Matched and Traditional Grip
Two grips — match the music.
Lesson
Two grips, two traditions
Matched grip — both hands hold the stick the same way, palms down. Traditional grip — left hand cradles the stick palm-up, originally because military marching drums hung at an angle. Most modern players use matched. Jazz players often use traditional.
Matched grip — the "fulcrum"
The stick rests between the pad of your thumb and the side of your index finger. The other three fingers wrap loosely around the stick — they guide it but don't grip it. The fulcrum is the pivot point; the stick rebounds against it.
The bounce
A good drum strike is mostly the stick bouncing — not your arm pushing. Drop the stick on the head from a small height. Let it bounce back up. Catch the bounce with your fingers. That's the fundamental motion of every fast drumming pattern.
Traditional grip (left hand only)
Stick rests in the crook between thumb and index. Middle and ring fingers come up underneath the stick. The motion is a twist of the wrist, not a vertical chop. Don't worry about it for a year unless you specifically want to play jazz.
Death-grip warning
The most common beginner mistake is squeezing too hard. Death-grip kills your bounce and tires your forearms in 30 seconds. Hold the sticks loose enough that you could fling them across the room — but tight enough they don't actually fly.