A reminder that Steve Smith is a drum GOD!

[Flint]

This guy has been blowing it up for decades but is most famous as the drummer for Journey. He is currently touring with Journey for the first time in decades, and his solos are amazing!

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1219090078151162

As a drummer and sometimes drum instructor, I am EXTREMELY impressed this video starts with a clip of him warming up prior to the show. Most young musicians refuse to take on that responsibility and it shows in their performances. Warming up is absolutely necessary for drummers if planning on playing anything remotely difficult on the stage.

 

[PaulyT]

Interesting that he uses different holds in left vs right hands. Is that common?

 

[Flint]

Interesting that he uses different holds in left vs right hands. Is that common?

It is called the "Traditional Grip" and it originated from marching drummers having a large drum hanging to their side and needing to play difficult rhythm calls for the armies they were with. The Traditional grip is popular these days. Stewart Copeland from the Police was one of the few rock drummers who used that grip in the 1980s, and back then Steve Smith used a matched grip.

You mostly see the traditional grip with jazz drummers and nearly all marching band snare lines because it shows the hard work they put into mastering their playing. It is harder to get 11 snare drum players to sound like one single loud drum (the ultimate goal of a drum line) while playing impossible patterns if the drummers are all using the traditional grip. So, that is a show off sort of thing for them.

On a drum set, it is easier on the back when reaching around to the floor toms (on the far right for Steve Smith), but it makes playing drums to the right more difficult (different snares in Steve's case).

I use a matched grip, though I do sometimes switch to a traditional grip when playing mellow combo jazz because it helps me "feel" the music better - all in my head.