Drum Sticks Balance

The first thing anyone should learn about playing with drum sticks is stick bounce and balance. This is really drum sticks 101, but is the basis of some of my other drum stick technique discussions, so I must say something about this topic here.

Drum sticks have a specific holding point at which they bounce best and are most comfortable to use.

Drum playing with sticks makes much use of stick bounce. Simply put, the stick hits the drum and then bounces back up. Each stick has a specific point at which it bounces best and is most comfortable to use if held there. This point is usually a little more than a third of the length up from the base of the stick. If you hold it too close to the tip, the stick will feel too light and won't want to come down as well, if you hold it to close to the base, the stick will feel too heavy and will not want to bounce back as well.

You can determine where your drum sticks should be held, by testing where the drum sticks bounce best, as shown in the picture to the right. Put the drum stick on your index finger, lift it up with the help of your thumb, and let the stick bounce by letting the tip drop. You can use a table top, a practice pad, or a drum for this.

The next drum technique lesson will show you how to hold drum sticks using the matched grip and get ready to hit your drums.