3 Tips on how to choose the right Drum Sticks

Do you often wonder what drumsticks to buy? I know I do.

Well, there’s so many type of sticks, different brands, sizes, tip shapes, kinds of wood —heck, even different colors!— that it can be overwhelming.

Allow me to try and give you 3 tips —no pun intended— on how to choose the pair of sticks that suits you.

1. Size

Alright, so the first and most important decision would be the size of the sticks.

As you probably noticed from the picture above, the pair on the top, which is size 2B, is the thicker one and the one at the bottom, size 7A, the thinner.

Now, what I would recommend is trying out different stick sizes —maybe visit your local music store— and see which one feels more comfortable to grip.

Also, keep in mind that size is generally proportionate to weight. However, it may vary a little, depending on the density of the wood that the stick is made of (hickory, maple, oak).

2. Tip Shape

The tip of the stick plays an important role in the sound as well. Obviously, if you’re playing on an electronic drum kit it hardly makes any difference.

As a rule of thumb the bigger the tip means the larger the contact surface with the drum, thus the heavier the sound. An even stronger effect on the sound has material that the tip is made of —the harder it is, the heavier the drums will sound.

So from the examples on the picture above, the heavier sounding tip is the nylon, followed by the oval and then the acorn, the drop, the barrel and the ball.

That effect is more distinguishable on the cymbals, so you may want to try out different sticks on a ride cymbal rather than on a snare drum, for example.

Apparently, the choice of the tip will depend upon the style of music you are playing. Although there are exceptions, I would not recommend playing jazz with a nylon tip stick, for example.

3. Brands

There are numerous drum stick brands out there. I don’t have a personal favorite —as a matter of fact, it’s the last thing I check when I buy a pair of sticks.

As my grandmother used to tell me “Eat with your mouth, not with your eyes”. Therefore, I try not to base my decision on any other factors, except on how the sticks sound on the drums and how they feel in my hands.

4. Bonus Tip: Balance

After you’ve decided on the size, the weight and the tip style of the sticks, you should probably check out if they feel well balanced when you play them.

Some sticks are front heavy, some are back heavy and some feel kinda “neutral”. There is no rule here, just keep the balance factor in mind and pick the ones that make you wanna Stick to the groove —pun intended!

So, that’s my take on how to choose the pair of sticks that’s right for you.

As always, feel free to send me your thoughts, questions or objections at connect@theochristo.com.