How to hold drumsticks without eliminating the rebound?

The drumstick should never be clamped or gripped by the player. When the stick is held tightly, it loses its ability to rebound off the snare drum or practice pad. This causes the wrist to be overused and the strokes to become stiff, even in a simple groove. A proper grip allows the player to maintain control while still having the stick be allowed to rebound off of the drumhead.

Simply hold a drumstick in one hand and observe the natural position of the hand. Your thumb and index finger can pinch slightly on the stick, but the remaining three fingers should be relaxed while resting near the stick. Now play some slow single strokes on a snare drum or practice pad and watch the drumstick after it has bounced. If it does not rebound or if the butt of the stick feels like it is “locked” in the palm of the hand, you are gripping too hard. You want the stick to be firm and in control but still able to rebound.

The benefit of rebound is that the drumhead will push the stick back up a bit. Instead of lifting each stroke with your hand or arm, you can take advantage of the natural rebound to allow the next stroke to happen more effortlessly.

Play some alternating right-hand and left-hand strokes at a comfortable speed. You don’t need to lift the stick high and just listen to the timing between the hits. If one side is much louder, try to see why. Is the stick higher or are you gripping the stick tighter? The goal is not to look the same but to play a controlled and consistent groove.

Tension can increase when other parts of the drumset are involved. If you were relaxed when playing the snare drum alone but became tense when the bass drum and hi-hat joined in the groove, you may want to pay special attention to this. For example, play a slow 8th-note pattern on the hi-hat and add a snare backbeat. After a few bars, stop playing and assess your hands, arms, shoulders, etc. Are you tight? Go back to playing the hi-hat alone and see if you can play with less tension before trying to combine the parts again. Parts can often be coordinated better when each limb has a more manageable job.

A metronome can also help with this but there is no reason to play at a fast tempo. Pick a speed where you can clearly hear each beat. Play a few single strokes, stop, and then play again but with less grip. Listen for rushing or dragging instead of how many beats you can play. You can also record 20-30 seconds of yourself and then listen to it later. Uneven dynamics and rubato are easier to hear in playback than when you are focusing on your technique.

Being relaxed does not mean being weak. A stroke can be soft and dynamic but also loud and accented. It is simply being deliberate about the height and speed of the stroke instead of squeezing. Play a few softer single strokes followed by a louder accent. The hand should remain soft and active during both. If your hand tightens up when you play the accent and stays that way afterward, slow down and reset the grip.

Progress is not measured by how quickly you can move your hands but how smoothly the drumstick bounces back. When the rebound is reliable, the single strokes become easier to control, you can get more volume out of the strokes, and your hands can focus on other things such as coordinating with the bass drum and hi-hat. When practicing, periodically stop and ask yourself, am I holding the drumsticks tight or am I letting them rebound? If you can do this, you will not develop bad habits.