I was trained with an orchestral background, so I learned the Musser grip. I didn't really know that other options were available. A year or so ago I sustained some injury to my hands and wrist so I've been looking for alternatives to help with pain, so I'm going to try changing over. If it's good enough for Mr. Burton then it's definitely good enough for me.
Thanks for this video. I am a music teacher and what he says makes total sense. Start students the right way. Quite honestly, I did not know this before today. Thanks
I listen to Gary Burtons Music since the 70th after I saw his group live in Frankfurt. Wonderfull to hear his explainations here. Thank so much for upload.
Interesting to hear how he developed the grip. The Musser grip does allow the mallets to come closer together for smaller intervals and is more accommodating for marimba, but seems far less natural to me than the one he developed.
today I found out I was accidentally doing burton grip instead of traditional! I only knew stevens and I wanted to learn traditional, and I was like "this doesn't feel right" and sure enough I swapped them and was like "ah there we go." so glad I did that!
It's so hard and uncomfortable for me to use stevens. Burton is the onle one i've used. I want to learn Stevens(or Musser as he called it) eventually because I feel like it would benefit me in the future.
I don't understand when he says he plays single line parts with the upper mallet of each hand. It looks like he's playing single parts with the upper mallet of his right hand, but the lower mallet of his left hand.
Apparently I use this grip but I thought I was using just a traditional cross grip...can anybody explain to me what the difference is between these two? They seem exactly the same to me.
The biggest difference is the order of the mallets crossed in your hand. Flip the mallets from Burton grip and you get traditional essentially. There's a few other details about them that are different too.
Man, RU-vid sure is a time machine. Just a few minutes ago, I watched old performances of Gary from the 60s (with Stan Getz), and this was under related vids. Kinda weird seeing him young in one video, and then immediately old in the other lol. Funnily, he still looks exactly the same, except with wrinkles (sorry Gary haha). The power of RU-vid's archiving.... Anyway, very informative clip.
I dont mean to be rude but, the musser grip feels clumsy because you aren't holding it right! The end of the mallet is supposed to rest flat on your palm (creating the notorious "Jesus calluses"). You are just pinching the mallet with your fulcrum and not letting it rest inside your hand. You are a great vibe player though! I highly respect you as a musician.
the inside mallet for the stevens grip is suppose to be in the fat of your palm....if you are holding it by just the end, then, of course it is going to be clumsy
Brady Lyles Steven and musser grip are different. The Stevens grip is turn upwards so your hand is aligned with your arms you use your thumb and forefinger to move the inner mallets and the rest to move the outer mallets. Stevens stole the musser grip and just turned it. Musser grip is the original grip
Actually there are many differences between Musser's and Stevens's grips. Not to mention that there isn't actually a Steven's grip, more technically its a Steven's Movement.
Totally agree!! Just want to add that ''The Burto Grip'' is also a variation of the cross grip (wich is very similar to burton grip), so technically, G. Burton did't made a ''Burton Grip'', but more like a ''Burton Technique'', wich is different... Gary Burton bassically plays his variation of Cross Grip (wich is not Japanese Cross, or Traditional how some people use to call it)...
Ahhhaaaa I got to see him in concert back in 1983 in Izmir Turkey open theater I had a great time seen him :) Specially "African flower" song... God Bless him
