Part 3: Downstrokes, Taps, and Upstrokes If we used only free strokes, our playing would become pretty dull, since every note would be played at the same stick height and dynamic level. In order to add accents and dynamic contour to the music, you’ll need to modify the free stroke into downstrokes and upstrokes. The downstroke starts high and stops down close to the head. This stroke is used to transition from an accent to a tap. The upstroke starts low and ends high and is used to transition from a tap to an accent. Taps are just quiet low strokes played from the wrist and/or fingers. It’s important to understand that the free stroke is the foundation for both downstrokes and upstrokes. The more control of downstrokes and upstrokes that you have, the more dynamic your music will become. Downstrokes in Matched Grip First let’s look at the downstroke […]