Hi all, I am a newbie who just started out on drumming. I would like to know more about drum sticks. I understand a little about how nylon or wooden sticks affect the performance but I am not good with all those terms for a drum stick(sizes, length). How do I go about buying drum sticks? Can anyone shed some light on my question?
Advice On Getting a Pair of Drum Sticks
- Thread starter YQPan
- Start date
TheElbowBand
New member
hi
when i first started playing drums, the guy in the music store recommended a standard 5A for beginners, just a plain pair of beginner's sticks with no signatures. try out different types of sticks that u feel comfortable with. don't go for those which are extremely heavy or thicks ones, those might weigh u down as a starting out.
good luck.
when i first started playing drums, the guy in the music store recommended a standard 5A for beginners, just a plain pair of beginner's sticks with no signatures. try out different types of sticks that u feel comfortable with. don't go for those which are extremely heavy or thicks ones, those might weigh u down as a starting out.
good luck.
BoogieMan
New member
I agree with elbowband 5A sticks are the way to go to start and then once you gain more experience experiment with different sizes.
Ahead sticks are good but expensive, and i have always worried about what effect the alloy metal stick ( with plastic sleeve) would have on my cymbals. I would rather break wood drumsticks than crack cymbals. :x
The only people I have seen with Ahead sticks are rich rock stars with cymbal endorsments.
Ahead sticks are good but expensive, and i have always worried about what effect the alloy metal stick ( with plastic sleeve) would have on my cymbals. I would rather break wood drumsticks than crack cymbals. :x
The only people I have seen with Ahead sticks are rich rock stars with cymbal endorsments.
turbochicken
New member
5As are preferable coz their weight is benificial for wielding proper stick control. also, they allow / train you enough to be comfortable with heavier or lighter sticks, should you need to use them in your future drumming endeavours.
Hi there.
I'll start off with the most important thing to look out for when buying drumsticks, avoid AHEAD drumsticks at all cost. Brands to look out for are Vic Firth, Vater, and possibly Promark (I've never actually used them before, though).
Anyway, just go to the music store and test out the sticks individually. Start off with 5As, as someone has mentioned. It is the size that feels "right" to most people, and the thickness fits most hands snugly. No need to get all technical with the measurements of the length and thickness, just look out for the tip (nylon/wood, acorn shaped, tear-drop shaped, etc), the thickness, and the weight. The length doesn't vary much to a point that it is noticable when playing, and try to ignore the wood material for the time being (just avoid any drumsticks that aren't made from wood).
Ultimately, it is just choosing sticks that feel comfortable. Make sure the sticks feel like extensions to your arms, and not something you can barely grip onto. It also takes time for a pair of sticks to "break in" and feel right. So for the first few months of playing, it's normal to buy and experiment with various types of drumsticks before finding a really suitable one.
I'll start off with the most important thing to look out for when buying drumsticks, avoid AHEAD drumsticks at all cost. Brands to look out for are Vic Firth, Vater, and possibly Promark (I've never actually used them before, though).
Anyway, just go to the music store and test out the sticks individually. Start off with 5As, as someone has mentioned. It is the size that feels "right" to most people, and the thickness fits most hands snugly. No need to get all technical with the measurements of the length and thickness, just look out for the tip (nylon/wood, acorn shaped, tear-drop shaped, etc), the thickness, and the weight. The length doesn't vary much to a point that it is noticable when playing, and try to ignore the wood material for the time being (just avoid any drumsticks that aren't made from wood).
Ultimately, it is just choosing sticks that feel comfortable. Make sure the sticks feel like extensions to your arms, and not something you can barely grip onto. It also takes time for a pair of sticks to "break in" and feel right. So for the first few months of playing, it's normal to buy and experiment with various types of drumsticks before finding a really suitable one.
Soundpunk said:
Plastic. 8O
Anyway, shred5 is right. It's up to individual preferences. If you want to play like Joey, you can do so with any other sticks than Aheads, except Aheads just limits your ability to play with versatility and to perform with dynamics. So yeah, it's a personal choice.