How to hold drumsticks: matched grip, traditional grip and the stroke
The grip photos are from the Hal Leonard Drumset Method, Book 1, by Kennan Wylie and Gregg Bissonette. It shows matched and traditional grip from the front and from above, and its later beats and fills all start from that hold.
Before the first beat, a drum teacher checks how you hold the drumsticks. A stick held too tight sounds choked and tires the forearm within minutes, and one held too loose wanders off the center of the drum. A good grip lets the stick bounce back off the head, so the wrist only has to start each stroke.
This guide shows how to hold drumsticks in matched grip and in traditional grip, step by step, with the photos from a drum method. It compares the German, American and French versions of matched grip, then teaches the rebound stroke and the controlled strokes that every later pattern uses. A table of common grip mistakes and a short practice routine close it out.
To hold drumsticks in matched grip, pinch each stick between your thumb and the first joint of your index finger, about four to five inches from the butt end. Rest the other fingers loosely around it and keep the backs of your hands mostly facing up. Point the sticks at about a 90-degree angle to each other, and let each stroke bounce back off the head on its own.
How to hold drumsticks: the short version
Run through these five steps with a stick in each hand.
- Find the balance point, the fulcrum, four to five inches from the butt end, and pinch the stick there between the thumb and the index finger.
- Curl the other three fingers around the stick so they touch it without squeezing.
- Turn your hands so most of the back of each hand faces up and the thumbs almost face each other.
- Bring the tips together in the center of the drum or practice pad, the sticks at roughly a right angle.
- Lift the stick with the wrist, throw it at the head and let it come back up by itself.
Teachers differ on the details and hands differ in size, so let comfort settle the rest once the fulcrum is secure, the back fingers are loose and the stick rebounds freely.
Find the fulcrum
The fulcrum is the point where the stick pivots in your hand. In the Hal Leonard Drumset Method it sits between the thumb and the index finger, about four to five inches from the butt end of the stick. The book offers a second option: pivot between the thumb and the middle finger, which gives a looser feel. Either way, the fulcrum is the one part of the grip that stays secure, because it controls where the stick goes.
The two photos show both options: on the left, the thumb presses the stick against the index finger; on the right, the pivot moves down to the middle finger.
To find your own spot, hold the stick loosely between thumb and finger and let it drop onto a pad or snare drum from a few inches up. Move the pinch an inch toward the tip or the butt and drop it again. The point where the stick bounces most freely is your fulcrum. Mark it with a piece of tape or a felt pen, as the book suggests, so your hand finds it the same way every time.
Matched grip, step by step
Matched grip means both hands hold the sticks the same way. The method calls it the more basic of the two main grips. Once the fulcrum is set, the rest of the hand follows these points:
- Keep the thumb on the side of the stick.
- Curve the tip of the index finger slightly around the stick. A pointed index finger loses control.
- Rest the back three fingers gently on the stick. They should neither hang in the air nor grasp the stick, which would stop it from moving freely on the rebound.
- Turn the hands so the thumbs almost face each other and at least 60 to 70 percent of the back of each hand faces up.
- Close any air pocket. A gap between the stick and the web of the hand means the thumb and index finger have drifted apart.
- Hold the sticks at close to a 90-degree angle to each other, with both tips in the center of the drum or pad, striking the same area.
The book’s photos show the finished grip from the front and from above. From the front, look at how the back of the hand faces mostly up. From above, look at the angle between the sticks and where the two tips meet.
The pressure of the hand changes the tone as well. A tight hand chokes the sound, so the drum rings less and the stick stops dead. A hand that is too loose lets the stick flap and wander off the center.
German, American and French grip
Matched grip has three common versions. They differ in how far the hand turns and in which part of the arm moves the stick. The angles below are approximate, and teachers vary them.
| Grip | Palms | Angle between the sticks | What moves the stick | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| German | Face the floor, flat to the drumhead | About 90° | Mostly the wrist | Power and full, loud strokes |
| American | Turned about 45° between flat and upright | About 45–60° | Wrist and fingers together | General playing; the usual starting point |
| French | Face each other, thumbs on top | Nearly parallel | Mostly the fingers | Fast, quiet playing such as ride cymbal patterns |
The method’s grip, with most of the back of the hand up and the sticks near a right angle, sits between German and American. Many drummers move between them as the music changes. A loud backbeat on the snare pulls the hand toward German, and a quick ride pattern turns it toward French.
Traditional grip
Traditional grip holds the left stick differently from the right. It comes from military drummers, who carried the snare drum on a sling at an angle across the body. With the drum at that angle, an underhand left hand was the more comfortable hold. Many drum set players still use it on a flat drum, and it stays common in jazz and marching snare.
In traditional grip, the right hand holds the stick exactly as in matched grip. The left hand takes five steps:
- Place the left stick in the webbing between the thumb and the index finger, about four inches from the butt end.
- Let the middle part of the thumb touch the index finger between its first and second joints.
- Rest the stick on the ring finger, near the inside of its first joint. The ring finger is the bridge of the grip, and the index, ring and little fingers lie parallel to each other.
- Tuck the little finger under the ring finger, where it cannot push the bridge out of place.
- Curve the middle finger over the top of the stick. Some teachers keep it straight up instead.
The first two photos show the stick lying in the webbing and then the hand closed around it, with the stick resting on the ring finger.
At the drum, the left palm faces inward and the left stick comes in at a lower angle than the right. Compare it with the matched grip photos above: the right hand has not changed.
The left-hand stroke in traditional grip
The left hand in traditional grip moves by rotating the forearm, the way you turn a doorknob. Start the stroke with the left palm facing inward. As the wrist turns, the inside of the palm turns to face upward. Keep the motion relaxed, and practice it without a stick first, as in the book’s two photos.
Players who use traditional grip often tilt the snare drum slightly down, away from the body, so the left stick meets the head at a comfortable angle. Matched grip players usually keep it flat. Snare height and angle are part of how you set up the drum set.
Matched or traditional: which grip to learn first
Start with matched grip. Both hands learn the same motion, so whatever the right hand works out, the left can copy. The Hal Leonard method teaches it first, and it works on every drum and cymbal of the kit.
Learn traditional grip later if the music calls for it. Jazz drummers and marching snare players use it most. The left hand needs its own technique, the forearm rotation, and it takes longer to feel even with the right. Many players learn both and switch between them by style.
How to make a rebound stroke
The method names only two kinds of stroke. In a rebound stroke the stick bounces back off the head by itself; in a controlled stroke you stop it after it strikes. The rebound stroke comes first, and the book uses it for every exercise until accents and flams arrive.
Relax before you pick up the sticks. Stretch your arms out in front of you, palms down, and wiggle your wrists as if waving goodbye. Keep that looseness when the sticks go back in your hands. Then play the stroke:
- Start with the wrist in the up position, as in the first photo below.
- Throw the stick toward the center of the head with the wrist, and let it come back up freely. Do not pull it back.
- Play from a height of at least nine inches above the drumhead.
- Use plenty of wrist and avoid jabbing with the forearm.
- For a bigger sound, throw the stick faster.
The book compares the motion to dribbling a basketball: the hand gives the ball a push and the floor sends it back. The three photos show it without sticks, so the wrist is easy to see: the wrist up, the hand after the throw, and the turn of the left hand in traditional grip.
The book’s first exercise is the rebound stroke with “8 on a hand”: eight strokes with the right stick, then eight with the left. Listen for sixteen strokes that sound alike, each from the same height.
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Controlled strokes: down, up and tap
A controlled stroke holds the stick a little more firmly at the fulcrum so you can stop it, without squeezing hard enough to stifle the movement. Drummers use these strokes to play an accent next to quiet notes, and the book splits them into three:
- Down stroke: after the stick strikes, freeze it about two to three inches above the head. Squeeze slightly at the fulcrum, then release on impact. Squeezing too tight makes the stick shake or buzz on the head.
- Up stroke: let the stick drop onto the head for a soft note as you turn the wrist up for the next accent. Think of lifting with the back of the stick first.
- Tap stroke: a soft note from two to three inches above the head, with very little wrist.
The down stroke ends with the stick stopped just above the head, ready for a quiet note.
In the up stroke the wrist rises first and the tip trails behind it, pointing down at the head.
Accents, flams and the sticking patterns built from these strokes belong to the drum rudiments. Get the rebound stroke even first, since the rudiments start from it.
Common grip mistakes and how to fix them
A grip problem is usually audible before it is visible, so check this table when a stroke sounds choked, uneven or tired.
| Mistake | What it does | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Squeezing the stick with the whole hand | Chokes the sound, kills the rebound, tires the forearm | Hold firmly at the fulcrum only; the back fingers just touch the stick |
| Back fingers hanging in the air | The stick flaps and loses control at speed | Rest all three back fingers lightly on the stick |
| Holding the stick too close to the butt or too far up | Off the balance point, the stick bounces less and is harder to control | Drop-test the stick and mark the fulcrum with tape |
| Pointed index finger | The stick slips sideways in the hand | Curve the fingertip around the stick |
| Air pocket between stick and hand | The fulcrum loosens and the stroke wobbles | Close the gap between thumb, index finger and stick |
| Sticks almost parallel, or crossed | The tips hit different spots and the sticks clash | Open the angle to about 90° and aim both tips at the center |
| Jabbing from the forearm or elbow | Stiff, loud strokes that tire the arm fast | Lead with the wrist and let the stick come back on its own |
| Pulling the stick back after the hit | Short, dull strokes and uneven heights | Throw and let go; the head sends the stick back |
| One hand lifting higher than the other | Uneven volume and a wobbly tempo | Watch both sticks reach the same height; practice in a mirror |
Tension causes most of these, and it builds over a session without your noticing. Stop every few minutes, shake out the hands and check the grip again. Pain that stays after you stop playing is a reason to rest and have a teacher look at your hands.
Practice the grip so it sticks
A practice pad is the best place to learn a grip, because it is quiet and every uneven stroke is easy to hear. Practice in front of a mirror for the first weeks, so you can see the back of the hand, the stick angle and the stroke height without looking down. Play the 8-on-a-hand exercise against a metronome at 60 BPM and raise the tempo only when every stroke sounds the same.
The first lesson of the method sets the goal: the left stick and the right stick should produce the same sound. A listener with closed eyes should not be able to tell which hand is playing. The book’s recording of its first sticking exercise is a good model. Start with its first line, four strokes with the right hand and four with the left, and listen to how evenly both hands play.
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Every photo on this page comes from the grips-and-strokes pages of the Hal Leonard Drumset Method, Book 1, by Kennan Wylie and Gregg Bissonette. The book builds on this grip and stroke page by page, from the first sticking exercises to beats and fills in many styles, with demonstration and play-along audio.
Once both hands sound alike, move on to sticking patterns. The drum rudiments start with single and double strokes and build from there.
Frequently asked questions
How far up should you hold a drumstick?
About four to five inches from the butt end, or roughly a third of the way up the stick. That is the fulcrum, the point where the stick bounces most freely. Find it by dropping the stick on a pad from different points, then mark it with tape.
How tight should you hold drumsticks?
Firm at the fulcrum between thumb and index finger, loose everywhere else. The back fingers rest on the stick without squeezing. If the stick stops dead on the pad instead of bouncing, you are holding it too tight; if it wobbles or flies off center, too loose.
Should a beginner learn matched or traditional grip?
Matched grip, in most cases. Both hands make the same motion, so they develop together, and it works on every part of the kit. Add traditional grip later if you play jazz or marching snare, or if a teacher asks for it.
Why do drummers use traditional grip?
It began with military drummers, who carried the snare on a sling at an angle, which made an underhand left hand the easier hold. Drum set players trained that way kept it, and many jazz drummers still prefer it for detailed snare playing. On a flat snare, matched grip can play the same music.
How do left-handed drummers hold the sticks?
In matched grip nothing changes, since both hands hold the sticks the same way; only the leading hand differs. Many left-handers set the kit up as a mirror image. In traditional grip players differ: some turn the right hand under on a mirrored kit, others keep the left hand underhand.
From grip to groove
Start every session with the 8-on-a-hand exercise on the pad, in front of the mirror and against the metronome. When both hands hold the grip without your thinking about it, take it to the kit and play your first beats with the easy drum songs.
With a relaxed grip in both hands, the Hal Leonard Drumset Method, Book 1 takes you to sticking patterns, then to your first beats on the kit.
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