How to Do a French Full Stroke on Snare Drum

French drumming, much like French cuisine and French wine, is very elegant. By keeping the hands tightly together and utilizing the fingers for power, the French technique allows drummers to achieve a smoother and softer sound from their snare drum. In just a few short steps, you can make that elegant sound your own.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Snare drum
• Drum sticks

How to Do a French Full Stroke on a Snare Drum

1. Hold the stick ¼ of the way up from the bottom. This will ensure that you are not wasting energy by trying to swing too much of the stick or that your hits will be too weak. Since drummers commonly have to be highly physical for a long period of time, conserving energy becomes key.

2. Hold the stick with your thumb flat on the backside of the stick and your fingers underneath. Keep your grip very loose, using your thumb to keep a hold on the stick. This keeps the movement very fluid, but also costs you some power. If you desire to make a louder hit with the French grip, just simply grab harder and use your wrist to hit.

3. Keep your forearm level at a position that feels normal for you. Your fingers should be down toward the face of the drum while your thumb rests on top of the stick. The thumb keeps a light but sturdy grip on the stick. Most of the movement will be coming from your fingers.

4. Raise your drumstick and your fingers till they are both vertical. Your thumb should basically be in the same place. This will only last a moment, as it is the upswing before the actual strike.

5. Flick your fingers back down to a horizontal position. This will slam the drumstick into the drumhead. Since this is an upstroke, you should let the stick bounce back and pull it back up into the vertical position, which gets you ready to strike again.

Resources

• Basic technique