This is a basic lesson in holding the drumsticks for beginning drum students. As a drum teacher, I’ve always felt it’s important to make things simple. I usually find that once a student has a degree of success with something basic, they have the confidence and desire to move on to more complicated concepts. With that in mind, if you’re a brand new drum student, just starting to play the drums, I recommend that you start with the matched grip, also called the German grip. The simplest way to describe the matched grip is that you hold the drumsticks about the same way you hold a hammer. Now for some more specific instructions. 1. All fingers should be on the stick, allowing for better control of the drumsticks. 2. Hold the stick close to the end, but leave about 1 1/2 to 2 inches of space. 3. Hold the drumsticks in a relaxed manner. Don’t hold them tightly.
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4. Do not extend the index finger. The stick is held between the joint of the first finger and the thumb.
5. The backs of the hands are flat, with the thumb on the side of the stick. If you turn the hands so your thumbs are on top of the stick, that’s called the French grip. There’s nothing wrong with that, but we want to first learn the matched, or German grip. This is a stronger and more versatile grip, especially for beginning players.
French grip. Thumb is on top. Not what we want. 6. The sticks are held at appropriately a 90 degree angle. This allows for the most natural movement of the drumsticks.
The first thing you want to do is become comfortable with this grip. Spend 10 minutes a day practicing slow strokes on a snare drum or practice pad. Read the instructions above daily as you practice so you can develop good stick technique from the beginning and not develop any bad habits.