Percussion Methods Outline

1. Basic Technique
a. Grip
i. Matched grip (recommended for beginners): Hold the sticks, one in each
hand, about ⅓ of the way from the bottom of the stick (or with thumb on
flag if using Vic Firth sticks), thumb pad flat and the pointer finger
wrapped around, directly behind it. You should be able to put a needle
through both finger pads, metaphorically. The rest of the fingers gently
wrap around the rest of the stick (think of holding a frog). Thumbs should
be turned in towards each other and stick beads should meet to create a
“pizza slice.” Movement hinges at the wrist.
ii. Traditional grip: Was mainly used when the drum used to be carried in a
sling. This sling would cause the drum to be at an angle, making playing
in matched grip difficult for the left hand. Because of this, the left hand
 hold the stick between the index and thumb, with the palm of the left hand
facing up.
iii. Typical Problems
1. ”clubbing” (holding sticks like clubs)
2. loose pinkies
3. thumbs turning towards ceiling
4. pizza slice is too narrow
5. Stiff wrists
6. large gap between thumb and index finger
7. thumb/index finger extended
b. Modes of Striking
i. Basic series stroke
— Start from the upright position (at least 6 inches above the drum) and
let the stick drop at full velocity. The stick should rebound back to the
starting position.
1. Down Stroke
— starting at the upright position and following through as you
would in a series stroke, but you use the weight of your hand to
end the motion at the taps position (about 3 inches above the
drum)
2. Upstroke
— starting in the taps position, drop the stick to the head of the
drum and, as the stick rebounds, you manufacture the rest of the
rebound to return to the starting position of a series stroke.
ii. Multiple bounce stroke
— performing a normal series stroke, allow the stick to bounce multiple
times on the drum head
1. Buzz
— a multiple bounce stroke, but faster. Buzz should be created by
the velocity that the initial stroke is at and by holding the stick with
the weight of your hand as the stick rapidly rebounds, creating the
buzz effect
2. Double stroke
 — starting with a normal series stroke, allow the stick to bounce
twice while only performing one stroke. Like a multiple bounce
stroke but slower/even two beats
iii. Other idiomatic strokes
1. Accents vs taps
— an accent is performed by putting more force behind the stick
as you drop it to the drum head/raising your stick height by a
couple of inches and then returning to the normal position
— a tap is performed by starting with the sticks about three inches
above the drum head and dropping it to the drum, and then
returning to the starting position
2. Grace Notes
a. Flams
— written as a typical grace note, small eighth note, and is
performed by having one hand in the taps position and the
other in position for a series stroke. You drop both hands
at the same time, and due to the height difference there
should be the slightest delay of the raised hand
b. Drags
— notated with two small sixteenth note grace notes
connected to a primary note. They are performed by using
a double stroke with one hand then playing the primary
note in the other hand
c. Ruffs
— notated with more than two sixteenth note grace notes
connected to a primary note. They are performed by
alternating hands and dividing the ruff evenly within the
length of the primary note. For instance: a 4-stroke ruff
would look like 3 sixteenth grace notes connected to a
quarter note, and would be played as 4 alternating
sixteenth notes
d. Difference between ruffs and rolls
— a ruff is done with single series strokes, just played fast
and leading into the primary note, while a roll is a
 continuous multiple bounce stroke between both hands
that lasts the duration of the rolled note.
iv. Typical Problems
1. too stiff (choking the stick)
2. trying to stroke each note instead of allowing the rebound
3. adding too many/too little rebounds
4. uneven rolls
5. letting go of the stick with back fingers when trying to allow
rebound
c. Position and motion
i. Body position relative to the instrument
— stand no more than 6 inches away from the drum, with feet flat on the
floor and shoulder width apart
1. Proper posture
— stand completely straight while still remaining relaxed. Arms
should hang loosely, with the shoulders bent and arms resting
above the drum around 20 degrees below horizontally.
2. How to determine proper height of instrument
— the tips of the sticks should rest about two to four inches below
the waist when standing with proper posture in front of the drum
ii. Sticking Strategies
1. Alternating/natural
— alternate between hands for each beat. For example, if playing
three quarter notes you would play the RLR or LRL
— most suggested to teach beginners, as it encourages equal
development in both hands
2. Lead sticking (subtraction method)
— assuming you were playing straight sixteenth notes, you would
alternate hands for each note. If the actual rhythm to play was an
eighth note followed by two sixteenth notes, then for Right hand
lead you would play it RRL and for left hand lead you would play it
LLR.
— tends to favor dominant hand and leads to development issues
in non-dominant hand
 — often used in marching bands
3. Steven’s system / efficiency of motion
— using a mixture of the two sticking strategies so that you have
to do as little movement between beats as possible
— let the stick do the work for you
2. Striking implements
a. Usual possibilities
— concert snare sticks, marching snare sticks (tip or butt of the stick)
b. Unusual possibilities
— hand, other types of mallets
c. Implements that should NOT be used
— anything that could damage the head of the drum
d. Manufacturers of implements
— Vic Firth, Cooperman, Innovative Percussion
3. Description of a good sound
a. General definition for all percussion
— impact is on the center of the head of the drum, fully dropping the stick and
letting the weight of it fully hit the drum. Should produce a clear impact sound
with a slight ring.
b. Particular considerations for this instrument
i. Normal struck sound
— when performing a series rebound stroke, the sound rings through the
immediate rebound of the stick, don’t let the bead of the stick linger on the
drumhead for too long
ii. “sustain” sound
— the sustain sound is an illusion created by several buzz strokes done in
succession. The transition between hands has to be seamless in order to
create the effect that the buzz doesn’t end
4. Special Techniques
a. Special striking areas
— rimshot/outer edges of the drum
— stick shot
b. Special or unusual sounds
— playing while snare is turned off
 — using rim/stick shots creates a sharp sound that’s at a higher pitch than just
hitting the drum head
— sometimes you can change dynamics by playing closer to the rim (softer) or
getting closer to the center of the drum (louder), but this can change the timbre of
the instrument, so stick height adjustment is usually preferred
c. Rudiments/other techniques not covered above
5. Notation issues
a. Expected noteheads, staff, clefs, etc
— snare is typically written in the staff with the stems pointed up, but can be
different between pieces
— percussion music is written in percussion clef, staff still have five lines and four
spaces
— there is usually a key of some sort at the beginning of the percussion parts to
tell you what instrument is on what line
b. Roll notations
— roll: two or three slashes through the stem of a note
— buzz roll: a script “z” through the stem of a note
c. Other special idiomatic notations
— since percussion music isn’t technically standardized, many different notations
can have conflicting meaning across pieces so it is crucial to check the key at the
beginning of the part.
6. Resources
a. Method books, etude collections, useful exercises
i. https://uark.box.com/s/tzdff9txmquxazn5b8wnwwuf6kx64zde
b. Online resources, percussion education brands, etc
i. Vic Firth Percussion 101 Playlist
A Fresh Approach to Snare Drum: Intro / Rebound Strokes
ii. Josh Jones - Josh Jones: Practice Tips Fundamental Work Out #1
Fundamental Work Out #2
iii. Percussive Arts Society (payment required)
iv. DPM - 1 - Beginning Snare Drum: Lessons (Grip and Basic Strokes)
DPM - 2 - Beginning Snare Drum: Exercises
c. Prominent snare drummers, groups, or other videos you might want to show your
students
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