BASS STYLE GUIDE

I. IMPLEMENT GRIP A. RIGHT HAND

PUT THE PAD OF THE THUMB ON SIDE OF STICK THE THUMB NAIL SHOULD FACE UP THE RIGHT HAND PALM SHOULD BE FLAT TOWARDS HEAD INDEX FINGER WRAPS AROUND THE STICK TOUCHING THE PAD OF THUMB KEEP THE GAP CLOSED BETWEEN THE INDEX FINGER AND THUMB KEEP PRESSURE APPLIED ON TIP OF THUMB AND BETWEEN KNUCKLE OF INDEX FINGER THIS IS REFERED TO AS THE FULCRUM POINT THE OTHER THREE FINGERS WRAP AROUND THE STICK AND KEEP TOUCHING EACH OTHER AND STICK AT ALL TIMES THE PRIMARY USE OF THESE FINGERS IS STRICTLY FOR CONTROL PURPOSES BUTT END OF STICK SHOULD STICK OUT OF BACK MINIMALLY ALL INITIAL MOTION COMES FROM WRIST

B. LEFT HAND

GRIP IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS RIGHT (THAT IS WHY IT IS MATCHED GRIP)

C. NOTE

ALL MOTION STARTS FROM BEAD ALL MOTION IS INITIATED BY WRIST DO NOT LET ARMS BE RESTRICTED ARMS SHOULD BE RELAXED AND FEEL FREE

II. SET POSITION

MALLETS ARE PERPENDICULAR TO THE GROUND FINGERS CLASP RIM FOREARM TO MALLET ANGLE IS APPROXIMATELY 135 UPPER ARM TO FOREARM ANGLE IS APPROXIMATELY 45 STICKS COME OUT TO PLAYING POSITION ON COUNT 3

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45

III. STICK POSITION

THE PROPER PLAYING POSITION CAN BE ACHIEVED BY FIRST STANDING WITHOUT THE STICKS ALLOW ARMS TO HANG LOOSELY BY SIDE KEEPING SHOULDERS RELAXED LIFT FOREARMS UNTIL THEY ARE SLIGHTLY BELOW PARALLEL TO THE FLOOR NOTICE HANDS ARE NATURALLY FLAT (OR ALMOST FLAT) ELBOWS ARE IN A RELAXED POSITION A FEW INCHES FROM SIDE OF BODY KEEP THE NATURAL SPACE BETWEEN HANDS BEADS ARE A OFF DRUMHEAD STICKS SIT APPROXIMATELY 1 OFF OF RIM UPPER ARM PERPENDICULAR TO GROUND FOREARM PARALLEL TO GROUND UPPER ARM TO FOREARM ANDLE 90 ANGLE FROM FOREARM TO MALLET 135

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IV. PLAY ZONE

CENTER OF THE HEAD

V. HEIGHTS AND VOLUMES

pp -LEVEL 1- A DEFINED SPOT p -LEVEL 2- A DEFINED SPOT mp LEVEL 3- 4 INCHES mf LEVEL 4- 8 INCHES f -LEVEL 5- 12 INCHES ff LEVEL 6- 16 INCHES fff-LEVEL 7- 20 INCHES

VI. IMPLEMENT MOTION

A. THE MOTION OF THE STICK COMES FROM THE BEAD THIS IS INITIATED BY THE WRIST WRIST TURN IS ESSENTIAL B. WRIST TURN AS IT RELATES TO BASS DRUM IS ACTUALLY THE ENTIRE FOREARM TURNING ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE ELBOW THIS IS ACHIEVED WHILE HOLDING THE MALLET FIRMLY IN THE PALM WITH THE FINGERS AND WITHOUT MOVING THE WRIST C. WHILE IMPLEMENTS ARE IN MOTION, ALL AFOREMENTIONED FINGER AND HAND POSITIONS WILL APPLY

VII. IMPLEMENT CONTROL

PROPER IMPLEMENT CONTROL IS PRODUCED BY CONTROLING THE REBOUND OF THE STICKS AFTER STRIKING THR DRUM THE SQUEEZE-RELEASE TECHNIQUE WILL ASSURE PROPER CONTROL

VIII. STROKES A. UPSTROKES

THE FIRST THING YOU DO TO CREATE SOUND IS LIFT THE STICK OUT. BRING THE STICK TO UP POSITION LEAVING SHOULDER AND FOREARM IN RELAXED POSITION. ROTATE THE WRIST OUT UNTIL THE STICK IS PARALLEL TO THE FLOOR THE FOREARM WILL NOT MOVE BUT WILL ROTATE BE SURE THE ELBOW STAYS CLOSE TO THE BODY. ALLOW A LITTLE SPACE BETWEEN THE PALM OF THE HAND AND THE FINGERS. WRIST SHOULD STAY COMPLETELY RELAXED DO NOT SQUEEZE THE STICK

B. DOWNSTROKES 1. LEGATO STROKE

WHEN PLAYING THE LEGATO STROKE, MOTION NEVER STOPS THE MOTION THAT YOU WILL USE TO PRODUCE THE REBOUND STROKE IS SIMILAR TO BOUNCING A BASKET-BALL WHEN YOU THROW A BASKET-BALL TO THE FLOOR, IT WILL NATURALLY REBOUND NO ENERGY IS REQUIRED OTHER THEN THE INITIAL TOSS PROPER LEGATO IS PRODUCED BY USING THE NATURAL REBOUND PUSH THE STICK DOWN, STICK HITS THE HEAD, TRUE REBOUND OCCURS IMMEDIATELY AFTER A STICK MAKES CONTACT WITH THE DRUMHEAD, THE ENERGY OF THE REBOUNDING STICK PUSHES YOUR HAND BACK. DO NOT PULL THE STICK BACK, LET THE REBOUND DO ALL THE WORK THERE SHOULD BE EQUAL TIME OF RISE AND FALL OF THE STICK DURING THE REBOUND STROKE, KEEP FULCRUM IN TACT WITH BACK FINGERS RESTING LIGHTLY ON THE STICK

STAY RELAXED TO MASTER THE REBOUND STROKE

YOU MUST TRAIN MUSCLES TO RESPOND IN THE SAME WAY EVERYTIME, WHETHER YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT IT OR NOT. (MUSCLE MEMORY) VIRTUALLY 100% OF DRUMMING IS RELATED TO MUSCLE MEMORY (THIS CAN BE A GOOD THING OR A BAD THING DEPENDING ON HABITS DEVELOPED)

2. STACATTO STROKES

STRIKE THE DRUM EXACTLY AS YOU WOULD FOR REBOUND UPON THE IMPLEMENT HITTING THE DRUMHEAD YOU IMMEDIATELY SQUEEZE THE STICK SLIGHTLY WITH FULCRUM AND FINGERS TO STOP THE REBOUND THE GOAL IS TO FREEZE HANDS AND IMPLEMENTS SLIGHTLY ABOVE HEAD AFTER MOMENT OF IMPACT, AND THEN RELAX IMMEDIATELY BE CAREFUL NOT TO USE SO MUCH TENSION THAT YOU SMUSH THE STICK INTO THE DRUM HEAD

3. MARCATTO STROKES

CONTROLLED REBOUND- YOU ALLOW THE STICK TO REBOUND TO A CERTAIN HEIGHT AND THEN YOU SLIGHTLY SQUEEZE WITH FINGERS AT BACK OF STICK TO STOP

4. ACCENT VS TAP

THIS IS A COMBINATION OF A DOWNSTROKE AND A TAP (DOWNSTROKE FOLLOWED BY AN UPSTROKE) TO ILLUSTRATE ACCENT STROKE, IMAGINE A PLAYING SURFACE 1 BELOW BATTER HEAD PLAYING ON THIS IMAGINARY SURFACE DEVELOPS A SENSE OF PLAYING THROUGH THE SOUND

5. GRACE NOTES

USED PRIMARILY FOR FLAMS