HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT DRUM STICK

               Learn The Different Types OF Drumsticks 

With all the different varieties and brands of drum sticks on the market today, you really need to make sure you are selecting the most appropriate stick for your style. Would a heavy metal band want a drummer to use jazz sticks? Maybe your sticks are 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. Start With The Drumstick Wood

To really find the best stick for yourself you should start with the core; the wood. There are 3 main types of wood used to make sticks. There is Maple, which is a lighter weight wood that has excellent flexibility. 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. Hickory is a well rounded wood. 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. If the stick doesn’t state what wood it is, back away. This usually means it is a blended wood and is not made up to standard.
Choose a Tip

Now that you’ve selected the right wood, its time to chose the right tip. There are 2 types of tips to choose from; Nylon and Wood. Most common is the wood tip. This is a solid choice for most applications. The only real downside to wood tips is the fact that they may chip after extensive use. Nylon tips are great for bringing out your cymbals and getting better rebound from your stick. They are great for studio work when you want to really make your cymbals shine. The problem with nylon tips is they sometimes fall off your stick, which can be a real problem in the middle of a show! If you are playing on an electric drum set, you want to use nylon tips. Wood tips can splinter and severely damage your drum pads! There is alot to know about which tips work best for certain applications.
 Choose Your Size

Once you have an idea on you wood and tip, you need to find the right size stick for you. Different manufacturers will code their sticks a bit differently, so you may see a slight difference in 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.
Funky Drumsticks

You may have gone into a store and found some different “Funky” looking sticks. These are unique designs made to either increase longevity, or grip of you stick. Rubber sticks are becoming more popular, promising to “never break” and offering replacement sleeves if they do. The problem with these sticks are they are very costly. Furthermore; you will find they cut easily on cymbals, and offer weak rim shots on the snare. Colored sticks are another design that is growing in popularity. Watch out with these, though, as you will find they tend to mark up your cymbals.

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 drummers stick choice is personal, so feel free to experiment around with different sizes and styles.

ESSENTIALS EVERY DRUMMER MUST LEARN

                     Essentials Every Drummer Must Learn!

Learning the drums for the first time can be a very difficult thing to do. There is so much to this massive instrument that someone could get lost very easy. Perhaps you already know how to play the drums but are finding it hard to progress with your skills. Whatever the situation is, learning the essentials of this massive instrument is a must. There are a few lessons that need to be learnt in order to be able to play and practice the drums effectively. Before starting any other lessons on the drums, make sure you go through these essentials and master them. If you are an advanced drummer already, you definitely want to go through them again to make sure you haven’t missed anything. There are a lot of drummers that do not know a few of these skills, which throws their whole groove off! Like I said; these skills are ESSENTIAL for every drummer!

The first essential skill a drummer must know before anything else is how to hold a drumstick. This is something that most drummers do not take the time to actually learn; they will just grip the sticks any way they feel comfortable. This is not the right thing to do at all! There are specific ways to hold the drum sticks for a reason, so make sure you go over all the different variations. Whether you play traditional grip, matched grip, or French grip, there is a distinct way to hold the sticks in order to get the maximum bounce and response from your stick. If you learn this right early in your drumming life, you will be that much better off, as your practice sessions will become more effective.

The next thing every drummer should know is how to count time. This is not as easy as counting to 4, there is a little more to it. Being able to count time means being able to count different time signatures, notes, and beats. If you cannot count the beat or groove you are playing, then how do you expect to play it properly? That is why you must develop your internal clock skills right away as a drummer. Most drummers think they can do this no problem, but when asked to play a 16th note pattern in 7/4, they stare at me with a blank look. So work on counting time so you can master you beats on the drum set.

One essential skill most drummers do not know is how to tune a drum set. You would be surprised how many students I get asking me how to tune a drum kit. The method isn’t really that hard, yet so many drummers never take the time to learn it. If you can tune your drum set correctly, your whole drumming experience will sound that much better. You will also get a further understanding for the instrument you are trying to master. Knowing your instrument is the first step in learning it.

Believe it or not, another essential skill drummers must learn is how to read sheet music. So many drummers do not take the time to even consider learning this. Understanding a little bit of drumming theory is the best thing any drummer can do for themselves; after all, drums are still music. Knowing how to read drum notation will get you a ton more gigs and jobs as a drummer. Musicians will appreciate you more too. But aside from all of this, you will be able to learn more quickly. When you are starting out on the drums, this is key, fast development. When you can read sheet music you can take advantage of all the free drum lessons and beats online. You will be able to learn more diverse beats.

These 4 skills are a must for any drummer, beginner or not. If you learn these concepts correctly before you start practicing, your practice sessions will be much more effective. If you are a drummer who has been playing for years now, go back and see if you can cross each one of these off. If you can’t, then you better get practicing. I guarantee you will see an improvement in your drumming if you follow these steps!