Matched Grip Revolution of the 1970s/80s

[beth h]

Hello,

Don't forget to add the 1976 Argonauts from Salem, Oregon, the 1977-78

Boston Crusaders, and the 1979-82 Seattle Imperials to your list...

*******

And also the [Vancouver, WA] Spartans, where I marched in 1978. Matched grip made sense because it allowed us to play every instrument in the drum line with pretty much the same grip (using only minor modifications for mallet instruments). That's still a primary reason cited for teaching matched grip in high school drum lines.

[pearlsnaredrummer77]

Hello,

Don't forget to add the 1976 Argonauts from Salem, Oregon, the 1977-78

Boston Crusaders, and the 1979-82 Seattle Imperials to your list...

*******

Matched Grip Snarelines (70s&80s)

Updated List

Santa Clara Vanguard

Royal Crusaders, 76-80

27th Lancers

General Butler Vagabonds, late 70s-85)

Gaurdsmen

Santa Clara Vanguard B corps

Argonne Rebels

Madison Scouts

The Troopers

Bluecoats

Cavaliers

Dutch Boy

Empire Statesmen (DCA)

Steel City Ambassadors (DCA)

Kilties

Blue Devils (partial matched grip 1980)

Geneseo Knights

Rochester Crusaders (DCA)

Reading Buccaneers (DCA)

Avant Garde

Seattle Imperials

The Northmen

Blue Stars

Watkins Glen Squires

Vancouver Spartans

Argonauts (Oregon)

Boston Crusaders, 77-78

Flamingoes (Wa)

Seattle Imperials, 79-82

Edited February 25, 2009 by pearlsnaredrummer77

[Jim Nevermann]

I think the first year of the Flamingos from Salem, OR was either 71 or 72.

Moving from Wichita to the Seattle area in August 1967, I heard that the Flamingos had been around at least since 1965. As for the genesis of their name and unsurprisingly related uniform colors, I don't know.

[SomeOtherJoe]

Actually, Santa Clara had considerable success with matched grip. Finleyville was in finals in 75 and doing well until their collapse in 80. GBV during the 70s was one of the best Class A corps. Anyhow, according to this website I found (see below), Rob Carson (won snare individuals multiple times) was instrumental in the "matched grip revolution." As I recall, the Promark DC10 was especially suitable for matched grip. I know that's what we used in the 80s.

"In 1977 a phenomenal snare drummer named Rob Carson who had previously marched in the Santa Clara Vanguard snare line made the leap into the future by switching the snare line he both instructed and played in to matched grip. It was a pioneering decision. In 1978 the Santa Clara Vanguard won the DCI (drum corps international) competition. In 1979 the drum line, including tenors, basses and tympani, had reached a level of excellence that had never before been witnessed. In 1980 the corps experienced catastrophic inner politics that brought it to its knees and while the 1980 drum line remained state-of-the-art, the corps ranked low in the international standing.

Nonetheless the Santa Clara Vanguard drum line had pioneered the use of matched grip for snare drumming for all time to come, or so it seemed. In truth the very next year, lead by a new instructor whom himself was not fully comfortable with matched grip for snare drumming, the SCV snare line de-evolved back to the use of the traditional grip from revolutionary war times. The drum corps snare drumming world, to the amazement of many, remains largely committed to this archaic and unnatural technique even though other sections of the drumline; basses, tenors and tympani as well as keyboard percussion, had always used matched."

Source: http://www.fraughtwithperil.com/blogs/revg...es/2004_11.html

There are a few inaccuracies in the blog article you ref'd (actually written by Greg Dilley who marched in SCV's snareline 78-80 I believe... off-topic, RIP Greg!). I might be wrong, but I believe '76 was SCV's first matched grip year (don't quote me on this... believe Dale Lofgren peruses these boards... he'd definitely know).

Second, and more important, is the portion that reads "the very next year, lead by a new instructor whom himself was not fully comfortable with matched grip for snare drumming, the SCV snare line de-evolved back to the use of the traditional grip ." That's not correct. SCV continued to play matched grip up until 84, and the snare tech (Curt Moore) for the three years prior (81, 82, 83) was plenty comfortable with the grip.

SCV went back to traditional in '84 because: a. Curt left and was replaced with the return of Bob Kalkoffen; and b. the majority of the prior year's snare line either aged out, quit, or bolted to Blue Devils making it convenient to switch back. It was a preference thing... Bob's pref was traditional.

In terms of the rest of drum corps throwing the style out and going traditional, I "suspect" it had a lot to do with Float and BDs dominance in the early 80s. He was setting the standard at the time, and lines have a way of following (just as some followed SCV in their move to matched). If it were SCV instead of Float that dominated -- with matched grip -- traditional might of gone the way of the steam engine.

[pearlsnaredrummer77]

There are a few inaccuracies in the blog article you ref'd (actually written by Greg Dilley who marched in SCV's snareline 78-80 I believe... off-topic, RIP Greg!). I might be wrong, but I believe '76 was SCV's first matched grip year (don't quote me on this... believe Dale Lofgren peruses these boards... he'd definitely know).

Second, and more important, is the portion that reads "the very next year, lead by a new instructor whom himself was not fully comfortable with matched grip for snare drumming, the SCV snare line de-evolved back to the use of the traditional grip ." That's not correct. SCV continued to play matched grip up until 84, and the snare tech (Curt Moore) for the three years prior (81, 82, 83) was plenty comfortable with the grip.

SCV went back to traditional in '84 because: a. Curt left and was replaced with the return of Bob Kalkoffen; and b. the majority of the prior year's snare line either aged out, quit, or bolted to Blue Devils making it convenient to switch back. It was a preference thing... Bob's pref was traditional.

In terms of the rest of drum corps throwing the style out and going traditional, I "suspect" it had a lot to do with Float and BDs dominance in the early 80s. He was setting the standard at the time, and lines have a way of following (just as some followed SCV in their move to matched). If it were SCV instead of Float that dominated -- with matched grip -- traditional might of gone the way of the steam engine.

Thanks for the insights Joe. I saw my first drum corps show in 1980 and had been a clarinet player before 79 (!), so the insight on the early years of the Revolution is a big help. I agree Float was dominant and then DeLucia's Bridgemen on the East Coast were also traditional. So that may have set the stage for the decline of the Matched Grip Revolution.

[HUGADA]

There are a few inaccuracies in the blog article you ref'd (actually written by Greg Dilley who marched in SCV's snareline 78-80 I believe... off-topic, RIP Greg!). I might be wrong, but I believe '76 was SCV's first matched grip year (don't quote me on this... believe Dale Lofgren peruses these boards... he'd definitely know).

Second, and more important, is the portion that reads "the very next year, lead by a new instructor whom himself was not fully comfortable with matched grip for snare drumming, the SCV snare line de-evolved back to the use of the traditional grip ." That's not correct. SCV continued to play matched grip up until 84, and the snare tech (Curt Moore) for the three years prior (81, 82, 83) was plenty comfortable with the grip.

SCV went back to traditional in '84 because: a. Curt left and was replaced with the return of Bob Kalkoffen; and b. the majority of the prior year's snare line either aged out, quit, or bolted to Blue Devils making it convenient to switch back. It was a preference thing... Bob's pref was traditional.

In terms of the rest of drum corps throwing the style out and going traditional, I "suspect" it had a lot to do with Float and BDs dominance in the early 80s. He was setting the standard at the time, and lines have a way of following (just as some followed SCV in their move to matched). If it were SCV instead of Float that dominated -- with matched grip -- traditional might of gone the way of the steam engine.

SCV switch over to matched was not in '76, but '77.

[SomeOtherJoe]

SCV switch over to matched was not in '76, but '77.

Yup... thought that may have been the case. You know off hand whether they played any portions of '76 matched?

[SomeOtherJoe]

Thanks for the insights Joe. I saw my first drum corps show in 1980 and had been a clarinet player before 79 (!), so the insight on the early years of the Revolution is a big help. I agree Float was dominant and then DeLucia's Bridgemen on the East Coast were also traditional. So that may have set the stage for the decline of the Matched Grip Revolution.

Ya, I was going to throw Bridgemen in there as well.

Bridgemen with their three year run of 80, 81, and 82 followed up by Float & BD's four year run of 83, 84, 85, and 86 and the demise of 27th -- the last top-flight DL grip holdout -- pretty much did matched grip in.

Not saying that everyone is/was a follower... definitely not the case. Yet, the willingness to do something "non-traditional" is definitely a bit higher when someone's doing the same and winning.

For what it's worth, having played in two matched lines and two traditional lines ages ago, I think the "symmetry" argument is overrated. I was glad to see matched go the way of the dinosaur.

Edited March 2, 2009 by SomeOtherJoe

[HUGADA]

Yup... thought that may have been the case. You know off hand whether they played any portions of '76 matched?

I don't think so. I couldn't get my '76 Legacy to work for some reason on my computer to double check...bummer!

[skewerz]

was watching SkyRyders '86 last night...Wizard of Oz show...sure looked like match grip to me for the whole show. Unfortunately, the video on DCI only shows the snare line a couple times, and one of those is the drum feature, but it sure looked to me like they played match grip the whole show