Which drumsticks

Sure nobody had heard of the brand of the drums or cymbals but I was nevertheless over the moon with a full sized drum kit at my disposal. I tentatively hit the drums with my sticks and began to experiment. At the time they were just two pieces of wood, my 10 year old self not caring or even knowing that another stick type existed. I just wanted to hit the drums and make what I thought was a cool sound.

Most drummers start out just like myself, using whatever sticks their Teacher, Music Shop and friends recommend, or what is included in a general snare drum or practice pad pack. There are a plethora of different stick types available nowadays, leaving new and even seasoned drummers confused. Despite an over-saturated market and a massive range, it is easier to find the right stick for you then it may seem.

But first, you need to understand what the differences are between sticks and what all the numbers and letters mean! The length of a drumstick generally runs from 15 to Now, even though drumsticks measurments vary from one brand to the other, sizes are still considered standards… Meaning a 7A will always be thinner than a 5A, and a 2B will always be the thickest etc, no matter the brand.

So… Which model should I choose? Next up… Types of beads The shape and the material of the tip define the sound you will get, and the only rule you need to know here is: The bigger the surface that comes into contact with the drums, the less defined the sound. Beads can be made out of: Wood — which is the most widespread material. The main advantage of nylon is that it is a lot more durable, though many people dislike its sound. Choosing one type of bead over another is obviously very subjective but one fact is universal: Wooden beads are used in ALL music genres whereas you will almost NEVER see nylon beads in jazz, for example.

Next up… Materials Drumsticks can be made out of either: Wood Carbonfiber Aluminium and polyurethane plastic Now, the vast majority of drumsticks is made out of wood, which includes, from most common to least common: Hickory — which offers the most balanced mixture of density, weight and strength.

Maple — which is the lightest wood of all, it is mostly used for low volume and fast playing. ProMark Active Grip Some drumsticks model have a thin layer of rubber coating applied to them, which is supposed to give you a better grip on the drumstick… However, one recurrent problem drummers get with these coatings is that the more they sweat, the LESS their hands actually adhere to the stick.

Zildjian Anti-Vibe drumsticks By inserting a little piece of rubber in a hole drilled in the lower end of the stick, Zildjian created a way to reduce vibrations caused by impacts when playing. Now, the brand itself particularly recommends these sticks for electronic drumkits… And the reason they do is because, unlike acoustic shells which have a natural rebound to them, electronic rubber pads and practice pads are much harder, creating more vibrations when hit. Starting with… 1. By adjusting the length of the wires, you can modify the tightness of the sound.

Rods These are the perfect middle ground between the very low volumed brushes and the high volumed regular drumsticks. Mallets The tip of this drumstick is covered in felt, producing a very muffled sound. It helps you to hold on to the drum sticks without compromising your technique and comfort.

They are quite silent as well, which countless parents to little drummers are happy about. Vic Firth American Classic Wait a minute Wasn't this number one on our list? That's very observant of you but not exactly. So which ones are best for you? These drum sticks are slightly different so let's focus first on the similarities and then on the differences between the two.

The similarities are that both are hickory drum sticks in size 5A and they're obviously from the same brand, namely Vic Firth, which is a good brand. Let's look at what is different between them now. The American Classics with Vic grip have a nylon tip, which makes them ideal for rock and jazz or if you're playing on a digital drum kit. They also provide a better grip than the other model.

The grip material rubs off a little if you use them often so it would probably be best not to use them for hours every day but for normal practice they're really good! Why We Liked It - These are high-quality drum sticks with coating that helps with the grip. They are ergonomic and help you use the right technique. They are 5As with nylon tips suitable for jazz, rock and other music that uses cymbals a lot. The drum sticks have a cool design and would be good for any beginner that needs to be encouraged to practice.

For number 7 on our list we have found something completely different to the other products. These drum sticks flash in different colors! We can think of surprisingly many occasions when color changing, flashing drumsticks would be awesome.

Kids love them, so any kid that needs to practice more should definitely be given a pair of these drum sticks. They would also be a fun gift, work well when playing at a party and so on. True, they might not be the best sticks when it comes to the actual playing, but they work and they change color every time you strike with them. This means that they're not lit all the time but just flash when you use them.

They have 7 different colors. The drum sticks are made of poly-carbonate and are size 5B. A plus is that batteries are included, so you won't have to look through drawers in search for batteries before you can try them out! Why We Liked It - Fun flashing drum sticks that change color every time you strike them. The best party trick for a drummer or gift for a kid that needs to practice a bit more.

Batteries are included. Back to the normal, yet good drumsticks again! If you're looking for versatile drum sticks that are good for practically all music these sticks are the best. They are designed to be all-round drum sticks and are 5As, which is the most common size. They are made from maple, which is lighter than hickory and they are easy to play with. Since they are so light, they are easy to play fast with.

They have an oval wooden tip to put wide spectrum of sounds in your music toolbox and they have a soft and warm tone. Why We Liked It - These sticks are the ideal sticks to go for if you're not quite sure what you need in your drumsticks. Perhaps you're just starting out playing and just want to get started without overcomplicating things.

You want something that works well for most music genres and enables you to play as fast as possible. It's a good thing picking drumsticks can be this easy sometimes! If you liked number three on our list but sort of wished they came with nylon tips then these are the drum sticks for you! The size is practically the same, these drum sticks are between 5A and 5B and they are also made from hickory.

And as mentioned they have a nylon tip making them ideal for cymbals and rock, pop and jazz. The nylon tips also mean that this model is more durable and will last longer than the wood tips.

They have a nylon tip and are suitable for most modern genres. The tips are pretty small and round, which gives the cymbals clarity. Vater guarantees that the nylon tips don't fall off, which can sometimes be a problem in cheap nylon tips. The last pair of drumsticks on our list are something quite special. Personalized laser engraved drumsticks! We believe that we have just discovered the best gift you can give a drummer within reason, of course you could give them a drumkit but those are slightly more expensive Personalized items are often the finest gifts and these drumsticks are no different.

The drumsticks with nylon tips can have anything you want written on them with up to 20 characters. There are many different fonts to choose from as well, so you can really change them however you like. They are not the sturdiest of drumsticks, so we would not recommend that you actually play very much with them, but it's a really nice ornament. They would also do nicely as a favor gift at a wedding or a gift to a drum teacher. Why We Liked It - Nice, unique and cool gift for any drummer you can think of.

Personalized gifts are, well, personal, and gifts that are personal are always appreciated. The drumsticks should probably just be seen as an ornament since they aren't nearly as good for playing as the rest on our list, but we feel like this doesn't really matter because they are so lovely. Selecting the right drumstick tip - Drumsticks come with different tip styles that are different shapes and materials. Each drumstick tip has different qualities that make it good for a particular style of playing.

For example, small round tips are perfect for jazz, while teardrop tips are perfect for rock music. Get the right tips for your playing style. Now that we have guided you through the top 10 drumsticks it's time to take a look at our Top Pick, Premium Choice and Great Value.

So why have we chosen these sticks over all the others on our list? What makes them the greatest? Well, we believe that they are good for basically any type of drummer. They're made from hickory which many prefer and they are 5As, a good and versatile size. The price is also reasonable and affordable. Vic Firth is a good brand that deliver good quality drumsticks, made in the U. A and these sticks in particular have wood tips, which makes them the type of sticks that every drummer should have.

Let's take another look at the CooperGroove Performance sticks that we have selected for our Premium Choice. These sticks might not seem like anything special at first glance. They're 5Bs made from hickory, much like any other sticks. What is it that makes them so special then?

It's the great grip you get from their coating. It's the best on our list and makes the feel of the sticks extraordinary satisfying. You will not have to worry about dropping your sticks anymore and they will stay in your hands as you want them to without sliding around. This means that they reduce the tension in your hands and you can just focus on your playing. This is especially good for kids, beginners or people with arthritis or other pain in their hands.

The coating also prevents your hands from sweating, so that will not be a problem anymore, which will be a great relief if you have problems with hand sweat. Unlike some other coated sticks these are very high quality and the coating doesn't rub off, so you'll be able to use them for a long time. Perhaps you found this list in search of the best bargain possible? These would be the sticks for you then! They are 5As made from hickory, so they are durable and a good all-round size with wood tips.

They are heavier towards the tips which helps you play faster and they have a really nice feel to them. There is nothing that excites us as much as a good bargain and we have certainly found one in these sticks! We're hoping that this list has helped you to find a few potential drumsticks that could help you forward in your playing. We would recommend that you select maybe three or four pairs of sticks that you like especially much and then look them up on YouTube so that you can hear what the sticks sound like too, after all, sound is the most important thing when it comes to music.

If you're not quite sure what sticks to go for we would suggest that you go about your search as you would with a musical instrument, by trying the sticks out. Perhaps you have a friend that have a few pairs of drumsticks or a music shop nearby that could help you find exactly what you're looking for.

Different sticks have a different feel to them and even though they might seem perfect on paper and they sound good you should strive to find sticks that makes it a pleasure to play and stay inspired in your music making. But is it really that important to get the right sticks? Aren't we exaggerating?