My snare practice has officially begun! So far the instrument has proved to be challenging, but I am enjoying the learning process. As a musician I know the importance of building a strong foundation for aspects such as technique and hand position. Having correct hand position is extremely important because it will ensure I am not playing with unnecessary tension. As I begin to play things that are at a harder technical level it will be even more important for me to have a solid technical foundation to work from.

This week I took the time to focus on how and where to hold the drum sticks. I found a video on youtube that I used as a guide for learning the correct hand position.

 

The first thing I learned is where on the stick I need to grip it, this should be on the bottom third of the stick in order to create a fulcrum so the stick can bounce off the drum. I then focused on thumb position, and making sure I wasn’t gripping the stick too tightly, both to avoid tension and ensure the stick can bounce.  When it comes to snare drumming there is the option of using matched grip or traditional grip. For the purpose of my free inquiry I have chosen to focus on learning a match grip style because I feel it will be more relevant in my teaching career. Here are a few examples of my matched grip.

It is important to make sure the pad of your thumb and side of your index finger is against the stick. The remaining fingers should be tucked underneath but not tight against the stick.

After sorting out my stick grip I started working on developing my stick control. I did this by simply playing 8th notes with both hands and working from a basic snare exercise with a metronome. I am definitely beginning to develop stick control but I notice when looking back at my practice videos that sometimes both my rhythm and dynamic can be slightly uneven. I know that the stick control will come, with plenty of practice starting at a slow tempo and slowly working my way up. I am excited to keep working and developing this skill. I know when I am a music educator this is something I will need in order to better teach my students!

Here is one of my practice videos from this week! There are lots improvements to be made when it comes to stick control, stick height, and evenness. That being said it is a start and I look forward to seeing my progress over the coming weeks.