My Stick Shtick: Navigating Stick Choice In a Sea Of Sticks


Why on earth are there so many sticks to choose from? And what makes them all different? You want to know? - me too. This is a topic I have been hardcore exploring lately. Here is what I've learned.

I think it's important to define different parts of the drumstick (as nerdy as that is) so that you will understand what I'm talking about when I reference it. So take a good look at this diagram of a drumstick.


Yeah. That says butt.

There are two main reasons why people buy certain types of sticks:


1. how it sounds
2. how it feels



Let's dive into the factors that affect sound.
  • Diameter/Thickness - Generally, the thicker the stick, the more power and projection it has.
  • Length - Longer sticks have more torque or leverage (I'm not sure what the right science term is here) but think about it. The tip of a longer stick will travel faster with the same wrist motion of a shorter stick, thus, giving a louder sound (and a different rebound).
  • Tip Shape - This is a big deal. I've been playing with VicFirth 7A's (teardrop tip shape) for years, and I recently tried a different stick with a different tip shape. My cymbals sounded completely different; it is crazy how big of a difference this makes. You can watch some videos that do a tip comparison, but it's hard to capture the overtones (especially with phone speakers). You HAVE to hear it in person because it's as different as night and day. Instead of explaining the different kinds of tips there are and what they do to the sound, I'd rather just say different tip shapes bring out different qualities of your cymbals. And the only way to really find out the difference is to try different tip shapes for yourself. Here's a diagram so you can maybe visualize the differences in sound.

  • Tip Material - The old nylon vs wood argument. Nylon tips really emphasize some of the brighter overtones, and wooden tips can give you a more of the cymbal's fundamental tone. In my experience, I think both tips break just as easily. Just an observation I've made - I find it rare to see a working drummer using nylon tips on an acoustic set. Once again, that's based on my own experience, but feel free to come up with your own conclusions.
To review, just compare a typical marching band stick with a typical drum set stick. The marching band stick is generally going to be longer, thicker, and have a larger tip. - All qualities to project sound outdoors from the back of a field. While a drum set stick is going to be shorter, thinner, and with a smaller tip shape.



Now let's look at the factors that affect how it feels.
  • Taper/Balance - Taper is basically how much space the shoulder of the stick takes or how long it takes the wood to lessen from the shaft to the tip. A medium taper will feel balanced. But you can change the balance by changing the taper, and it can actually feel better or worse. A long taper makes the stick feel back heavy (towards your hand) and a short taper will feel front heavy (towards the tip).
  • Stick Material - The most common material sticks are made of is hickory. But other common woods are maple and oak. Different woods have different densities which affect the weight and durability. Some sticks have a lacquer applied which can affect durability and how it feels in your hand. And some sticks have this rubbery grip on them if that's your thing.
  • Diameter/Thickness - Obviously thicker sticks feel different than thinner sticks. For a good while I believed I had more control over a thinner stick, but nowadays, I'm not so sure.
  • Length - I can't tell you what feels different between longer and shorter sticks, but I can tell you they feel different. I think it's in the rebound.


My last stick thoughts are that I regularly hold my left stick "backwards" (holding the shoulder in my hand instead of the butt) because my left hand primarily plays the snare, and I want my snare to be as beefy as possible. I think it projects better and feels fuller, and I didn't think it made that much of a difference until I tried it. If you don't know if that would work for you, I'd say just try it for yourself. What do you have to lose?


Drumsticks are just a series of preferential choices, kind of like a Starbucks drink order. Do they matter? Sure, I mean, someone has to drink that. A soy caramel frappuccino no whip is going to taste very different from a dark roast black coffee with one packet of sugar. Similarly, drumsticks have different flavors they are meant to bring out and shine in different contexts. The only way to really know what you like in a drumstick is to try out different ones. "If you never try, you'll never know" - Coldplay.



If you want to dig deeper into this topic, these are some great articles:

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