FREE STROKE This technique is named after the legendary drummer Billy Gladstone and involves the use

of the fingers to control the rebound of the drum stick, as opposed to the Moeller Method which utilizes a fluid whipping motion to control stick rebound. The Gladstone technique is the foundation for a basic drum stroke or a natural drum stroke also known as Free Stroke. Learning this technique enables one to play freely without any muscular tension and helps develop speed, power and consistency over practice.

Finding the balance point

Place the drumstick on one finger and try balancing it (Fig1). Experiment for a little bit till you find the optimum point at which the stick balances itself. This is the fulcrum of the drum stick. From the fulcrum, keep move backwards towards the butt of the stick, dropping the stick on the drum head as you move. At each point observe the number of times the stick rebounds from the drum head. The placement that gets the most rebounds off the drum head is the correct balance point.

Playing the Free Stroke

The free stroke is generated from the wrist. Do not throw your elbow out while playing the stroke. Concentrate on the grip holding it at the optimum balance point and throw the stick downwards. Do not wind up and squeeze the stick after throwing it downwards. If you are holding the stick loosely and at the optimum point, it will bounce back from the surface of impact. Let it go, as it pulls back to its starting position. This stick motion is defined as a Natural or a Free Stroke. At first, you may have to release (dtendre) your lower three fingers from the stick to get the rebound. This is acceptable. Reset back to the original position (upright) and try the rebound again. Dom Famularo suggests the following Play slowly, isolating each stroke to fully analyze the motion of the wrists and stick. Do not play the strokes in sequence until you have become comfortable playing them one at a time, or you may find that you are pulling the stick up instead of allowing it to bounce. Isolating the strokes helps you analyze the motion so that you can reprogram your technique and errors. If you find that the stick is not rebounding, you are probably either gripping the stick too tightly, applying tension at the bottom of your stroke, holding the stick down, not gripping at the optimum balance point, or pulling up. The ideal thing to train yourself is to keep your wrists loose enough to follow the stick back in its motion to the starting position (Think of the motion of shaking hands i.e. move your wrists up and down to stay loose). Refer to the diagram below.

Once you have practiced this rebound stroke, try playing a stroke in a similar fashion but this time continue to keep all your fingers relaxed around the stick. IF YOU ALLOW THE STICK TO REBOUND, YOUR HAND SHOULD SIMPLY FOLLOW THE STICK UP. DONT PULL THE STICK UP! The stick will have enough energy to rebound and end in the starting position. Work only in the downward direction, for only a brief instant to set the stick in motion. Refer to the diagram below.

Make sure your elbows are relaxed at your side and your forearms are parallel with the ground. Dont raise the forearms; this is a common mistake. The stroke is achieved only with the wrist. Once you have got the hold of this technique work on the dynamics of the strokes. Dynamics are controlled by two factors, Height and Speed. When I say, height, I mean the level or the starting point of delivery of the stroke i.e. distance between the stick and drums surface. Speed is controlled using the wrists and the fingers. There is only a certain amount of speed that is generated using the wrists after which we need to rely (compter sur) on the fingers.

Free Stroke Basic Principles :

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Find the optimum balance point Hold the stick tight enough to prevent it from flying out of your hand Start from the full stroke position i.e. wrists upwards and stick perpendicular to the floor Throw the stick downwards Dont pull up or squeeze Let the stick bounce up Follow the stick up Come back to the starting position

Things to Remember:
1. Relax and concentrate on your grip and wrist motion 2. Play slowly 3. Play on both hands alternating the strokes. Note: here we have a wrist-wrist stroke with bounce (rebound) controlled with the fingers. What about a finger- finger stroke with bounce (rebound) controlled with the fingers?