Playing the Marching Band Snare Drum Fast

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Playing the Marching Band Snare Drum Fast
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One of the most important skills you can learn is
playing the drum at a rapid pace in a marching
band.   Method   There are ways to get the most
out of your sticks and to increase your playing
speed, although, playing snare drum fast can be a
difficult skill to master. Playing fast drum
beats is one of the best parts of marching band
show ideas that you must know.   To provide the
most natural bounce-back on the stick, the stick
must be held at the fulcrum point. This way, most
of the work is done by the sticks.   By gripping
your index finger out, palm up, over your snare
about 2 inches from the drumhead, find the
fulcrum point. Bending your finger up slightly,
to keep it from rolling off, lay your drumstick
across your index finger. The drumstick must be
lifted up 2 inches off your finger and dropped,
so that it falls and hits the snare. Counting the
bounces each time moves the stick forward and
backward on your finger. The fulcrum point is the
spot where the stick has the greatest number of
bounces.
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This grip may be of a kind of showmanship or
French style of holding. The French style of
holding is ideal for fast strokes. This has been
used by many world record holders drummers in
marching band show music.   By tweaking the stick
between your thumb and index finger, hold your
drumsticks in a French grip. Making the tip hit
the drum head use your other fingers to push up
on the back of the stick. Instead of alternating
hands, you make two quick beats with a hand and
two quick beats with the other in a double stroke
roll. You have to play left, left, right, right
in this. When you hit the snare, your drumstick
bounces back.   Downward pressure must be
supplied to get the stick back to the drum head
quickly, for playing very fast beats. It will
bounce up on its own.