DU Drummers: What's your favorite grip?

I seem to have gravitated to playing French grip (thumb on top of the stick) on the drumset and German grip (backs of your hands facing up) when playing just snare. I like matched grip; some guys can get good projection out of the weak hand when playing traditional grip, but I'm not one of them. And I like the open-handed style as opposed to crossing my hands.

Most guys I've seen like putting their snare to the right and their hats to the left; my hats are on the right on a remote-pedal stand.

What do you like?

For Snare and Drumset. French Grip for tympani.

:D

I usually set up everything in the traditional fashion, crash on the left, ride on the right, hi-hat on the left.

I always used German grip. I tried French grip from time to time, but had trouble effectively hitting toms and doing an off-hand crash cymbal hit.

When I majored in percussion in college for awhile, they had me playing more on tympani and marimba than on a trap set, so matched grip worked better for that anyway.

I tried the 'Lionel' method of holding two mallets in each hand sometimes, but it's really a trick to use four mallets effectively. I stuck with two mallets when I needed to be serious. Lionel Hampton used to use SIX mallets sometimes -- three in each hand...

Long-time mallet percussionist here. When I was really serious about it back in college I could do the four mallet thing pretty well. Never tried 6 though...wowee.

like, the thing you hammer chicken cutlets with?

xylophone, bells, marimba, vibraphone, etc...basically all those percussion instruments that are set up like a piano. The ones you actually have to be able to read music to play. ;)

I hold the sticks like things I wanna hit stuff with. I guess "French grip" is closest.

Hat, ride, and snare on left. Floor tom and nothing else on right.

As you may have figured out by my post, I am a guitarist.

me too! i play enough drums to suck really bad. kick, snare and high hat with an occasional crash. do not ask for fills if you know what's good for you!

i prefer my strat, but i actually would like to get a little better at drumming.



oh yeah.. french grip.

is best, there is no one correct grip-it's whatever work best for you and your style.

I use open grip a lot, I learned it from the jazzers.

Btw, are you left-handed? What foot do you kick with, left or right?

The remote stand for the hats has a cable running from the pedal to the top-hat drive rod; you can put the hat pedal anywhere you like.

Terry Bozzio uses these, but he uses four hats. Three of them sit on the "other" side of the rack, so they're just for chick sounds.

when you're Terry Bozzio...

Some of his more far out tendencies make me cringe.

I am, but my set's set up like a righty would have it. I play open handed, french and german grips just like you...no weak hand here.

Which makes open-handed playing work so well.

Before he died, that is. I also have to lash my kit to the nearest pillar so that it doesn't get knocked about too much in my violent attack. I prefer people call me a "drummist" rather than a "drummer."

Hats on the right sounds interesting. May try that. Never really felt comfortable on the left.