Construction of drum sticks:
Plain wooden drum sticks are most commonly described using a number to describe the weight and diameter of the stick followed by one or more letters to describe the tip. For example, a 7A is a common jazz stick with a wooden tip, while a 7N is the same weight of stick with a nylon tip, and a 7B is a wooden tip but with a different tip profile, shorter and rounder than a 7A. A 5A is a common wood tipped rock stick, heavier than a 7A but with a similar profile. The numbers are most commonly odd but even numbers are used occasionally, in the range 2 (heaviest) to 9 (lightest).
The exact meanings of both numbers and letters differ from manufacturer to manufacturer, and some sticks are not described using this system at all, just being known as Jazz (typically a 7N or 8N) or Heavy Rock (typically a 4B or 5B) for example. The most general purpose stick is a 5A (wood tip, for snare tone) or 5AN (nylon tip, for cymbal tone).
Drum sticks of the traditional form are also made from metal, carbon fibre and other modern materials.
Grippong
The main type of stick grip is the Matched Grip style. This has become the standard grip for most styles of music. Matched grip is basically having both hands the same when holding the sticks – meaning both left and right hands are matched. There are a few ways to hold the sticks with matched grip .
The Germanian grip is very common for rock drumming and corps drumming. It involves you holding your stick at the fulcrum point (balance point) with your thumb and index finger, placing your other fingers on the bottom of the stick. What makes this grip different is the angle in which you play your sticks. Place your sticks on the snare drum, and try to make a 90 degree angle with them. When you find this angle, you will notice your elbows may stick out a little, which is normal.
American Grip
- The American grip is the same as the Germanian grip; however you are changing the angle ofyour sticks. Instead of having your elbows out and your sticks at a 90 degree angle, relax a little, and let your arms fall. You will notice your sticks come in a little, cutting your angle down to 45 degrees or so. This is the mostcommon style of drumming, mainly because it feels the most comfortable.
Traditional Grip
The other style of stick grip is the traditional grip. This is very common in jazz drumming and corps drumming. This grip was designed by drummers in army corps who had their snare drum resting on their hips. The angle of their snare drum made it hard for them to play with matched grip. Therefore, they created a new method of holding their hand underneath the stick. This has been more recently been name the traditional grip. To achieve this, you want to hold the stick with your hand upside down, (or palms up). Find the balance point of the stick, and place it in the pocket of your thumb and index finger. Rest the stick on the last two fingers of your hand, (the ring and pinky fingers). Now you just have to simply rest your index and
middle finger on the top of the stick.
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