Broken Sticks Suck

[Metal-head]

ok now I have broken 3 pairs of sticks within 2 days, and now all i have left is a pair which one has tape wrapped all around it and sounds like complete ****, i deffinatly play waaay too hard but its hard not too does anyone have any ideas on how to lighten up a bit

[Daemon]

Dont Lift Your Arms As High!

[hellsbells58]

Maybe you have to develop your technique.

Where do you normally crack your sticks? Hitting Cymbals or drums?

If its cymbals you may have to work on the 'glancing blow', if it on the drums you might have to angle your drums differently or avoid hitting the rim of the drum.

HB58

[Pdplayer]

Simple, buy a pair of ahead sticks, study your technique, and make sure your drums and cymbals are set-up properly, otherwise you are going to be breaking more than sticks.

Ever heard of tommy cluefetos? he is the drummer for rob zombie, well he did a clinic here in my hometown recently and let me tell you, I have never heard a guy hit a set of drums like he did, the key is to make sure everything is set-up right, cymbals slightly tilted in, drums slightly tilted, and you have strong hardware and sticks, these were his exact words, he to uses ahead sticks, his own signature stick, not available yet, so there is nothing wrong with playing hard, just make sure everything is set-up right and you have the proper equipment or you will be sorry, hope this helps.

[bongobro]

...the key is to make sure everything is set-up right, cymbals slightly tilted in, drums slightly tilted, and you have strong hardware and sticks...

Clarification here: By "tilted in" I presume he meant tilted in toward the drummer (that is, the side of the snare and toms closest to you are lower than the other side)? That helps to some extent, but hellsbells has a point, too...if you play every beat at 11 on a scale of 1 to 10, you're gonna break something even with the heaviest-duty stick you can find. Try lightening up on your attack (tough to do, I know) and, if you're mikin' the drums, adjust your levels so you don't have to thrash so hard.

[Pdplayer]

Bongopro, you are correct, tilted in towards the drummer, and yes only to an extent will this help, that is why I said study his technique, because there is really no need to hit that hard, BUT if he chooses to play that hard, then this is what Tommy Clufetos suggests as well as myself, because if he continues to play hard, and as he has been, then he will eventually end up breaking other very expensive things, hope this clarifies things.

[Daemon]

the trick is to have all your force on the wrists, I've been playing for about 3 years and i practice at least an hour and a half a day and i have NEVER broken a pair of sticks. If you put all of the force right near the end of the stroke and you angle your drums so only the tip hits the drum. I barely move my arms when i play

[Ch33zz]

Well, the cymbal chips gradually wear down your sticks, maybe get a fatter stick? 2B anyone?

But other than that, dont smash your drums, im a hard hitter too, and i break about a pair a month, or so, but tilt your drums slightly twords you, and your cymbals, dont whale on your drums, and get a fatter stick, a good brand like vic firth helps too

[hellsbells58]

Sometimes the solution isn't just getting a heavier duty stick.

For one, I hate using tree trunks for sticks. They're not as maneuverable, you can't hit as fast. I use Jazz type sticks, 7ANs most of the time, and I still manage to get months of use out of them.

HB58

[amputechture]

sometimes i break my sticks just because of the wrong technique on the hi hats

dont play to high up on the shoulder the crack easier this way

same with ur cymbals tilt them like completely horizontal so that ur not hitting them with the shoulder

hope that helps

[Dave H.]

I have my crashes high & flat but hit with a glancing blow/ I play pretty hard sometimes but seldom break a stick any more on my drums. If I set in on someone else's tubz I always seem to break a stick. Heck when I was in my teens playing hard rock I used to break heads, not just sticks. Haven't broke a head in 30 years

Dave H.

[METAL DRUMMER]

Also, keep in mind, that your not holding a club or hammer. The stick needs to move in your hands with the thumb and index finger being the pivot point. (Just figured I'd throw that out there.)

[funkymcstain]

if you are breaking sticks that quick, the last thing you want to do is go and buy some ahead metal sticks. unless you like buying cymbals OFTEN. really, just work on your technique and dont hit as hard, you dont really need to bang em as much as some might think to het good tone and projection.
if you are playing with a band and have a hard time hearing yourself, tell em to turn it down some.

[eggman]

put tape on your sticks before you start playing...that's what we do in my drumline...it helps...we use electrical tape, but I recommend the Pro-Mark stick rapp tape...is nice...

Pro-Mark Stick Rapp Tape

[amputechture]

ahead is the way to go

funkmcstain knows how it is

altho a lot of the time u break stix because of technique also

[Dave H.]

I use both the Ahead stick & wood sticks. I use nylon tip wood sticks as I don't care for the sound of wood tip stick on cymbals. Not brite enough sound for me. I use mainly Zildjian & Vic Firth wood sticks, they seem to hold up best for me.
Dave H.

[Xaviett]

how would u brake so many sticks? you would have to like tear crators into your drum heads. how many sets of those do you go through?