So Many Choices, What to use and When
There was a time early on in my playing when I would not dare go out of my comfort zone in terms of sticks and beaters. I had my Vic Firth (I have since switched to Vater) 5B’s, and my DW felt/hard rubber two way beater (plastic side only of course), and that was it. I was always baffled by other drummers’ stick bags, and honestly never even knew what the different kinds of sticks were, or what they were for. In music school I gained a basic understanding of what the different kinds of sticks could be used for, but this was just the tip of the iceberg for me. Only through experience and experimentation can one gain a deep understanding of the infinite number of textures and tones you can get out of a drum or cymbal simply by varying the type of stick or beater you use. Today my stick bag includes an essential selection of wooden sticks, brushes, mallets, and some other tools that help me to reproduce otherwise difficult tones in a live scenario.
As I have said before I work with a lot of singer songwriters, and they tend to have more texturally based, and even hand percussion based drum parts rather than strictly drum set parts on their records. This forces me to come up with very unconventional grooves to apply to the set, and allows me to get creative in my composition. For different dynamic levels of playing, I always keep at least two sizes of sticks in my bag. I personally use Vater for their durability, weight, and superior quality, but common stick sizes don’t vary much from company to company. For heavier playing I use standard 5B wood tips. I find that a wood tip gives me a greater sense of control, and a much warmer tone than a nylon tip. For lighter playing I use either the Josh Freese H220′s, or the 5A Los Angeles’. These sticks both have a narrower diameter, and allow me to play lighter with the same energy.
As far as texture is concerned, I often use brushes to reproduce soft hi hat tones, or even shaker tones. I find that leading on the snare (vs the hi-hat, ride, floor tom, etc…) with a brush is a great way to support soft vocal/solo guitar parts, and keep the energy. I prefer Vaters Wire Tap brushes, but also use Vic Firth brushes as they tend to have increased stiffness and strength. I also use the Vic Firths for heavier brush playing as they have a hard plastic handle, and the Vaters have a soft rubber handle.
Vater Wire Tap Brushes/Vic Firth Brushes
Another tool I often use to create delicate cymbal swells, and earthy snare tones are mallets. Mallets can be played exactly like wooden sticks, but just provide a much more tone based sound with less attack. I use Regal tip mallets of various softness for this.
Regal Tip Mallets
Another hugely important stick I use very regularly is the blast stick. There are almost as many varieties of blast sticks as there are regular wooden sticks, but I have a few pairs that I use religiously. The pair I use the most is made by Regal Tip and give a soft, full sound with just the right amount of attack so the listener is not overwhelmed by tone and ring. The secret lies in the plastic rods (vs wood rods used in most other blast sticks.) They are simply called wood handle blast sticks.
Regal Tip Wood Handle Blast Stick
The various sticks listed above are, I believe, essential to every drummers arsenal. With this collection, you will have an almost infinite number of combinations you can put together to create a countless array of textures and tones. Don’t restrict yourself to one pair of sticks, but feel free to mismatch them, and maybe even try throwing a shaker in one hand and see where that takes you. The key is experimentation so have fun!
