 [3318]Re:Re:Traditional grip vs. Burton (954 reads) |
2003-12-25 22:36:06 |
Respectfully submitted: I'm wondering - where did you learn about the Burton grip? I ask because my experiences with the grip are not at all like yours, in these ways: - I don't find tension to be inherent in the grip. - I'm not "required" to play single-line melodies using the right-outside and left-inside mallet (granted, most Burton players use this as their default sticking, but it's not the only way to play such lines using this grip) - "one-handed" rolls aren't all that difficult to play using the Burton grip My $0.02 on one's choice of four-mallet grip(s): - The most important issue when choosing which grip (or grips) to use, is what suits the player's tastes and hands the best. Some players' hands are well-suited to the Stevens grip, others not so much. Personally, I've tried the Traditional grip, but I simply couldn't achieve any level of fluency and comfort with it; I've opted instead, over the years, to use either the Stevens, Stout, or Burton grips for four-mallet playing, all of which are far better suited to my hands and feel far more comfortable to me. I think the issue of, "what is the right grip for this particular player", is far more significant and tangible than the idea that a grip is specific to a certain mallet instrument or a certain genre of music. In terms of what is technically feasable with each of these different four-mallet grips, the common ground is far greater than the differences. - Burton grip isn't a "vibraphone" grip any more than Stevens (or traditional) is a "marimba "grip. IMHO that's largely a self-perpetuating myth - in many (most?) cases, students are taught this early on in the course of their four-mallet studies, and this affects their knowledge of, and ability with, these grips. In turn, when these same students begin teaching, they teach these same preconceptions to their own students, and the cycle begins anew. Anyone who has seen Joe Locke perform on vibraphone knows that the Stevens grip can be quite successfully used on that instrument. - The idea that "Burton grip = vibraphone" (and "vibraphone=Burton grip") has ghetto-ized the grip in the eyes of many; at least, that is my impression of the way grips are taught in large part in the U.S. Since many students are taught (or, it is inferred from their teachers' comments) that the Burton grip isn't adequate/suitable/appropriate for "classical" marimba literature, then many Burton-grip players fail to develop those technical abilities commonly associated with "marimba" grips - namely, "one-handed" rolls, sequential stickings, etc. - jazz players, especially. (I write this as someone whose mallet work is largely, but not exclusively, jazz- and pop-oriented; I have a pet peeve about jazz mallet players, in many cases, not developing their four-mallet technique to the same degree as "classical" players, including the mastering of various "classical" four-mallet techniques and textures.) I'd humbly suggest listening (and seeing) such Burton-grip players as Ed Saindon, Bill Molenhof, and John Mark Piper, to see what that grip is capable of, both technically and musically. The point of what I've written here is not to convert non-Burton users to the Burton grip. I just wanted to add my perspective to the topic. As always, YMMV. http://www.malletjazz.com Remote Host: dialup-67.75.117.66.dial1.stamford1.level3.net |
