Hey, I'm going into my senior year in high school and I'm looking for a drum corp to audition for next season. I never played in the pit in highschool but I believe I'm a well rounded percussionist and am equally as good on keyboards as I am on drums.

Are there any drum corps that utilize Traditional 4 mallet grip, or are they ALL using Stevens? I've just played with Traditional grip since I started 4 mallets and I'm not sure how long it would take to adjust to something different.

Also, from anyone else's experiences. Do you still find a lot of time while touring to practice drumming? I'm guessing you'd have a lot of time to chop out on the bus. Especially with the people on the line, so your snare playing and things stay up to par.

thanks!

I don't know a whole lot about pit, but I'm pretty sure that playing traditional mallet grip at an audition is like trying to play matched grip to get on a snareline. No matter how good you are, it's just not gonna happen. With that being said, why not just learn the Stevens grip? Find a teacher to get you on your feet and then learn Yellow After the Rain. It's not the greatest piece, but it sure does get your 4 mallet chops going.

Why make a comment when you admit that you don't know about the subject? Don't be so quick to assume that steven's is the only option. Check with corps you are interested in auditioning. In most cases the front ensemble instructor's email will be available through the corps website. I know that BD will only use steven's grip. When Jim Casella was caption head at SCV they were allowed to use any grip they chose, not sure if he has instilled that same philosophy with Cavies. It is most likely Erik Johnson's choice or whoever the head FE tech is.

At a show I went to a couple weeks ago, I actually saw a couple corps using traditional grip in a couple passages (while they would play Stevens for other parts of the show). Blue Knights has also played Burton grip as long as I can remember (although this isn't the same as traditional, I'm just making the point that not every corps uses Stevens).

I would say that you'll probably have the easiest time in this whole matter if you just bite the bullet and learning Stevens grip. Definitely talk to the staff at whatever corps you want to audition about the matter (and make it known that you're already proficient in traditional grip, and that the things you've learned while playing that grip are an asset to you as a player). Ultimately, you may (and probably can) indeed find someone that will take you playing traditional grip, but it will only help you (from a versatility standpoint) to know both grips.

Most corps fall into one of two philosophies:

1. Stevens grip only
2. Stevens grip on marimba, cross grip on Vibes

That said, there are a few corps that let you play with whatever you're comfortable with.

As has been said, find out what your corps of choice is using, and go from there. And learning Stevens grip is NOT a bad idea anyway.

Most of the groups dont really care what grip you use, as long as you show what you can do and show great promise. Most auditions are pretty relaxed. Just remember to stay relaxed yourself.