Drum sticks, as a rule, are made of wood (beech, oak, maple, hornbeam, hazel, etc.) and some artificial materials (aluminum, polyurethane, carbon, etc.). Sometimes the tip is made artificial, and the "body" of the drumstick remains wooden. Currently, due to the high wear resistance, wooden sticks with nylon tips are gaining more and more popularity.
Drumstick structure:- comel is the point of balance;
- the body of the stick is the grip area.
The shoulder (another name is the neck) is the tapering part. The length and shape of this area greatly affects the behavior and sound of the stick.
The tip is needed to strike. It comes in many forms. In most cases, made of wood.
How to choose drum sticks?
You need to start with the base - wood. There are three main types of wood that are used to make drumsticks:
- Maple is the lightest, has excellent flexibility. With sticks from this tree the musician will feel less blows with his hands.
- Walnut is most often used for making drumsticks. It has good flexibility and high energy absorption.
- And finally, oak wood. Drum sticks made of this material rarely break, but the musician will feel a lot more vibration during the game.
After you have decided on a tree, you need to choose a suitable tip. There are two types of tips for drumsticks - made of wood or nylon. The most common are wooden tips, which will be a good choice for many types of games. The only minus of the tree is quick wear during active play. Nylon tips last longer. They will also be useful when playing cymbals in the case when you need a good rebound and a bright sound. When playing an electronic
drum kit, it is recommended to buy drumsticks with a nylon tip, since wooden ones can break and damage the net on the pedal.
The tips also vary in shape. It is customary to distinguish four types:
- Round - reduce sound changes when playing at different angles. This is especially good for plates. This type of tip is now very popular.
- Cylindrical - give a diffused and open sound.
- Pointed drumsticks give an average focus sound.
- The tips, reminiscent of the shape of olives, allow you to control the sound and the area of contact upon impact.
The next important parameter is the size of the sticks. Different manufacturers designate drumsticks in different ways. Nevertheless, they are quite similar. There are three categories of sticks:
- 7a are light and thin drum sticks designed to produce a soft sound. Great for beginner drummers and jazz music.
- 5a are the most common drumsticks, medium in thickness. Well suited for rock music. You can play with them both quietly and loudly.
- 2b / 5b are drumsticks for louder sounds. Great for hard rock and metal.
The most famous drum stick manufacturers are: Stunner, Ruby Grip, Zildjian, Ahead, Cooperman, Sabian, Wincent, Tama, Balbex, Lutner, Vater, Pro Mark, Malletech and Vic Firth.