 [826]Re:Re:stout's grip vs Stevens' grip (365 reads) |
2001-04-07 00:38:03 |
--- I'm not really sure, I haven't seen stout in action or really even seen pics of him playing so I have no idea. But my guess would be that he uses the musser grip, the unmodified grip that stevens uses. --- I've studied and worked with Gordon. Occasionally, he'll switch over to Musser grip, if the piece he's playing calls for a one-handed roll; that' something his grip isn't really designed for. 99% of the time, his four-mallet playing uses his own grip. Here's the Reader's Digest version, at least the way he explained it to me when I was a student. (I know that Gordon chimes in on this board from time to time, so I'll defer to him if he wants to embellish at all, or correct something if I screw it up). When Gordon started playing marimba, he was eight years old; when he started four-mallet playing, he was twelve years old, and his hands weren't really developed enough to handle the Musser grip. So his teacher, the late Jim Salmon, designed a cross-grip which was similar to the Musser grip, in that the outside mallet sits between the middle and ring fingers. The outside mallet rests above the inside mallet, similar to Burton grip, but unlike Burton, you don't wrap your fingers around the inside mallet; you keep the pads of your fingers on the handle. The inner mallet pivots back and forth; the outside mallet remains in place, except for extreme situations where you need an interval greater than a tenth. Small intervals (seconds, specifically) can be difficult with this grip; technically, you're not supposed to pull the index and middle fingers out from between the two mallets, instead positioning for a major or minor second by angling your arms (moving your elbows away from your body slightly). The risk is, if you take those fingers out, it's tough to get them back into position. After a little while, tho, it's fairly easy to develop this skill, and I do it all the time; perhaps it's my Burton Grip experience sneaking into the picture. The original plan was that, as Gordon grew older, he would eventually switch over to the Musser grip when his hands could handle it. However, the grip worked so well for him, that he never felt the need to abandon it. The reason I love it is that it is much more "low maintenance" than is the Stevens grip; I can go months without playing it, and after a day or two of practice, it's back to 100% for me; if I take that much time away from Leigh's grip, it takes a while longer to regain the strength in the smaller muscles of the hands and fingers. Also, the position of the inside mallets is very similar to that of two-mallet playing, which is a nice coincidence and makes single-line playing very intuitive. JW http://www.malletjazz.com Remote Host: |
 [821]stout's grip vs Stevens' grip <Paul> |
2001-04-06 07:53:08 |
 [825]Re:stout's grip vs Stevens' grip <Scott> |
2001-04-06 21:53:56 |
 [826]Re:Re:stout's grip vs Stevens' grip <James Walker> |
2001-04-07 00:38:03 |
| [827]Re:Re:Re:stout's grip vs Stevens' grip <Scott> |
2001-04-07 05:11:01 |
| [828]Re:Re:Re:Re:stout's grip vs Stevens' grip <James Walker> |
2001-04-07 05:26:31 |
| [832]more on grips.. <Scott> |
2001-04-08 16:44:51 |
| [835]Re:more on grips.. <Nat Sakimura> |
2001-04-12 04:05:00 |
| [839]Re:Re:more on grips.. <James Walker> |
2001-04-13 07:29:37 |
| [842]Re:more on grips.. <Nat Sakimura> |
2001-04-14 16:47:03 |
| [843]Re:Re:more on grips.. <James Walker> |
2001-04-15 01:13:57 |
| [844]Re:more on grips.. <Nat Sakimura> |
2001-04-15 01:47:38 |
| [846]Re:Re:more on grips.. <James Walker> |
2001-04-16 00:03:02 |
| [864]Re:Re:Re:more on grips.. <David Hall> |
2001-04-18 13:57:27 |