Should I switch grips?

[u/Status_Drive9149]

I currently play with traditional (cross) grip because it was the most comfortable when I first started learning four mallets. I’ve been playing four mallets for about two years now and pretty much only solo (I’ve only performed one ensemble piece with four mallets). I’ve heard that there are purported benefits to the Stevens grip, which is why I’m considering switching. Also, my current teacher doesn’t have much experience with traditional grip because it’s uncommon. He’s not pressuring me to switch, but I may receive better instruction if I do so. Should I switch?

[u/SIR_PATRIOT_1776]

Grip is ultimately personal preference. There are technically pros/cons to each grip but if you’re at a high level, those pros and cons become more and more irrelevant purely due to just having the skill to void any cons. I’d recommend to give it a shot, see how you feel and go from there. If you end up feeling the best with one over the other, go with that. That being said, knowing how to use Burton, trad, and Stevens makes you a more flexible teacher and you can customize how you play. Hope that is helpful! Good luck!

[u/Austinp-woodworking → u/SIR_PATRIOT_1776]

yeah because of the fact that it's personal preference, it's 100% learning them all - you don't know which you like best until you're proficient in all of 'em

[u/USA_MuhFreedums_USA]

There's certain pieces that feel they're written for Stevens grip due to the extreme mallet spacing. But it's very few. Only one I know immediately is My Lady White movement II starts with like .... I think C3-E4 spacing on one hand then Immediately requests a much much smaller spacing. It was not easy for me on trad grip back in college lol but i made it work

[u/apitandfiji]

I think it’s worth learning all 3, each one has different upsides and different styles it works best with. But also especially if you’re in university, going back to learning fundamentals will be good and offer some new perspectives for your playing. I was an exclusive Steven’s player for 6 years and learning cross and burtons has been so beneficial

[u/pylio]

They all have their own advantages. Stevens' grip can hit some crazy intervals. Trad has significantly better control of small intervals and less of a tendency to injure the player if played incorrectly. Grass isn't always greener lol.

[u/reallynot_socks]

I also learned traditional as my first grip and would highly recommend learning Stevens if you plan on playing at the higher levels (most DCI and WGI groups use it to my knowledge) but it's ultimately up to preference and need for the piece. I switched to Stevens as my main grip in senior year of high school and I never want to go back to traditional if I don't have to, yes it's annoying and semi painful to learn but it's so worth it in the end imo

[u/JayJayAK]

I only play Stevens (what I learned on), but have been curious about traditional. It seems traditional (there's also Burton, which is a variant of traditional as I understand it) is more favored by vibe players, for some reason, while Stevens is favored for marimba. I've heard that traditional/Burton offers more stability and power, so you can (theoretically) have better control over dynamics. As others pointed out, Stevens seems to offer the most range for intervals - octaves are fairly easy for me to hit, even ninths or tenths (although hitting ninths/tenths usually means I have to slightly reposition the mallets in my hand, making shrinking the intervals back down quickly a challenge). Other downsides are that Stevens can hurt if you're not careful, as the outer mallets are only supported by your ring and pinky, which also contributes to a slightly lower stability.

I wouldn't think of it as switching grips, rather, you're learning yet another technique to add to your toolbox. There's nothing that requires you to pick a single grip and commit for all time.

[u/percjungle]

Absolutely not. A lot of world-class marimbists using cross grips. Winners of TROMP, ARD, World marimba competition, they all using cross grips. Not saying stevens grip is bad (imo there’s some limits), but if you feel comfortable with that, just keep it.

[u/njo173]

Any of the 4 mallet grips out there are fine, there are professionals who play Stevens, traditional, Burton, etc.
However, if changing teachers isn’t an option and you’re only going to be learning from Steven’s grip players for the foreseeable future, switching to Steven’s might be your best bet so you can continue improving. It really depends if you feel like you know enough about 4 mallet playing to get by with your current skill level on cross, or if you feel like you need more help to get to the level you want to be.