The Lost Art of stick work

[WSbassdrum9091]

I have,..................it seemd to have been replaced with monkey drumming,............you know,........... raising sticks over their heads to make it look like they are pounding the hell out of the drums,

I've noticed that as well. The 45 degree turn to the crowd followed by the high sticking. I remember some good visuals although some probably wouldn't be approved of today. My favorite was during a bass drum solo, the snare line light up a joint, passed it down the line and the last guy threw it out. Or the tenor line cracking a cold one or the bass line using their mallets like a shotgun. It took much more creativity to come up with the unusual eye catching visuals.

[atlvalet]

I have,..................it seemd to have been replaced with monkey drumming,............you know,........... raising sticks over their heads to make it look like they are pounding the hell out of the drums, when actually it looks pretty childish to me,...............

Those split parts that Devs played in '94 were certainly childish. In fact, I remember thinking what a ###### Scot Johnson was when I saw it [sarcasm].

[davidfromthepit]

um.... do you play in the pit? have you ever marched in a snareline? if not, how can you comment on something you've never done? :sos:

Yes, I've played in the pit...as well as snarelines and basslines (never played tenors...that stuff blows my mind). I'm also a very commited percussionist outside of drum corps/marching band. I understand the whole scenario...and have performed it myself. All I said was I don't think it should be called an "art."

[Gefthetalkingmongoose]

Apparently maintaining stick heights is also a lost art.

[spiritbari05]

the tilt in the drum is attributed to to the "Moeller" technique. i read up on it and if i read quickly, it was fred sanford that introduced this to SCV. anyone out there back me up on that?

[Gaddabout]

the tilt in the drum is attributed to to the "Moeller" technique. i read up on it and if i read quickly, it was fred sanford that introduced this to SCV. anyone out there back me up on that?

Moeller technique, like Gladstone technique, dates back to early American drum corps history. The names aren't helpful because everyone has their own take on these techniques. In the world of drum set instruction they're often confused with everything from French Grip to basic finger control. Sanford Moeller developed it while watching Civil War drummers and the action they got. It's most likely something very similar to the oldest military-style stick motions to survive. It's a great tradition to pass on.

It's funny, because true Moeller Method -- the violent whipping action to create rebound (and the mastering control of that rebound) -- runs counter to what was taught in most drum corps for years (i.e. anchored wrists, all wrist action, limited pivot at the fulcrum). Done properly Moeller looks a LOT like monkey sticking. You had to do it that way to get that kind of rebound off the calfskin's head. In fact, the first time I saw monkey sticking I thought it was a nice homage to Moeller!

What Moeller Method -- or really just the modified Moeller principles -- has become is a way to combat the unnatural motions a lot of drummers picked up on their own, and some bad motions unfortunately improperly taught. It's a way to get back to the American tradition of letting the stick do the work for you. It's all about freeing up the stick to pivot at the fulcrum and letting stick inertia work for you. It's definitely a great way to prevent carpal tunnel and other repetitive motion disorders. Jazz drummers have been using this since the very beginning of the genre (military/parade-style drums beginning!) and jazz drum instructors have been quietly passing it on to those that bothered to study the genre.

Until very recently it was something strictly passed down through oral tradition, primarily because it's considered a very advanced thing. It was almost lost to the American tradition because it wasn't being taught formally. Fred Sanford learned it from Anthony J. Cirone, who learned it from Saul Goodman, who learned it from (probably) Moeller himself or possibly one of the other small group of experts (like Jim Chapin). If not for Chapin I doubt we'd know much about it today.

To this day I marvel at those old lines who used Moeller to the exclusion of all else. Because of the whipping motion, it must've taken military-like drilling to get those stick heights uniform. Oof!

So getting back to your response (finally), the tilt has nothing to do with Moeller Method. The tilt is an excuse to justify the continued use of traditional grip (plus it's just a nice effect and a hat tip to snare drumming tradition). Moeller Method can be used for either traditional or matched, although its origins are based on methods used by old snare drummers who carried their drums on slings (making it necessary to play traditional grip) and played on unresponsive calf-skin heads (not unlike playing on a thin pillow, compared to today's heads, which are akin to playing on concrete).

Edited September 12, 2007 by Gaddabout

[GGarrett]

The Tilt:

Thunderbolts

LaSalle

BAC

Kingsmen

Santa Clara (hey...doing "stick work" ...how 'bout that?)

Cavaliers

Hamms Indians

The "tilt" has been around a while...

Edited September 12, 2007 by GGarrett

[atlvalet]

The "tilt" has been around a while...

Obviously, however, I think this discussion was regarding "The Tilt" returning to modern-style carriers.

[atlvalet]

Apparently maintaining stick heights is also a lost art.

I blame the snare tech ^0^

[davam]

I think this thread has gotten off track from what the OP was pointing out:

You see a lot less stickwork -- i.e. visual, easily seen from the stands stickwork -- than you used to. I'm talking about stickwork added almost solely for visual flair.

True, drumlines are doing more body movement and drill moves, but it's too bad that stickwork has gone by the wayside. When a snare line would come together, lean forward and let fly with the stickwork -- that used to be one of the highlights in a drum corps show.

I'll be brutally honest -- many of the drum solos/features today don't have much impact for me. I'm sure what they're doing is technically difficult, but unless you're a drummer, much of it is lost on the fans in the stands.

What's wrong with doing something because it looks cool? Are we so obsessed with technical execution that we're forgetting that drum corps is supposed to be entertaining?