what grip type do you use?

I use matched grip and apply the moeller technique. it gets the best speed and power for me with the least amount of effort
 
My combinations are:
1. Traditional grip: left hand, French grip: right hand.

2. Traditional grip: left hand, Matched grip: right hand.

3. Matched grip: left and right hands.

4. French grip: left and right hands.

Benefits:
Traditional: quick strokes, dynamic control.

Matched: fast movement on the set, maximum control.

French: fingers control the stick, speed, endurance.

This will guide you:
http://www.rockdrummingsystem.com/un...tick-grips.php
 
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About two years ago I used matched grip with thumbs up. However, because of some lessons I took, I'm now playing palms down and thus seem to be able to use far more bounce. In spite of the 'change', I find myself reverting to thumbs up occasionally, expecially when playing fast fills.
 
I play american matched grip but i really wanna learn open handed and traditional grip !!!!
 
Haha. I'll elaborate.

Generally the lighter the music, the more French grip I use, especially on the ride or hats, and when I start to play more heavily, my hand(s) will turn over more towards German.

Using a matched grip, my both of my hands do what I said above, but when I play using a traditional grip, my traditional (left) hand is like Steve Gadd's grip; far back fulcrum and palm facing kinda upwards. But for both grips, I grip the stick far back and my right hand always does what I said in the previous paragraph.

I also love the Moeller Technique, but I can't really do it with my left hand in traditional style.
 
I generally use German grip, but will occasionally switch my left hand to playing Traditional on the snare (particularly for jazz applications.) I use French on the bow of the ride, but German for the bell of the ride.
 
French and German are hand positions, not grips

In reading the responses, it seems there is a misconception to what a "grip type" is. Many responses mention hand positions, mainly in matched, as opposed to grips.

The only reason the French, American, and German hand positions were named, is that they originated far earlier than the drum set. The French was invented to play a set of two or three timpani, arranged in a horizontal array before the drummer, with wide dynamics. The German evolved to play powerful strokes on a carried drum, under fire, for long periods of time. One drummer, one drum!

But these positions are roughly the same with regards to grip and finger placement, and just represent extremes of wrist rotation!

When drumset playing evolved, with multiple playing surfaces at many angles, drummers naturally used the full spectrum of wrist rotation (for both hands in matched, and for the right in traditional). As teaching practices were refined, it became practical to isolate the two extremes, French and German, in practice. The American was just a name given to a position drummersnaturally go to, in between those two.

Neither the French, German, or American, are grips per se, just points in the wrist's rotation spectrum. In matched, if you have the facility, the left and right will dynamically and independently go through the whole rotation spectrum many times in a song!

In actual playing, if you stick to just one position, you will be doing nothing more than limiting your expression. Those of you that say you play "American" probably have not yet learned either the French or the German positions fully, and therefore your hands have limited options in the moment. If you think you are a "French" player, you have just put a limiting label on your hands. And the same goes for exclusive "German" players.

I write this to open up the thinking for those of you who have labeled yourself in a non-productive way. The goal for me is to empower everyone to practice hand positions isolated, and to play with full self-expression, unhampered by flexibility, or label issues!

Casper
 
A mix of American and French, but my teacher is slowly guiding me towards the 100% American. I can't do traditional and honestly I don't see any reason why I should.

Is there?

The only reason I'm practising it is that it looks great. It's all showmanship, like Jojo said it :-D Ofcourse you can get those chops going with both grips, but it just takes more time with trad. grip in my opinion, simply because fever and fever use it these days, and even fever teaches it. When I first saw a trad-gripper doing a grind-core gig, I was like wow, that just breaks the laws of the physics..

E: What a great post, Casper. I'm not sure why does this thread even exist since every drummer end up using all mentioned grips for the matched grip.
 
I switch back and forth a lot. I play all aspects of percussion.

I use more of a french grip when I play timpani and mallets.

I use american matched grip & traditional when I play drum set. I play mostly jazz, latin, and funk. It is just easier when I can switch back and forth.
 
100% matched grip and Open-handed playing!
position (German, American, French grip) depends on which cymbal/drum I want to hit and depends on the dynamic I'm using.
 
i play matched but i was always taught that you play traditional in the marching bands because the drum is on an angle. seeing as that angle is not there on the drum set why play traditional?
 
Matched grip
I kinda play german grip ! but i do use trad grip alot aswell YEY
 
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