Among the mallet percussion instruction books I've seen (Kraus, Buyer & Gotry, Wessels, et al) the standard grip is described and illustrated as holding the mallet between the thumb and first joint of the index finger with the remaining three fingers in a relaxed, even loose grip around the shaft; i.e., the fulcrum is clearly between the thumb and index finger. The palms are facing down (i.e., German Grip).
However recently I've read documents from front ensemble groups such as Atlanta Quest, Rhythm Armada, et al describing and showing a rear fulcrum grip: the middle, ring, and little fingers are wrapped firmly around the shaft whereas the thumb and index finger are relaxed with little pressure between thumb and index finger, almost making a "T" shape. In this case the hands are turned slightly at a more natural angle (i.e., American Grip).
As an autodidact on keyboard percussion I started with the traditional (front fulcrum) grip but found I had difficulty with control of the upstroke (wrist rebound); in addition the pressure on the muscle at the base of the thumb made for an uncomfortable (possibly detrimental?) grip after 45 minutes or so. Not so with the rear fulcrum grip: I'm more relaxed, it has relieved pressure on the thumb (and thus the muscles in the forearm), incorporates the weight of the mallet for the down-stroke, and makes for a much more even-sounding stroke coming straight from the wrist.
I'm conjecturing that the traditional (front fulcrum) grip was a carry-over from snare drum where there is a natural rebound. Conversely, the material describing rear fulcrum grip emphasizes the lack of rebound in mallet keyboard percussion thus the need to have control of the stroke directly from the wrist; i.e., perhaps it's reflective of a more modern understanding of the body mechanics involved.
Nevertheless I need to know if I have a case of misplaced context here: despite the perceived advantages I noted above, is the rear fulcrum grip specific to the needs of a massed front ensemble (e.g., volume, tone) but otherwise not appropriate for more traditional keyboard mallet percussion settings (e.g. solo, small group)?
