Stick preference: how important to you?

[Julia]

Time and experience has changed my tastes, and shown me what works best for me when I play.  

All the experimenting I've done with different pairs of drumsticks has been as much nerdy entertainment as serious learning, but I wouldn't consider any of that wasted time or money.

I think that my skill development was enhanced to some degree through noticing how different sticks work in my hands, both on the practice pad and on the drums.

I've been using the Zildjian maple green dip 5A sticks for quite a while now, and really like the feel of the grip on them.  They're comfortable, and I don't drop sticks nearly as much anymore.  The grip material is also lasting longer than I expected -- I was skeptical about their durability when I first got them.

I wanted to go back to a thinner stick though, so I went and got another pair from Zildjian's dip series -- the 7A black dip.  They are perfect.  They're like butter.  They're like home.  Angels sing when I play with them.  (No Zildjian sponsorship here...though hey, if they want to contact me for one, I'm open to it 😄 )

In some ways, it might not be good to be attached to some feature like grip material; I should probably just be able to contentedly play with whatever pair.  I'm no pro drummer, after all.  On the other hand, I like what I like. 

In the future, I think it would be interesting to challenge myself to play with different types of sticks -- mostly pairs I own, but maybe others as well.  However, the time for that is not now as I work to finish the Warrior Way. I'm more than halfway there, and I've got good momentum going.  For me, using sticks that feel comfortable and familiar is as important to my focus as the elements of good practice that Stephen teaches us. 

What are your thoughts about favorite sticks?  How would you feel if someone stole all your sticks and left you with one random pair of a size and style you never use -- would it throw you off a little, a lot, or not at all in your practice and/or performances?

[Juan]

I did not look for it, but ended having VF hickory 5a that I bought to use on the pad, other 5a that came with the e-kit that I thought to be maple but seems even lighter and softer now that, after the tips of those wore out, I bought VF 7a and 5a maple pairs to test both sizes. 

I got the maple 5as first and they immediately felt better on the kit that the originals. The weight felt weird at first and I thought it had a bad effect on my technique exercises, but soon got used to it. I was convinced to use hickory on the pad and maple on the kit. Then the 7as arrived... and I hated them from the very first moment. I felt like I was back on my early days, when the sticks bounced around on their own will.  But otherwise they were thin and light and felt good in my hands, so I decided that they were just showing me I had a weakness and resolved to work on it.

I alternated the 5as and 7as on the kit and still use them randomly, to not get too used to any of them, but I know now that the 7as are what my hands like most.

I also grab the hickory 5as for pad work and have a pair of 5aa in the kitchen to play with VF nylon tips on the counter while I'm cooking.

This happened without any intention, but now I have the idea that this changing sticks frequently is good to develop my hands, and I feel like it is being so, but... is this a mistake?

[Robert]

Interesting you bring this up. I've been figuring out what sticks I like here recently.

When I got my e-kit, I got a pair of VF ROCK sticks, I believe they're called that, and really had a blast with them. I had also gotten a couple other pairs of 5A's which I played around with on the pad and such. But, I really never picked a pair that I liked. I mostly used the ROCK sticks on the e-kit cus, ya know, ROCK! 😁

Anyway, I recently got my PDP kit from a friend and it had a couple pair of 5A nylon tipped sticks with it. The first time I sat at this kit with my ROCK sticks, it was LOUD AS HELL!!! So, I figured I'd try the nylon tips and they just seemed quieter(maybe relative though😁). 

I'm still going back and forth trying to figure out what works best, but all in all, I don't feel like either of my wood 5A's, nylon 5A's, or the thick heavy ROCK sticks feel any different to me.

On a side note, most of my acoustic kit practice is done with homemade silencers and it could have an effect which I may figure out better when I'm able to play more open later.

Anyway, enough of my rant.

[Julia]

2 hours ago, Juan said:

I alternated the 5as and 7as on the kit and still use them randomly, to not get too used to any of them, but I know now that the 7as are what my hands like most.

I also grab the hickory 5as for pad work and have a pair of 5aa in the kitchen to play with VF nylon tips on the counter while I'm cooking.

This happened without any intention, but now I have the idea that this changing sticks frequently is good to develop my hands, and I feel like it is being so, but... is this a mistake?

@Juan Though I would love to hear input from more experienced drummers than me, I don't think it's a mistake at all.  I think it's good to stay versatile.  In older posts in this club, I talked a lot about the different sticks I used as I was looking for different ways to work through challenges (thinner/thicker affecting my grip, less/more bounce affecting my technique, etc.). 

Here is an example:  I have small hands.  I used to love very thin sticks.  When I practiced traditional grip (which I use most often), I found that a thicker stick was easier to control, kind of like a child learning to write with a big thick pencil.  Later, though, I realized that a thinner stick would help me with Moeller 3, 4, and 5 bounce strokes, so I switched back.  I'm sure with time it won't matter what size the stick is, but the sizes made/make a difference at these formative times.  

Maybe that made me less versatile and more dependent on a certain type of stick for a while, but that never lasted long.  I was also just curious and playing around, and it was fun.

I love that you play on the kitchen counter while cooking, that is a genius idea (and probably entertaining to your household)!  My husband does leg exercises while he's cooking.  I'm more of a clean-up-while-I cook person.  I love drumming in my car (parked of course) on the steering wheel when it's not too hot out, but it's 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44 C) in Arizona right now, cars are ovens 😉

Edited July 8, 2021 by Julia

[Julia]

1 hour ago, Robert said:

Interesting you bring this up. I've been figuring out what sticks I like here recently.

When I got my e-kit, I got a pair of VF ROCK sticks, I believe they're called that, and really had a blast with them. I had also gotten a couple other pairs of 5A's which I played around with on the pad and such. But, I really never picked a pair that I liked. I mostly used the ROCK sticks on the e-kit cus, ya know, ROCK! 😁

Anyway, I recently got my PDP kit from a friend and it had a couple pair of 5A nylon tipped sticks with it. The first time I sat at this kit with my ROCK sticks, it was LOUD AS HELL!!! So, I figured I'd try the nylon tips and they just seemed quieter(maybe relative though😁). 

I'm still going back and forth trying to figure out what works best, but all in all, I don't feel like either of my wood 5A's, nylon 5A's, or the thick heavy ROCK sticks feel any different to me.

On a side note, most of my acoustic kit practice is done with homemade silencers and it could have an effect which I may figure out better when I'm able to play more open later.

Anyway, enough of my rant.

I'm finding that not all drummers think sticks are an interesting topic, but it satisfies the nerd in me 😄 

There's something to be said about sticks being fun just because of their name  -- the placebo effect?  Have we fallen for marketing schemes?  Probably, but my VF Jojo Mayer signature sticks are a blast to play with.  They are a bit harsh on my current setup with Silentstroke mesh heads, though.   I bought a couple of other pairs of sticks because, yes, I just thought they looked cool.  That's ok in my book.

As you point out, I've found that muting materials definitely affect the feel of different sticks as well as the sound.  If I play on a proper, standard kit with no volume-reducing equipment, I suspect my stick choice might be affected.  My current preferences are based on the setup combined with what feels comfortable to me at this point in my journey.  I anticipate it will stay this way for a while. Thanks for adding your thoughts! 

Edited July 8, 2021 by Julia

[Robert]

4 hours ago, Julia said:

the placebo effect?  Have we fallen for marketing schemes?

That gets me a lot. 😁

I am able to play without the sound dampening equipment at times and the sticks certainly make a difference to me. I just need more time at it to figure out what I like the best.