Drums Sticks: Choosing the Right Tool for the Job

So many choices — it can be so confusing!

by Dendy Jarrett

Many drummers just starting out default to whatever the band director recommends, or whatever came in their snare pack. Most of those include a common 5A or 5B—a great all-around “general purpose” stick. But there are so many stick choices it can leave new and even experienced drummers bewildered as to what we should get. I have several in my arsenal and they're all chosen for different purposes.

First, consider what type of music you're playing. Jazz? BeBop? HipHop? Hard Rock? This will go a long way in determining where to start.

A LITTLE HISTORY

Early on for many of us (back in the 1950’s through 1970’s), sticks were simple. They were made up of three basic classes:

• A Series sticks (5A, 7a, etc.) were typically a jazz combo, orchestral, or “Acoustic” stick
• B Series sticks (5B, 2B, etc.) were typically a concert “Band” or heavier drum set stick.
• S Series sticks were typically the marching or “Street” class of stick

In the last 30 years, that has changed significantly. So much diversity started showing up in the music scene that stick manufacturers found more markets as they developed new stick models to meet the demands of the many players. The world of sticks just kept expanding until we have the wide range we have today.

STICK ANATOMY 101

Length, weight, diameter…all of these are part of a stick's anatomic makeup, and factor into what stick will work best for you.

• Length: Drum sticks can run from 15 inches to 17.5 inches long. Some prefer the shorter sticks and some the longer sticks. Most will fall in the middle. There is an argument that the longer the stick, the better the fulcrum. I personally use a Regal Tip 3B which is a 17” stick, which traces back to when I was doing marching drum corps playing and we used Regal Tip Quantum sticks for playing marching tenors (quints). When you're buying sticks, simply playing on a pad can help you determine if a stick's “throw” (or leverage) feels good for you. The ultimate test is playing on a kit.
• Weight: Drum sticks all have different weight classes. Most are measured in grams due to the light nature of the weight. Most of the weight is derived from length and diameter. But you can place out a dozen pairs of the same size stick and type, start picking them up, and find that some sticks are much denser than others. This can be due to anything from where the wood was harvested to what type of life the tree lived, When choosing a pair of sticks, you’ll want to make sure your sticks are matched with respect to weight.
• Diameter: The circumference of a stick relates to the stick's diameter. Some other common terms are the stick's thickness or “fat-ness.”  There are specialty sticks made out of tubes that are two or more inches in diameter…and then there are sticks that are sometimes referred to as #2 pencils!

But what really is the anatomy of a drum stick?

• Tip:  The tip of the stick is … well … the tip. In other words, the part that plays the head. There are really four classes of tip. Wood tips are in a league with the tips' shapes setting the class, and there are also nylon tips. Here's the breakdown:
  • Tear Drop – This is a tip shaped like its name and tends to be the most commonly chosen of tip shapes. It tends to bring out low tones on both the drums and cymbals
  • Barrel Tip – Shaped like a barrel, this gives a very broad (or fat) sound. It's well-rounded and a common choice for the studio drummer.
  • Round Tip – Both small and large round tips. A round tip has less surface hitting a drum head or cymbal than the tear drop or barrel tip, so the sound tends to be a brighter and higher pitch. But if you're using a large round tip, you'll still get a bright, but “phat” sound.
  • Oval – Oval is a popular tip,especially in the more diverse drum set crowd and the marching crowd. This produces and nice full sound on drums and cymbals.
  • Nylon Tip – While some have similar shapes to their wood counterparts and others differ (with more shapes emerging every year), nylon tips by and large fit the Tear Drop shape. Some advantages of a nylon tip over wood is that a wood tip can deteriorate during playing as drums and cymbals erode the wood fibers. The result can be a “soft” sound coming from your “mushy” wood tip. Granted, you really have to be playing over quite a bit of time for this to happen, but it does happen. With nylon tips, you do not typically find any tip deterioration. In years past, we saw problems with the tips coming off or splitting apart, but with advancements in nylon composition, and a huge improvement in adhesives, this problem is now almost non-existant. Some drummers really like nylon tips because they produce a really defined and bright sound. Some prefer them as well because they like the ‘bounce’ they get from tips. Conversly, some don’t care for nylon tips for the same reason.

(There are other tips more recently than these on the scene including the Arrow, Taj Mahal [rounded arrow], Reverse Tear Drop, and Blended—just a slight distinction in the shaft to the tip—and some even more obscure types such as diamond tip, half-acorn, and cartwheel).

• Shoulder (Shank or Taper): This area of the stick, commonly referred to as the shoulder but also called the shank or taper, is right behind the tip and is where the stick starts to increase in diameter. The closer the shoulder (or taper) is to the tip, the less bounce you'll experience.
• Shaft: This is the area in the middle of the stick, and comprises the most stocl "real estate." If a stick breaks, it will typically be around where the shoulder and the shaft meet.

• Grip:  This is the area you hold, and is usually an inch or an inch and a half in from the end of the stick. This is where most of your magic emanates!

• Butt: This is the final inch of the stick including the end. Most of the time this never used, however in circumstances where heavy playing is needed, you can always flip the sticks around and play with the butt end. 

WOOD

It’s all about the wood. Great wood can make a great stick. If you’ve ever built anything that used wood, you know that great lumber is hard to find. A 2X4 today is not like a 2X4 of yesteryear. Sticks are the same; for the highest quality, wood chosen from properly managed forests is important.

There are primarily three wood types being used for sticks (with two being the main focus):

• Hickory: This is the most popular by far. Hickory is a forgiving wood due to its fibrous grain makeup. It flexes more than any other wood type, which helps prevent breakage. It absorbs to a large degree, which helps keep your hands from suffering from impact pain. It's dense enough to withstand pounding, while still maintaining both the aforementioned qualities. Again, it's by far the most popular wood choice.
• Maple: Maple is a light and fine-grain pattern wood. It's great for concert snare drum, percussion ensemble, and jazz ensemble playing (or someone doing acoustic or coffee house gigs where a light touch is needed).
• Oak: This is a dense and heavy fiber wood type. A lot of drummers love their oak sticks and drums. For me, it causes shock waves that I can feel well into my arms, however there are drummers I know who swear by their oak sticks.

Honorable Mention:  There are other stick materials. Spun Aluminum, fiberglass, Kevlar, plastic dipped, manufactured woods, compressed woods, carbon fiber and even persimmon wood. Wood sticks are by far the most popular.

THE STICK FOR YOU - Best Practice

Once you've settled on the right stick model and wood choice, it's time to figure out the best method for choosing a stick. It really isn’t scientific or complicated, and some people aren’t particularly picky about it, but to others (yeah, I’m a stick snob)…it matters.

I’ll preempt this by saying that many stick companies now do this for you, and offer what they refer to as “matched” stick sets. Still, so many factors can come into play when you're dealing with wood—for example, humidity, or lack of humidity. How they're stored is another; a warped stick is not a drummer's friend!

Lately, I must say I've had great luck ordering sticks online and having them arrive already pitch- and weight-matched. However if I'm going into a store to select sticks, I am “that guy” where they roll their eyes and drop a load of sticks on the counter. I go through them as follows:

• Pitch Matching: I hold the stick between two fingers (suspended) and tap with another finger to hear the pitch up close to my ear. The object is to find a pair where the pitch is as simiilar as possible. Again, these days lots of companies do this of you with scientific precision.
• Visual Inspection: This is about looking for any imperfections. I reject anything that looks like it might be a weak spot in the grain (even if it means rejecting a matched pair).
• Weight: The two sticks should weigh the same. Surprisingly you may have two that are pitch matched yet the weight can be dramatically different (defies all logic).
• Straightness: Make sure the stick is straight. Most drum shops will have a glass top counter. You simply roll the stick while watching the tip. If you see any wobble, reject it—a warped stick is not your friend!

TOOLS – for a good job

Just like a carpenter needs the right tools for the job, (you wouldn’t try to frame a house by driving nails with a wrench), drummers need the right tools for their job. Drum sticks are your tool for carrying out a successful groove. The stick has to be a good fit for your hand size, your drum set size, your reach, the music…so many factors.

Make sure you're choosing well! And while most will settle into their primary size of choice, carry some other stick sizes so if you're called upon to play something that's a departure from your everyday gig, you're prepared with the right tools for the right job so you can do a good job.

RESOURCES

TO PURCHASE DRUMSTICKS:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/drum-sticks-mallets

TO TALK ABOUT ALL THINGS DRUMSTICKS AND DRUMMING:

http://www.harmonycentral.com/t5/Drum-Forum/bd-p/acapella-19