Sunday, June 29, 2014

The Right Stick for the Right Job: Finding Drumsticks that are Best Constructed for Your Style of Drumming

By Victor Salazar


Drumsticks are one of a drummer's most crucial tools. They're our direct connection to our drum kit. Without the proper drumstick, many drummers can't play comfortably or to the best of their abilities.

Over the years, I've spoken with drummers - from beginners to pros - who've had problems with their drumsticks. Either they were experiencing cramps in their hands or their drumsticks were literally flying out of their hands because they were unable to hold onto them while playing. Interestingly, many of these drummers only experienced these situations during live gigs. And in almost every case, it turned out that each drummer was simply using the wrong size stick. Once they used the right size stick, all of their problems went away.

A lot of drummers select sticks based on how fast they can play with them. Many of us want to blaze around the drum set displaying dazzling single stroke rolls. So it would seem logical to get the lightest stick with the least amount of mass in order to play with superior speed and agility, correct?

Not necessarily.

The primary reason why you may experience hand cramps is because you're using a drumstick that's too thin and light for your playing style. The harder you hit, the more relaxed your grip should naturally become. This will prevent injury and allow the drumstick to absorb more of the impact. However, if you play hard with a thin and light stick and try to relax your grip, one of two things usually happens: either you develop a cramp or you lose the ability to hold onto your stick.

You can't grasp a thin stick in a loose and casual manner and play hard: it's physically not possible, and the outcome will be sticks that will fly out of your hands. Conversely, if you attempt to hang on tightly to a light and thin stick while you play hard, you'll quick develop cramps.

The best answer is to select a heavier and larger stick: you won't have to grip it as tightly and it won't go airborne on you. You'll also be pleasantly surprised that you won't lose speed/power/accuracy despite the increase in mass and weight.

In terms of why drummers have specific problems that only happen in a live situation, it's because many drummers unknowingly morph their playing approach. Their adrenaline surges, their blood pumps, and they reflect the crowd's energy by hitting harder than they normally do during rehearsals and practice sessions.

That's when the problems kick in, and as you can imagine, playing live is the worst time for things to go wrong with your performance. Heavier sticks offer a solution to these common glitches.

To see if heavier sticks are best for you, try this experiment: when you're demo-ing new sticks on a practice pad, use a model that's a little heftier than you think you need. You'll be surprised to find out that you'll be able to play with authority, ease, and plenty of speed/power. Your drumsticks will also probably even last a bit longer (saving some money is just an additional perk of using the right drumsticks).

(BTW, Dave Grohl drums hard, plays with speed, and almost never seems to miss where he's hitting. While in Nirvana, he used Aquarian Power-Sleeve 2Bs, a durable, heavy drumstick. Today, he still uses a large drumstick, his Zildjian Dave Grohl Artist Series model, which is well-suited for his raucous style.)

Should you have any questions or need specific guidance regarding your stick decisions or dilemmas, feel free to reach out. I'm always here to help!




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