MAM, your technique looks very good. But hard to tell from just pictures. How do you guys feel about the ring finger relaxing off of the stick on legato strokes? Yes or No and why?

MAM I noticed you said yours never comes off, but I was taught at Cavies to bring it off the stick for fast singles etc.

I did not learn my technique in the Cavaliers. As you can see from my avatar, I was a horn player in the corps. My technique is an amalgam of all of the things that I have read and of the groups I have watched and studied. I'm actually self-taught.

As far as the ring finger coming off, personally I have found that I do not have as much stick control playing that way and my placement accuracy goes out the window. While I might decrease the pressure on the stick during fast singles, I don't let it come off completely.

Yeah Drumdum, I was taught the same way in the Cadets. Seems like I can get another 10 clicks faster on the 'nome doing singles when I relax and allow the stick to come off the ring finger.

We use to do this thing they called "helicopters"... basically it's really fast, really high singles strokes. As a rookie, I really struggled with them, but as I got more comfortable moving with the natural rebond of the stick and not over controlling the upstroke by adding the unnecessary mass of another finger (ring finger) to stick, I got pretty good at it. I teach a version of this to my students - only I call it Extreme Legatos (your standard 8 on a hand, only at about 24"!) It does seem to help kids get more intimately tuned into real legato strokes.

Samething here GarfCadet... our line plays 24 legatos (6 measures of 16th note 24" strokes) to get used to the feel

Basically I use the acceptec traditional grip of BD.
the stick goes through my fulcrum at such an angle so that I do not have a Jeff Queen thing going on (sorry Jeff). My sticks are angle so that I can use the rebound of the drum withou any slicing affect. I have my wrist turned so that my thumb is in a dominant position. I use a bit of arm when I play, making sure that no slicing occurs and that my stick appears to be moving straigth up and down in a natural position.I found that I naturally played a bit wider than orthodox BD tech. and discovered that my fear of cocking my wrist back led to an overcompensation. I learned to slightly cock my wrist back so that when "monkey drumming," my moves more naturally. I let my pinky and ring fingers cock back such that there is no gap between my ring and middle finger. they hang on for the ride but not tightly at all. Just tight enough to maintain controll during fast roll patterns.

<img src="/threads/images/graemlins/70349-busted.gif" alt="" />Edit.....Please Do not Triple Post.....Use the edit button..... <img src="/threads/images/graemlins/70349-busted.gif" alt="" />

Man, so far the best technique Ive seen here is from Middle age Man and CoosCoos. Goodness Gracious guys.

<img src="/threads/images/graemlins/70349-busted.gif" alt="" />Second Edit <img src="/threads/images/graemlins/70349-busted.gif" alt="" />

BTW Middle Age Man, you marched cavies, huh?

PLEASE USE THE "EDIT" BUTTON. The mods tend to get a little grumpy when people double-post..or triple post..lol

<img src="/threads/images/graemlins/70349-busted.gif" alt="" />Grumpy, grumpy<img src="/threads/images/graemlins/70349-busted.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/threads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Taternuts, MAM may not be able to get back to you in a timely manner so I'll answer for him. He marched baritone with the Cavaliers in '93 but has since turned form the dark side and now plays the drums. <img src="/threads/images/graemlins/70341-applause.gif" alt="" />

And all for the better!!!

Worked for me...

I wish I had a scanner at least, so I could get a pic up. I need help on my traddish, but I don't know anybody round here to help...

*EDIT*
"round here" as in local area geographically lol