Stevens Technique - Stevens V. Crossed-style

Stevens V. Crossed-style

There are three main grips used by mallet players: Traditional crossed, Burton (which is a variation of traditional crossed), and Stevens-Musser. The traditional crossed grip is used almost solely by marimba players (such as Keiko Abe), but Stevens and Burton grips have found favor both among marimba and vibraphone players, thus making them the two most popular 4-mallet grips for percussionists in the United States.

There are advantages as well as disadvantages to both crossed-style (traditional and Burton) and Musser-Stevens. Crossed-style grips make learning basic mallet control easy and feel very stable. However, the interval can't be made as wide as with the Stevens grip and some say that rolls can't be made as well. With the Stevens grip, the mallets are more free to move more independently than in crossed-style grips, so it is possible to make much more subtle motions, ultimately resulting in a greater range of motion and mallet control. Despite these advantages of the Stevens grip, it is harder to master than crossed-style grips. Additionally, though the Stevens grip is intended to place minimal tension on the hand muscles, the mallets exert greater leverage when they are in motion (since they are held at the very ends), requiring greater muscle control than with crossed-style grips. People with arthritis or similar conditions may not be able to use the Musser-Stevens grip.

As both grips carry advantages and disadvantages, the question of how to hold the mallets is up to what the player feels most comfortable with. Players should at least become familiar with the basics of both grips, so as to be able to choose the grip that best fits their style of playing.