Broken Sticks... All Over The Place

Broken sticks

Some drummers, like Jojo Mayer, say they never break sticks or heads anymore because they have learned the point at which the drum is not going to get any louder. However, for styles like metal, it may be desirable to hit harder than that, which means broken sticks.
 
Jim Gordon once said that he doesn't think of hitting the drum per se, but rather pulling the note from it.

Now if Jim had only applied that same thinking toward his mom... :rolleyes:
 
My drummer's got a really nice habit....

...he buys himself a whole bunch of big fat John Bohnam style tree trunk sitcks, and then..... doesn't use them.

Instead, he likes to use the 7A's that I buy for myself. He'll completely destroy my 7A's, and then I have to go buy a new set.

Meanwhile.... his massive set of over-size clubs sit in mint condition, hanging in a little cloth sack off the floor tom.

He also does this with the "not at all cheap" series of burshes I have bought over the years...... he just mangles the hell out of them. I guess I got a little smarter and stopped buying the $50+ brushes so he could wreck them.... but..... I am going to have to start hiding the 7A's as well.
 
I go through a pair about every 2 months or so. When I first began to play the drums I would go through them like crazy. I think it was a combinations of the different (numbers) in the equation: lack of control, horrible technique, and not using the correct size of sticks. I like to use VicFirth (8D) I know there thin especally for a metal drummer, but they work.:)
 
There's obviously a technique problem if you're going through tons of sticks, no matter how hard you hit. The main problem is cymbals. Many players hit right into the edge of their crashes and hats. This chews up your sticks, cracks the cymbal sooner, and can cause wrist pain. You have to hit with a glancing blow, not a full on smash, to allow the cymbal to speak. I haven't had a huge problem with rimshots breaking sticks. It just compresses the wood, which doesn't compromise the stick's structure at all.

Also, stay away from maple. It is not durable at all, no shock resistance. The best wearing sticks I ever used were Neil Peart pro-marks. Made of oak, which is pretty soft, but has amazing shock resistance. Very strong, durable sticks, a little larger than a 7A, little smaller than a 5A IIRC.
 
I've been watching these guys (3 different drummers) clocely and noticed a few things. One really crashes the cymbals a lot, mostly on the edges, wood shavings flying all over the place. Number two is really rough on high hats and seems to keep a white knuckle grip on the sticks. Number three just can't get past the idea that "harder is better." Is there an open season on drummers? I want to shoot that last guy. I wont really shoot him but sometimes it's tempting.
 
I've never hit the cymbals dead on, I always have sweeped the stick forming a glancing blow. I can't believe that anyone who has been going through sticks & later been told how to hit cymbals can still go through as many sticks. It's one of the simplest techniques to pick up (I can do it after all!!) It makes sense & overall results in each hit sounding similar. If your hitting dead on I think it would be more difficult being precise each time you hit the cymbal.
 
_brian_ said:
I've never hit the cymbals dead on, I always have sweeped the stick forming a glancing blow. I can't believe that anyone who has been going through sticks & later been told how to hit cymbals can still go through as many sticks. It's one of the simplest techniques to pick up (I can do it after all!!) It makes sense & overall results in each hit sounding similar. If your hitting dead on I think it would be more difficult being precise each time you hit the cymbal.
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It DOES happen though, even with VERY experienced players. Cymbals are not static instruments like drums that are set in a vice in one place. They move a lot when you hit them and they are not always back in position when you hit them again during a vigorous fill or a solo, so you CAN get a little bite on the stick. When you get a few bites, the stick is toast (unless you're Carter Beauford that will play with sticks that are "beat to death")
 
hazerlazer said:
There's obviously a technique problem if you're going through tons of sticks, no matter how hard you hit. The main problem is cymbals. Many players hit right into the edge of their crashes and hats. This chews up your sticks, cracks the cymbal sooner, and can cause wrist pain. You have to hit with a glancing blow, not a full on smash, to allow the cymbal to speak. I haven't had a huge problem with rimshots breaking sticks. It just compresses the wood, which doesn't compromise the stick's structure at all.

Also, stay away from maple. It is not durable at all, no shock resistance. The best wearing sticks I ever used were Neil Peart pro-marks. Made of oak, which is pretty soft, but has amazing shock resistance. Very strong, durable sticks, a little larger than a 7A, little smaller than a 5A IIRC.
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Just say no to oak sticks. Oak sticks are for amateurs or the budget minded.

BTW, Maple and hickory stick are far better for your joints. FAR better! MUCH better shock resistance!!!

I just buy 12 pair of straight, perfectly grained sticks at a time and I don't give it a second thought. I keep 'em in a stick bag on my floor tom. If a stick breaks (or if I can feel it breaking), I throw it and grab a new one.
 
I was breaking about 3 sets per practice and my drum area looked like a saw mill, But I was useing these REALLY cheap $4 a set sticks....I now use even cheaper sticks ($2 a set) but they are much better quality and I maybe break a stick every other practice...They are actually the Reject sticks at Long & Mcquade that sell for $1 a piece , but they are Hickory and are pretty good for cheapo sticks...

:D
 
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