first drum teacher taught me to play that way. Once I stopped taking lessons from him and got in HS band the other guys looked at me sideways so I switched to the between middle and ring finger method.

I rest the stick between the 2 knuckles of my ring finger.

 

[BoomBoom]

I rest the stick between the 2 knuckles of my ring finger.

I need to update this part. I was playing some traditional grip last night. I let the stick rest past the 2nd knuckle.

 

[mebeatee]

Here ya go folks.....

bt

 

[mtarrani]

It's just 'traditional grip.' I have used it exclusively for 50 years, and the stick rests between the two joints of my ring finger and moves around depending on my stroke.

Yep, that's how it works I never paid much attention to how I hold my sticks using traditional grip, which I have played all my life. I tried briefly to learn matched grip, but gave up. Just felt unnatural. The key to any grip is be relaxed and loose.

 

[mtarrani]