Eh? why do my hotrods keep breaking?

[Jayme]

Why do they go to pieces?? (the thin strands keep snapping off one by one)
Is it the way i'm playing? are you ment to rimshot or are you ment to flick with them?
Please give a hand!


Jayme

[crankz1]

Yeah they don't live to long with heavy playing or rim shots. They are more for playing with finesse. You really need to have a handle on dymanics to make um last very long.

[mikeh]

I've always considered Hot Rods (or Cool Rods, etc. etc.) to be a tool much like brushes, used for a certain effect. I'f you play hard with them (in particular hitting rimshots) they won't last long - but that is not what they are designed to be used for.

As crankz1 indicates, they should be used with more "finesse". Many drummers turn to dowels simply because they can't control the volume of the drums - but learning to play softer (maybe even use a lighter stick - like 7A's - for certain applications) is a needed skill.

Once a drummer has better skill in dynamics, then the Hot Rods (or brushes, etc) can be used properly as an effect, rather than simply something to keep the volume down.

[Jayme]

Originally Posted by mikeh

- like 7A's -

I use 5 b, but i don't realy understand how the sizing of the sticks work, What order do the go in?

[mikeh]

As a general rule:

The higher the number series, the lighter the stick - and the higher the alpha, the thicker the stick.

So - a 5B is slightly thicker than a 5A but the 5 series is heavier than then 7 series, but lighter than the 2 series.

So something like a 2B is a very thick/heavy stick (for serious rock & roll bashing) and a 7A is a very thin light stick (often good for jazz). Naturally with all the makes and models it tends to get confusing - however mose sticks are simply a variation on the 2's, 5's or 7's (a gram more weight or a centimeter different in length, ec)

When I sold drums (or when I taught) I recommend a 5A or a 5B which are rather standard sizes.