Sticks & Mallets

Drumsticks are yet another crucial piece of gear that will ultimately affect the sound feel and overall playing experience of the drums depending on what type of sticks you buy.

They are manufactured to a wide variety of specifications to achieve different tones as well as a different feel when striking the drums. for example some drumsticks have a longer shaft whereas others will have a shorter shaft. Also, the size will once again affect the way the drumstick sounds and the way it feels.

Below are some more considerations a drummer could take before purchasing a pair of drumsticks:

1) The Material of the Drumstick: The most common material for drumsticks is wood. However, many beginner drummers aren’t aware that the specific type of wood for a drumstick will end up affecting the sound and response of the stick itself. For example, an Oak wood drumstick is heavier as it is a denser wood. Whereas Maple wood sticks will result in a softer experience. Some of the most common drumstick materials include maple, hickory, oak wood and even graphite.

2) The shape and material of the tip: A very commonly overlooked aspect of the drumstick is the shape of the tip. You can buy different drumsticks with different shaped tips which include barrel tips, teardrop tips and oval tip, just to name a few. The tip size will most definitely affect the overall tone of your drums. For example, a Jazz drummer would generally opt for a tear drop tip because of the warmer tone it produces. Whereas a metal drummer would perhaps tend towards an oval tip due to its larger surface area.

It is also important to remember that drumstick tips are offered in a choice between either wooden tips or nylon tips. Wooden tips are softer sounding and feeling as well as providing you with more dynamic control. whilst nylon tips are much brighter and give a more consistent sound especially on the cymbals.

3) Size of the Drumstick: Drumsticks are categorized worldwide by an alpha numeric system to represent a different size. As we’ve mentioned already, the size of the drumstick will no doubt affect the way the drums feel and sound. Examples of these sizes include 7A, 5A, 5B etc. You will notice that each size is often used to achieve something different.