Learning Drums.org

Drum sticks, man how do I select the correct stick! I know what you are going through. Man when you go to the drum store to check out sticks it can be a little overwhelming when you see all the choices that are available to you. Here are a few things to ask your self. Are my sticks breaking too often, or you can’t seem to get the right sound out of your cymbals. Before you get down on yourself, check and see if the stick you are using is right for you.
Now let’s start with the basics, there are three types of wood used to manufacture sticks. Maple, hickory and oak. Let’s start with maple; maple is great for energy absorption, meaning you will fell less of the hit in your hands. There is Hickory, which is the most common wood with decent energy absorption and flex. Lastly, there is Oak, which is the densest of wood. Oak sticks will not break as much, but you will feel the vibrations a lot more due to poor energy absorption. Now here is a word of warning here, if the stick does not say what type of wood has been used in its manufacturing, leave it be. That will probably tell you that is some type of blend and you don’t want anything to do with that.
Well that should give you a basic understanding of the types of sticks out there so let’s touch next on the types of tips you have to choose from. There are mainly two types of tips you can pick from, the wood and the nylon.
The wood tip is by far the most common, and what I make my determination by is the difference in sound I get from cymbals. I personally believe that the nylon tip gives me a much more crisp sound on my cymbals. The wood tip will of course over time splinter and if you’re not keeping an eye on them when that happens, you can ruin your heads. One down fall with nylon tips is the tendency to come off, and you can bet it will be in the middle of a song during a live gig. So I would recommend if you are a beginner, that you pick up a pair of each and see what you like best. Oh by the way, if you plan on playing electronic drums go with nylon. A splintered wood tip will damage your heads!
Its time to touch on size, each stick manufacturer will code their sticks a little differently, so don’t be surprised to see a difference between lets say a Vic Firth 5a compared to a Zildjian 5a. However, they are all very similar, and follow a general pattern. There are three main stick categories.
-7a. This is a thinner, lighter feeling stick meant for a softer sound on you drums. These work great for jazz drumming, or younger drummers.
-5a. This is the most common stick. Medium thickness allows for both loud and softer play. Great for rock drumming!
-2b/5b. These are thicker than average. They allow for louder sounding drums, and are ideal for heavy rock.
Now please approach these (what I call) gimmick sticks cautiously, the different colors and sleeves and crazy grips and things, I don’t rely care for them myself as you can tell! Always remember; if you are constantly breaking your sticks, check your technique before changing to heavier sticks. With proper technique, sticks should break very seldom. With all this said, you should have no problem selecting the proper stick for yourself. Keep in mind that a drummer’s stick choice is personal, so feel free to experiment around with different sizes and styles. Till next time.

Learning Drums.org Staff

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