08Hawkeye Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 These videos show the middle finger fulcrum pretty well. The "index finger point" may not be as pronounced as perhaps sday88 saw from the troopers, or I mentioned with CapReg, but I'm sure this is what this thread is basically about. being taught by mr. montgomery can be a humbling experience let me tell you. Stand warned, this man is louder at 6 inches than I am full out - video does not do it justice. for you naysayer's of "the gap" - the flam thing video shows his grip is indeed closed, but still relaxed. grab a drink while the videos download. - I think they default to RealPlayer so you can't have more than one video open at a time, but you can download them all at once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevPit08 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 The middle finger is slightly further back on the stick than the index would be in the standard grip. The grip really incorporates the first three fingers as a fulcrum. The index finger is used as a counterbalance to the sticks rebound, and all three of the back fingers push the stick for the stroke. I'll try to take some pictures of my interpretation of the stroke if I get a chance. I'm not an expert, but my grip was critiqued and fixed by the Rev staff every time I tried to hit a pad this summer. Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sday88 Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 Okay, now we're getting somewhere. This is the kind of information I was looking for. I'll have to watch the youtube videos at home (work has them blocked). The Bluestars videos were interesting. Sorry 08Hawkeye, I didn't see a gap in any of the videos with Brent. Also, he likes to let his pinkies fly during rolls, especially. I would still like to understand the grip mechanics of the middle finger fulcrum. Maybe the Weckl videos will show that. Don't worry Adam, I'll take off my engineers hat when I watch them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slow Adam Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 (edited) Maybe the Weckl videos will show that. Don't worry Adam, I'll take off my engineers hat when I watch them. Ya, he butchers Newton's laws of motion. Try to tune out his physics lessons. The man can drum though, no arguing his results. I like that he says during the video that he was taught index finger fulcrum, and how it can still be used at times depending on the material. Edited October 23, 2008 by Slow Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sday88 Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 (edited) WHAAAAATTTT!!!!! Check out this site, http://www.digbydoodle.com/Moeller/Vintage2.htm. It says that the Moeller grip uses the fourth (pinkie) finger as the fulcrum. Watch the video at the bottom of the page. It looks like the guy is hammering a nail (which is actually what they describe around the middle of the page). Edited October 23, 2008 by sday88 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sday88 Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 So what do you all think of Jeff's description of grip and his "adapted Moeller" stroke? http://www.vicfirth.com/artists/queen/TNL_...ue-excerpts.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sday88 Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 This site, http://www.rockdrummingsystem.com/undergro...stick-grips.php shows what looks like the middle finger fulcrum in the first picture. That's what I was referring to about the index finger just sticking out there. It looks odd and awkward (sorry drumkid). I saw a girl in the snare line of a local high school holding her sticks like that, with the index finger sticking straight out, and the first thing I thought was that she didn't know what she was doing and was never taught properly (one of the reasons I started this thread). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sday88 Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 This site, http://www.chucksilverman.com/technique.html shows a few pictures that might be helpful. This is what I am figuring, please correct me if I'm wrong. With the thumb/index you are squeezing/pinching at the thumb and first knuckle of the index finger (I think that much is clear). Now with the middle finger fulcrum, are you actually kind of "squeezing" the stick between the middle of the middle finger and the palm of your hand where the middle finger meets the hand? Or am I still way off base? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slow Adam Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Now with the middle finger fulcrum, are you actually kind of "squeezing" the stick between the middle of the middle finger and the palm of your hand where the middle finger meets the hand? Or am I still way off base? The squeeze point with that grip is between the thumb and middle finger, similar to index-thumb grip, but it's not a hard squeeze, and your index finger is along for the ride, but not pointed out straight like that one picture you linked, I let mine wrap loosely around and point towards the ground, not the tip of the stick. The thumb will look and feel sort of "tucked under" if you have always drummed with the index-thumb fulcrum. Now I know what your point of contention will be Scott - the axis of the fulcrum is not perpendicular to the centerline of the stick. I wondered about that too, but it turns out to not really have that big of an impact on the motion of the stick. Watch the Weckl videos when you can, they show the grip, and the stroke the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneauxdog Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 LOL, that pic with the finger sticking straight out does look awkward! I've seen many children grip the sticks that way the first time they pick up a pair. It must be a "natural" grip! ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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