I Need Stick Knowledge.

[Tony]

Hey, I'm pretty new to drums and I'm only into my second pair of sticks because I was messing about on my acoustic kit and damaged the sticks on the rim. Anyway I play an electric  drum set at home and didn't want to damage it with frayed sticks so I ordered another pair. My first pair were a free gift and the numbers had worn off by this point so I went blind and did what most people would do, I bought what I thought was the coolest looking pair. I still dont know what the numbers mean but these sticks are definitely fatter and felt weird at first but now I'm getting used to them I quite like them. Just showing off my sticks 😎

[Tim B. - SDS Staff Teacher]

Hey @Tony. This is a great question. Firstly, @Stephen and I approve of you choosing Vic Firth (they are the best sticks out there). haha

So, I would say the most "industry standard" stick on planet Earth is a 5A. A 5A stick is not too heavy or too light. As the number goes down in size, the stick is actually getting heavier (so a 3A would be heavier/thicker than a 5A) and as the number goes up the stick gets lighter (7A is a super light and thin stick). 

But these are mostly just numbers on a stick. They don't mean a whole lot when it comes to sitting down behind a kit and playing. So a few things to think about that will affect your experience while playing: 

1. Stick weight. Do you like a heavy or light stick? 

2. Stick tip. Do you like a tear-drop tip or a barrel tip? This really only impacts playing on an acoustic kit ESPECIALLY cymbals.

3. Stick length. Some people like short sticks as they feel it makes them "quicker" and get around the kit easier. Some people like super long sticks so they can choke back and get more power. 

I recommend you just go to a music store (Guitar Center, etc) and just try several pair. Play them on a practice pad and see what you like. Once you settle on a pair, try it for a while (a few months). Every stick switch is going to take some adjusting, so I like to let them settle for a few weeks/months before I really make my mind up. 

Last thing, if you are playing on an electric set - I would stay away from sticks with a colored finish. Actually even if you are on an acoustic set, I would stay away from colored sticks. They can (not always) leave marks and residue that normal sticks wouldn't leave. 

[Tony]

Wow really helpful, thanks for the detailed explanation Tim 👍

[Bruce]

@Tony I agree with everything Tim says.  I'd like to add my opinion, and this is only my opinion.  To me it seems that when playing on a pad the more mass/weight a stick has the easier it will bounce/rebound.  When I first started playing in elementary school, (back in the stone age - haha), they always started us on 2Bs which are pretty beefy sticks.  I think they did that so that we could develop a sense of rebound.  After elementary school the drum teaching community (there were 13 snare drummers in my Jr. High School band, so that was a pretty big sample size) started getting a bit looser as far as directing our choice of sticks went.  By that time I'd developed at least some technique and could get the rebound I needed out of a lighter stick.

I've only had one drum student.  She came to her first lessons with light sticks and was having difficulty getting rebound.  I gave her a pair of 5Bs and she liked them a lot more.  We were only working on a pad at that time, but her ability to play doubles immediately improved when she used the heavier sticks.

But, heavy or light, find something that feels good in your hand.  Again, Tim's right - go to a music store and road test several pair.            

[Tony]

Thanks for your opinion it makes alot of sense and has helped. 👍