What Sticks to Get (General Drumming Technique)

[Pirate-Drummer]

There was a thread on here earlier about Travis Barker's drumsticks. There was some negative feedback on them (mostly due to the white paint). Those are the kind I use and I have trouble doing a lot of drum techniques, and I was wondering if the sticks played a major role in it. I can't bounce very well (hardly at all) and my speed is, to say the least, sub-par even though I practice as much as I can. I usually grip the stick towards the bottom because I feel really awkward holding them at about the 2/3 point like I've noticed in most of the videos I watch. I assume I should try different sticks. Do you guys recommend anything specific? Also, How can I bounce better?

P.S. Yeah, I'm a n00b.

[weebrad]

I use standard Zildjian 5A hickory sticks. They seem to work great for me and you can definately tell the diference between these and the other no name brand sticks that came with my kit, much better feel and speed. I'm not saying the Zildjians are the best sticks around as they're the only good pair I've used, but they definately helped my playing.

[atomcorr2]

forget new sticks ,, the only way is ,,,,, practice,practice ,practice... when you were a baby crawling around ,you didnt one day just get up and run a marathon did you ? no you learned how to balance on your feet first , then you took a couple steps and fell down ,, then you got better at walking , then you learned how to run... but none of that was learned without lots of practice.... so find a set of sticks that feel good in your hands ,, then practice,practice, practice... its the ONLY way

plus ,,, if you hold your sticks too far back , they will never bounce ,, the bounce comes from the stick being balanced in you hand.

[HiHaaT]

I own some ShawX sticks with some black paint coating on them that i bought a while ago when i first went to get some drum sticks, aside from painted sticks looking pretty cool they arent worth it (my opinion) Because the paint gets slippery when your hands start sweating and making you hold you stick firmer to keep it from slipping. Which could at the early stage of drumming make you tense up your arm and have a bad effect on your playing. Your best bet is to get some plain wooden sticks (Pro Mark, Vic Firth, Vater etc) and then just practice and practice without the feeling your sticks are holding you back

[rabidpenguin45]

Any stick will work as long as you find the fulcrum, and understand how to use the fulcrum to your advantage. Otherwise, the fatigue and lack of speed will catch up to you.

[SomeGuyDude]

I use Vater Rock sticks.

However, these things are heavy, and they are big. They're just under 2B sized, and I've got a feeling they're not the easiest to use unless your arm muscles are pretty well conditioned.

[wolvie56]

Are you using the ones with the mallet on the end? You should really find and use the fulcrum of the stick. Without doing that, it will be hard to almost impossible to produce any stick bounce at all. Also, those sticks are pretty long, 16 3/8 I believe. With that length, it shouldn't matter much if you find and use the fulcrum, you will still have plenty of length left to still feel good for you. Use the fulcrum. It's one of the first things taught by drum instructors. How to hold and utilize a stick. I think there are lessons that address this on this site as well. Good luck. And hey, if I haven't already, welcome aboard.

[pastor_bob]

I can't bounce very well (hardly at all) and my speed is, to say the least, sub-par even though I practice as much as I can. I usually grip the stick towards the bottom because I feel really awkward holding them at about the 2/3 point like I've noticed in most of the videos I watch. How can I bounce better?

P.S. Yeah, I'm a n00b.

P-D, the key to your problem is less in your stick than in your technique, and you identified your own problem. You don't bounce well and you hold your sticks differently than you see in videos. In order to bounce your sticks, you need to find the right balance point of the stick and cradle that point between your index finger and your thumb. Here is a video that expalins it well:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9wxEKutb3U"]YouTube - How To Grip Your Sticks Part 1[/ame]

[SomeGuyDude]

Maybe I'm weird, but I hold my sticks kinda far back, too. I dunno, never had a HUGE problem...

[topdog63]

Ever see how far back Carter Beauford holds his sticks. But he found out how to work around it anyway.

Here is a good vid about finding the balance point on your stick:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=053bC81Lcv4"]YouTube - dave weckl back to basics[/ame]

[Titus]

I hold my sticks on the far back end too.

Don't worry about the sticks until you get a metronome and measure your progress over 2 weeks time. When you hit a plateau then look at gear. I use Vic Firth 5A's religiously.

But seriously, get a metronome. see if you can play 16ths with both hands at something comfortable like 80bpm. Find increase by 10bpm at a time till you find your limit. after 2 weeks I bet your limit is higher.

[Pirate-Drummer]

Thanks, guys. I got some new sticks and just showed my snare drum who's boss. I'm bouncing like a trampoline now. They should remake "Happy Gilmore" about drumming. "It's all in the wrists. It's all in the wrists."

[SomeGuyDude]

Just bought the Regal Tip Alex Van Halen signature sticks. Holy crap these things are long.

[chafey]

i really love my vic firth 5a nylon tipped sticks

[concrete Building]

Past: Vic Firth 5A wooden sticks

Present: Vic Firth 5A Nylon-tipped, red "vic-grip" sticks

Future: Most likely some version of Vic Firth 5A

[Pirate-Drummer]

I got Vic Firth 2B nylon-tipped.

[ZildjianKid234]

I got Vic Firth 2B nylon-tipped.

I find heavier sticks to be too hard to control and more likely to damage my equipment. Be careful with those!

[MartyM]

People people..its all about feel and balance..thats it in a nutshell, different for each and everyone of us.

[Pirate-Drummer]

"Cobus" on Youtube looks like he plays near the the back ends of the sticks and is still really good, IMO.

[Pirate-Drummer]

Just from my n00b opinion on his cover of "Toxicity" by System of a Down, it seems like he has his hands more on the bottom of the sticks and some kind of insane level of bounce.

[Paul R.]

Chad Sexton holds his sticks at the end too. I took a few drum lessons in college and my teacher told me he didn't care "where" I held the sticks, but he was more concerned about "how" I held my sticks

[Dagon2000]

I use Firth 3a hickory for my warmups so I get that heavier feel. I find I have to have my index/thumb right about equal to the "dotted I" in "Vic". The warmup consists of 16th's in the following pattern: Right 16th/Left 16th (repeat 10x), Right 16th/Right 16th/Left 16th/Left 16th (repeat 10x)...so on so forth until you are doing 4 in each had 10x. After that I switch up to Vater 5a hickory for my rudiments, sight-reading and beats. I hold the 5a's much lower, with my index/thumb only about 3 1/2 inches or so from the base of the stick. I find that when I do the switch, the 5a's feel so much easier to maneuver for me. On the flip side, if I do my warm-ups with my 5a's, I never feel the same level of comfort for my practice session as I do when I use the 3a's during warmup.

I dunno...might just be in my head too :P

[Riouel]

forget new sticks ,, the only way is ,,,,, practice,practice ,practice... When you were a baby crawling around ,you didnt one day just get up and run a marathon did you ? No you learned how to balance on your feet first , then you took a couple steps and fell down ,, then you got better at walking , then you learned how to run... But none of that was learned without lots of practice.... So find a set of sticks that feel good in your hands ,, then practice,practice, practice... Its the only way

plus ,,, if you hold your sticks too far back , they will never bounce ,, the bounce comes from the stick being balanced in you hand.

+1