Drum stick tones

[NYMorningstar]

I just took up drumming a few months ago and I've been trying real hard to get the same sound out of both hands. I just discovered today why I haven't been able to. My drum sticks have their own tone which is quite different from each other.

How important is the stick tonal difference using them on a drum set? Should I shop for a matched pairs? The ones I've been using, I bought as a pair, they're the same size, wood and model, 7AN, but they sound about 2 1/2 steps different. Another set I have of the same kind sound almost exactly alike. Should I not care?

 

[Uladine]

As far as I know most major brands try to match sticks in pairs, but I'm not sure if its possible to match them so that they both have the same exact pitch. I think trying to find such a pair would be a bit overkill as you may be the only person to notice the pitch difference.

On pads the difference is much more apparent because the pad makes a short thud while the sticks resonate between strokes. If you're noticing the difference on the drums I think you may have some super hearing or something. Or maybe I'm slightly deaf.

Slight tonal variations between each hit is evidence of a real drummer. If you want each hit to sound the same, you should use triggers. Even playing plain 1/4 notes on the snare with one hand should produce a slightly different sound each time because it's nearly impossible to hit the same exact spot with the same velocity, same angle, and same grip with every stroke. My opinion is that you should embrace the variations between the tones of your hands as proof that you're not settling for programmed drums on your recordings. It's natural.

Of course the better drum sample libraries take these variations into account and have seperate samples for right and left hand hits for a more realistic sound. Something else to consider.

 

[Atterion]

I have a pair of Ludwic 7A's right now that are the same. It is especially noticeable when playing my ride (and to a lesser degree on the snare). One sounds OK, but the other sounds phenomanal. I wish they were both that good. When I test sticks now I usually find a nice ride bell to give a quick A/B comparison on. To me a little variation is acceptable, but I want a fairly balanced sound.

 

[NYMorningstar]

Hey, thanks for the answers. I don't think I'm going to get to concerned, I already do that for guitar . I think I'm just being anal because the drums haven't collected any dust yet. I just got to micing them up today and been messing around with mic placements and such. I can see there's more to worry about than perfect pitch

 

[random.hero]

probably just hittin with a little more weight and different angle and or speed with dominant hand...

happens

 

[jaykeMURD]

If they're wood sticks, are the heads worn down differently? When I use wood sticks, that can be noticable, but not really important. It doesn't actually effect my playing.

 

[Gamelan]

If the sticks are very different in pitch they are probably also very different in weight. That could make it difficult to get an even sound from hand to hand, if that matters.