Getting the Grip

    Over the years as a private percussion and beginning band teacher, I noticed some recurring hand position problems with beginning percussionists. Many of those students with anomalies in hand position slowly began to fall behind, becoming more discouraged as the months progressed. These students developed poor hand position habits that ultimately prevented them from becoming good percussionists.
    Beginning percussion classroom teachers must pay close attention to hand position during the entire first year of instruction. Failing to monitor and reinforce good hand position in the first year of playing can result in habits that are difficult to unlearn and can have adverse effects on a student’s development as a percussionist. When students use an incorrect hand position, they are often forced to compensate in other ways that allow them to manipulate the stick, such as using arm movement, rather than moving from the wrist, and rotating the wrists instead of moving them up and down.
    As a private teacher, I instructed students in grades six through twelve once each week, correcting hand position problems in some students during each lesson. However, once each week was probably not enough and many students, especially younger ones, seemed to lack the necessary self-discipline to correct themselves during practice sessions at home. The older students who had been playing with incorrect hand positions for several years seemed especially reluctant to change with regard to their hand positions.
    One of the most common hand position problems among beginners is improper placement of the hand on the stick. Some students hold the sticks too far down, toward the butt of the stick (see figure 1), while others hold them too far up the stick, toward the tip of the stick (see figure 2). Both positions inhibit performance because they do not allow for good balance of the stick. If the stick is not balanced at the fulcrum, rebound strokes will be nearly impossible to execute. A good general guideline is placement of the thumb and index finger, known as the fulcrum, approximately 4 to 5 inches from the butt of the stick.
    Another common problem is placing the stick in the second joint (closest to the base of the hand) of the index finger (see figure 3), rather than in the first joint, below the finger nail (see figure 4).
  
     Diagnosing this problem can be complicated by the length of the fingers; the joint in which the stick is placed can be more difficult to discern in students with short fingers. Ask students to begin by placing the stick in the first joint of the index finger while supporting it with the thumb, making sure the thumb is flush with the index finger on the opposite side of the stick. Next, wrap the remaining fingers around the stick. This grip can help them avoid problems later. In addition, this tendency should be monitored on a regular basis. I have found that some students get it right in the beginning only to allow the stick to drift to the second joint as the semester progresses.
    Students who play with the stick in the second joint will sometimes extend their thumb up the stick past the index finger (see figure 5) or drop the thumb below the stick (see figure 6). They may also play with the butt of the stick underneath the wrist, out of sight (see figure 7). If you ask them to turn their hands over, you will likely notice that the fingertips of the second, third, and fourth fingers are resting on the stick (see figure 8), rather than wrapped around the stick. Notice how the stick is in a straight line with the forearm. Students with these hand position problems should be regularly reminded that the thumb should be even, or flush, with the index finger, on the side of the stick. In other words, the fingers should be wrapped around the stick, and there should not be any space between the stick and the base of the fingers in the ready position.
    Another problem is students who squeeze the stick with the index finger and thumb, thus preventing the remaining second, third, and fourth fingers from maintaining contact with the stick. I have observed this incorrect hand position in two forms. The first is with the second, third, and fourth fingers hanging below the stick (see figure 9) and the second is with these fingers out to the side of the stick, created by tension in the top of the hand (see figure 10).  
    This student will often use more arm movement to compensate for the lack of control of the stick. However, this does not mean that every student who uses arm movement is squeezing the stick with the index finger and thumb. This problem can be corrected by asking students to first relax the index finger and thumb, and then place the remaining fingers on the stick. Explain and demonstrate to students that when playing, all fingers should remain in contact with the stick, and that they should feel the weight of the stick on the fingers.
    I have also encountered students who have a tendency to rotate their wrists slightly outward from the body so that the top of the hand is facing the upper corners of  the room, rather than the ceiling (see figure 11). The angle of the sticks will often be less than 90 degrees from an overhead view. This can result in a slicing motion when playing, meaning that the sticks move at an angle, rather than straight up and down. An effective method of checking for this is to stand in front of a student and watch to see if the sticks move at an angle, rather than up and down. This can be corrected by turning the student’s hands so that the tops of the hands face the ceiling and by moving the student’s wrists away from the body, restoring the sticks to a 90 degree angle. To make students more aware of this tendency, ask them to watch the tips of their sticks when they are playing or stand in front of a mirror and play, so they can see the slicing motion. Reminder phrases, such as “keep the back of your hands facing the ceiling,” can help.
    Another hand position problem with beginners is wrist rotation during playing. Students with this problem typically have their second, third, and fourth fingers kicked out and their wrists straight (see figure 12). These two factors can result in an angle between the sticks of greater than 90 degrees from an overhead view. Students usually rotate their wrists in a windshield wiper fashion because it is the only way they can manipulate the stick. To correct this problem, they have to understand that their wrists should be turned slightly (not rotated as in the previous paragraph) away from their bodies so that the knuckle of the index finger forms a straight line running through the middle of the forearm to the elbow (see figure 13). Asking students to roll their third and fourth fingers in toward the palm should help resolve the problem of the protruding second, third, and fourth fingers.

    These deviations also appear in other areas of percussion performance, such as keyboard percussion. They also may occur in combination, and you might notice the simultaneous existence of more than one of these bad habits.
Simply introducing and demonstrating correct hand position to students only in the beginning is not likely to produce the desired results. Teachers should continue monitoring and correcting hand position each class period until they believe that it has become a stable habit. Failing to do this could result in the future development of one or more poor habits, as well as eventual frustration on the part of students and teachers alike.