That us funny!Unfortunately, I am not keeping my hands up these days. When I did, it was a similar process to what Purdie described. I also used Joe Morello's single, double, paradiddle exercise, but us added a section of inverted double strokes because that made it more fun for me. One thing I would do to strengthen my finger control was a little silly thing I made up to demonstrate using finger control to young kids. I would hold the sticks with my fulcrum near the tips with my forearm near vertical. The stick then hangs down parallel to my forearm with the butt of the stick near my elbow. (I know, it's weird) In this position, the only reasonable way to propel the stick is with your fingers. You would be playing the underside of your forearm at this point. For young students, it was a demonstration to understand basic finger control for matched grip. There may be some guys on this forum that have never really developed any finger control and this MIGHT be a helpful way to start. It becomes pretty clear pretty fast.
It takes a combination of techniques to get good stick control. It's never just any one thing. I mentioned Moeller earlier and when I use finger technique I am also using a modified Moeller Whip motion, it's what allows me to control the sticks. Wrists, fingers, hands, arms all come into play. The real trick is knowing which technique to apply and when. But you need to know them all.
To the guys having trouble breaking the speed barrier... learn and practice the finger technique. It -will- help. Here is a little clip demonstrating the Moeller Whip motion. I'm hoping this stuff is helping out a few of you guys. It really helped me when I learned it.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFZfOLbnBwI[/ame]
*PS - Dave Weckl used intentionally! ;) After Dave's lesson plays, click on the Jim Chapin video!
John
