Questions for people who play both matched and traditional grip

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Philaiy9

Junior Member
1. How do you split your practicing between the two grips? Do you only practice one way and break out the other when needed? Or do you practice both equally?

2. Do you change your snare angle depending on the grip you will primarily be using or keep it the same?

Thanks in advance, am curious to hear your responses. I play pretty much everything traditional grip with the snare tilted away and to the right, making rimshots easy for both hands. I've periodically worked on my matched grip but it always falls by the wayside--hoping to build that back up. It would be nice to be adept in both like Gadd or Colaiuta.

Please do not turn this into a "one grip is better than the other thread".
 
I used to play both but arthritis limits me on traditional. Trying to get matched together. I do definitely like different angels for the different grips. I found the more expensive snare stands that rotate are great for quick angle changes.
 
On a Pad "practice" (I barely use that word anymore) Trad grip
On the set what ever feels the day
bear in mind as I always mention my Matched is Purdie Grip "butt end out' left

I don't do two tips out in matched hey I'm not perfect (I used to when I was 17)
and at times -at set- Butt end out left in Trad
I like my left to have that 'butt" weight - either grip
But "practice" Pad both Tips out Trad

it seems Trad practice- if I had to wager- translates to and aids butt end out matched "performance"
@Philaiy9
Like- ideas developed with Trad - translate well to matched- not exactly -but close enough for jazz fusion funk lazy whatever..

so I recommend - to try- practice pad trad then perform -at set- either depend on day drapes weather crowd feeling etc etc
 
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I started Trad over 50 years ago. Since I started playing drumset 15 years ago, I play matched grip and also use that for pad workouts. The only time I tend to use Trad is when I play/practice jazz. I seem to intuitively switch to Trad for that. I am not saying that one must use Trad for jazz. But that is what works well for me to nuance all the expressive subtleties that jazz requires -not that great at it, but I try to be an authentic voice when I do play it.
 
snare angle @Philaiy9 is a non-issue- look for example at Gadd- but even more so no need to accommodate 'trad' -
look a me here- that's the angle for both grips;
no need to fret that- near level doesn't screw up either grip

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not even a 5 degree tilt to the right- more like a 2 or 2.5 or 1 degree
You don't want to 'screw up your matched for the sake of trad
and once you 'feel' that angle with trad you'll keep it there..

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Forgot to mention... my snare is flat/level with no angle. I can use either Trad or matched grip without detriment.

Last fall I gigged on a house kit and the snare stand had a slight angle -it just wouldn't go level. I played matched grip without issue, even though there was a slight angle to which I was not normally accustomed.
 
I play both grips. I started with trad many many many years ago, and that was my main grip for years. I used matched some, mostly to get around a big kit more easily, but I never really developed that left hand in matched. No finesse.

However, the last few years I have been having some tendon pain when I play trad. It's not from playing, but it does hurt when I play. For that reason, I devote most of my practice time to catching my left hand matched grip up to my right. I still play both grips. It has been an interesting journey, and beneficial. It slays me, though, that I'll work hours and hours to get my matched left to get to a certain goal (say, Texas shuffle at 180, with good clean backbeat accents, for 5 minutes). Then I'll try it with trad in the left, and though the pain makes the endurance part hard, it feels soooo much easier and more natural. Lol I guess those formative years are just deeply ingrained.

As for snare angle, I don't find that to be an issue at all. I've always played with it level l/r, and angled ever so slightly toward me. Playing trad on a level snare in drum corp prepped me for that. Be careful not to dip your left shoulder, though. It's an easy habit to get into, but no bueno for the back.
 
I started on drum set with traditional b/c it is how my dad played, and he was my first teacher. I added matched grip in school band for bells, tympani etc. Continued with traditional for marching band. The marching band experience gave me speed, power and strength in my traditional. Drum set gave me touch.

Now - 40+ years later - I mostly play mathced grip for rock, punk and metal. I float between traditional and matched for jazz, and oddly enough, play brushes only matched. I can't get the "stewing" thing to feel right with traditional and brushes.

I evenly split my time between both. If I rep warm up X for 10 minutes on matched, I will do the same on trad. Even with my marching band chops stuff I still practice, I split the time evenly

I don't change the angle of my drums...so I play traditional and matched on a mainly "flat" matched set up. Mostly b/c from song to song in a setlist, I might switch grips. While growing up, dad did not have his drums tilted too much, so I sort of always lived in that more "flat" world. Same with marching band...we had drums on carriers, so the drums were flat there too.
 
1 - I find that for me if I can play something trad grip then it’s pretty easy to play the same thing matched. So if I was working on double paradiddles, for example, I’d practice trad, then expect to have it down instinctively when I tried it matched.

2 - I set the snare pretty flat , and don’t change to suit the grip.

:)
 
Huw Owens said:
1 - I find that for me if I can play something trad grip then it’s pretty easy to play the same thing matched. So if I was working on double paradiddles, for example, I’d practice trad, then expect to have it down instinctively when I tried it matched.

2 - I set the snare pretty flat , and don’t change to suit the grip.

:)
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Quick question regarding #1. Did you initially learn trad grip only? Or have you always played both?

I ask because I am pretty much exactly the opposite. 🤣 Everything comes easily in trad grip, and requires effort in matched.
 
I have set grips for set playing
for marching and jazz, I use traditional
and for any other things like rock drums or like Latin drums, I use matched.
 
lemme answer that..

Started with trad grip as a baby on private snare drum lessons but really that was just reading exercises;
When Drum set came in on my own- I went full matched grip. For 5 years -bands (one band) and many gigs. Then long after that began incorporating trad back in
So it wasn't really "how I started" it was an 'arriving' at later on
Stroman said:
Did you initially learn trad grip only?
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I started out playing traditional.... started lessons when I was 10 and there was really no debate about it at that time. That was '65, in late '72, I started transitioning to match. Meaning playing whatever I could that way to capitalize on what I see as its power and mobility advantages - and switching back to trad for things I wasn't yet able to express with matched.

Anyway that went on for a few years - with me gradually needing to switch less and less. No longer needing to switch to trad for some jazz playing or concert snare drum type playing. Leaving me where I've been for about the past 40 or so years - playing matched for everything except when playing brushes (it was just never something that I felt needing "fixing" - at least grip-wise.)

Personally there's never seemed to be any reason to maintain both - unless I wanted to play snare in a drum corp. A ship that I let sail right past me when I was 16/ :)
 
I learned traditional 50 some years ago. In my twenties I switched to match grip. I use traditional grip with a Cajon (both hands) and occasionally when playing Jazz. I do not practice traditional very often and my snare drum is always flat.
 
Yea Trad is not just for"Marching"
Trad is for some outside elvin things some Art things some soul back beat things
the inference it's "just for march drum corps" strikes me as very non inclusive ; )
an authentic vintage Blue Note feel when needed
 
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jda said:
lemme answer that..

Started with trad grip as a baby on private snare drum lessons but really that was just reading exercises;
When Drum set came in on my own- I went full matched grip. For 5 years -bands (one band) and many gigs. Then long after that began incorporating trad back in
So it wasn't really "how I started" it was an 'arriving' at later on
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I was kinda directing that question at Huw, since he said if he could play it trad, he could easily play it matched.

But it is interesting to hear how peoples' learning and development progressed. In your case, jda, it sounds like you had a mix pretty early on. Those 5 years of experience with a band would have been formative, for sure.
 
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Huw Owens said:
1 - I find that for me if I can play something trad grip then it’s pretty easy to play the same thing matched. So if I was working on double paradiddles, for example, I’d practice trad, then expect to have it down instinctively when I tried it matched.

2 - I set the snare pretty flat , and don’t change to suit the grip.

:)
Click to expand...
That's interesting, I definitely can't play a lot of my traditional grip chops with matched. There's definitely the sense that it would take less time to get it down with matched than it did with trad, however.
 
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