“Traditional four-mallet grip has been extremely comfortable for me and best suits my musical priorities and style of playing.” Nancy Zeltsman
The table below is created from the findings of this research. All of the points are personal comments made by the participants of the survey and some may not be accurate.
"I think that there are two main issues. The first is ignorance and an incomplete knowledge of the technique from the teacher. This can and frequently does lead to technical issues at a basic level that can inhibit the proper development of the student. It can also lead to a poor tone. The second issue is one of snobbery. I have heard people say that you can only play the Japanese repertoire if you play traditional grip, or you can only play the American repertoire if you play Steven's "method" (he avoids the word grip as it implies tension). I've even been at a PAS clinic in London where the person giving the class actually said that the only people that play Stevens are "homosexuals"!!! That is a true story! Technique is a means to expression, not an end unto itself."
"At this point the technical facility has evolved so much that there is very little that one grip can do better than the other."