Beginner Series 1: Get a Grip!

Going over the basics of matched and traditional grip.

[@howardmanley3388]

Thank you for replying to my question.....much appreciated..

[@ChuckBarchuk]

Absolutely!

[@porsupollo9349]

Thank you very much. your videos are really helpful, finally i understood how to properly hold the stick using traditional grip.

[@ChuckBarchuk]

You are absolutely welcome my friend. Good luck to you.

[@yoni2406]

very helpful explanation! thanks!

[@ChuckBarchuk]

My pleasure.

[@johndiraimo1444]

Great stuff Chuck. Very clear instruction.

[@plus9rey305]

Thanks for the great vedio. I have seen some drumers lie their stick behind the first joint of the ring finger. What do you think about it? Thanks again.

[@ChuckBarchuk]

Thanks for the comment Jiahui. Yep what you mentioned is totally fine. I do that as well sometimes. There are several fulcrums one can use. This video is mainly directed at beginners so I didn't want to throw out too many options upfront.

[@howardmanley3388]

Hi chuck I really have been learning a lot from ur videos so thank you for sharing them with us, I did notice that you said that you are a traditional grip player , so my question is why do you start your students off in a match grip rather than a traditional grip?.thank you Howie

[@ChuckBarchuk]

Hey Howard! Simply put because its easier. Its easier to focus on one technique for both hands as opposed to two different techniques; one for each. I often have difficulty getting my students to practice regularly so increasing the work load doesn't make sense for me. There are exceptions however such as with my marching band students. Personally I learned traditional right out of the gate and have played it as my main grip my whole life thus far. My matched grip is quite solid too and I do use it more often nowadays. That being said if a student really wants to play traditional grip then I'm more than happy to teach it to them. It simply requires a bit more dedication. It's quite popular as you can see. My videos on traditional grip have the most views of any video I have on my channel. So its appeal is still alive and well. Cheers.

[@hingginchu]

One question. At what angle should your sticks be when playing the matched grip? A lot of people do it at a perfect 90 degrees angle but I always found that to be a little awkward. Instead of a straight ward up and down motion, there is a little bit of sideway twist pivoting around the knuckle to one's index finger. Therefore, I always play with sticks at a 60 degrees angle. Is it wrong?

[@ChuckBarchuk]

Hi my friend, sorry for my delayed response. Going for more of a 90 degree angle is a default way going about it. But if doesn't feel right then don't do it. 60 is probably fine. You just want to make sure that the angle of the stick compared to the head isn't too great. But at the end of the day, do what feels comfortable. Be blessed.

[@hingginchu]

Thank you for the prompt response.

[@XDRUMINAT0R]

When u say practice for awhile at 5:52 How long would that be?

[@ChuckBarchuk]

Hey bud, thanks for the question. Practice that motion until it feels comfortable and where you feel like the stick is rebounding. You should be relaxed and not squeezing the stick too tight with the fulcrum. Also the palm of your hand should be facing to the right when the stick is down and facing upwards when the stick is up. The idea here is once you add the fingers around the stick it should feel exactly the same as when they were off the stick. Hope that helps. Cheers.