Helpful Marching Percussion Techniques Part
3:
Tenor Drum-Maintaining
A Proper Grip
by Lee
Hansen
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To
maintain a proper grip, there are a number of things to
consider. First off, Tenor Stands. I am a fan of
“the stands”, BUT
I suggest practicing while wearing the drums more often
than not. As comfortable as stands can be (and believe me I
know) you must get used to moving around while wearing them.
The
second consideration is that your hands and body must be
relaxed, not tense. There is no room for tension in
drumming. You must practice good posture as well as good
technique. For longer rehearsals I think it is OK to use
stands, as long as it is not for the majority of your
rehearsal. |
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The
Match Grip |
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Step
1
Place
a mallet in your hand. Hold onto it by placing your
thumb on the side and wrapping around your index finger,
slightly squeezing between the pad of your thumb and the
first joint of your index finger so there is no gap
between the two. For advanced control, having a nice
seal between your thumb and first finger is mandatory.
This area is called the fulcrum or balance point. Now
wrap the rest of your fingers around the mallet
naturally (don’t forget about that little pinky
finger). |
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Step
2
When
wearing the drums, they should be at the proper height
in relationship to your body size. Your drums should
not be so high that you have to lift up your forearms
to play and not so low that your arms are fully
extended. Either of those to me would be very
uncomfortable. Your drums should be at a height so
that when you lift up your arms from your sides, they
should just naturally be right there. Setting the
wrist can draw the most debate. Some teachers like the
wrist parallel to the ground, some like the thumb
sitting straight up and some people like a variety of
spaces between the two extremes. I happen to be one of
the “in-between” people. I have noticed when the
wrist is parallel, the elbow naturally points out and
when the thumb is straight up and down, the elbow
naturally lays against the body. If you turn your
thumb half way between the two extremes, I find that
to be comfortable as well as natural. Don’t have
your thumb pointing straight up in the air, just a
little so that the top of your hand is not flat to the
sky.
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Step
3
You
must be relaxed. You must be comfortable from
your shoulders down through your elbows, arms
and hands. Start by putting your drums on and
standing up straight (remember good posture).
Let your shoulders relax. While you’re
relaxing, think of your elbows. Where should
they be? Keep your elbows in. They don’t
have to touch your sides, but don’t stick
them out too far. Because you’re relaxing
while doing all this, they should naturally be
just a couple of inches from your sides. Now,
after all that, put your drums on. Stand up
straight, put some mallets in your hands and
RELAX. Lift your arms up over the drums while
the gripping mallets and do a slight wrist
turn outward. |
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I’m
sure there are many different
ways to go about it, but this
is my way and I’ve found it
to work for me as well as my
students. So have fun and
enjoy.
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***Next
time in “Tenor Techniques”
Playing positions and getting
around drums |
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Lee
Hansen is a Professional
Percussionist and a former
Drum Corps International World
Championship Drummer
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©
Express Music Services, Inc.
Not to be reproduced without written
permission from Express Music Services. |
