Using heavier sticks for pad/rudiment work?

[dpakman91]

When i first started drumming, i used super 5a's for both pad and kit work.

Then, i found i was "better" with 7a's, and have been using those for both pad and kit.

Now i'm thinking even if i'm better/more comfortable with the 7a's, maybe i should use the 5a's for pad work anyway because they are heavier and therefore it will just help my playing with 7a's even more...

any thoughts?

[Seafroggys]

dude, for pad rudiment work, you should have started on marching sticks. Jim Casellas, MS2s, Ralph Hardimons, etc.

[[Fonya]]

Exactly, 5a's arent exactly heavy sticks to build up muscles.

[Janeway]

That would be fun. Switching from 7A to tree trunks.

[Drum Monkey]

Yes marching sticks are great for pad work. They are heavier and beefier making your hands/wrists work harder. Bigger sticks for pad work is a great idea. I'll be picking some of these up in the near future myself:

http://i2.tinypic.com/s6rndg.jpg Thomas Lang (STL)
A large shaft and oversized tear drop tip speak loudly and clearly. Designed to produce a thunderous sound on the drums! In hickory.
L = 16 1/8", Dia. = .650"

-DM

[dpakman91]

Alright, well for now i will at least go back to the 5a's on the pad, and once i get used to that, maybe move to something bigger.

There is no downside to playing with heavier sticks on the pad/lighter sticks on the kit, right?

[Drum Monkey]

There is no downside to playing with heavier sticks on the pad/lighter sticks on the kit, right?
Only if you consider getting better a downside :rolleyes:

-DM

[poppinfresh]

jim cassella went to my high school

i use bigger sticks, but im starting to think its stupid because all it really does is build up bulkier muscle.

[dpakman91]

jim cassella went to my high school

i use bigger sticks, but im starting to think its stupid because all it really does is build up bulkier muscle.

interesting, so maybe there IS some downside

[Drum Monkey]

interesting, so maybe there IS some downside
Well, if you see bigger muscles as a downside then, yes. You could use those muscles and apply them to the kit though...

-DM

[Ellx]

How much do you think those Thomas Lang sticks would cost?

[poppinfresh]

i got htem free at the thomas lang clinic.

for me they would probably cost about 8 bucks. prices have just been constantly rising its mega n00bz.

[ian1988]

Morgan Rose Alien Freaks on pads work wonders ^_^

[Loyton]

Im sorry, but 7a's are NOT ****ing real sticks people! Jesus christ!

Its like using a splash as a crash, both have their place, but if you use a splash for everything, it doesnt work. Pick up some real sticks and stop playing with those toothpicks.

[dpakman91]

Im sorry, but 7a's are NOT ****ing real sticks people! Jesus christ!

Its like using a splash as a crash, both have their place, but if you use a splash for everything, it doesnt work. Pick up some real sticks and stop playing with those toothpicks.

I like them. Why are they so bad to use?

[Seafroggys]

5As are the perfect size for playing (for me at least) but if I want to build chops and stuff they suck.....so go bigger.

7as are way fricken small for me.

[ian1988]

Yeah i cant stand 7A's either. Its like driving a Yank Tank(F150 for instance) with a 1.3L engine. No grunt

[Ethan.]

It's all personal preference.

[Ellx]

Wouldn't quite a lot of jazz players use 7a's?

[Drum Monkey]

Wouldn't quite a lot of jazz players use 7a's?
Yes, it's mostly a jazz stick...

-DM

[Ethan.]

some people feel quicker with a smaller stick. it makes sense.

[Double Bass Jim]

I always use ralphs on the pad

GREAT workout stick

[Drum Monkey]

I always use ralphs on the pad

GREAT workout stick
I'm going to really start practicing drums as opposed to playing them now. What stick (Vic Firth, of course :rolleyes:) would you reccommend for pad work? Would using something like Hardimon's stick (.710") be better practice against Lang's (.650")?

-DM

[Seafroggys]

^^^ Vic Firth MS2

[Drum Monkey]

^^^ Vic Firth MS2
.695" eh? I'll have to do some more looking around. Thanks, :chug:

-DM

[The Philosopher]

Meh I just started using 5As instead of 7As when using a pad. Not much of a difference, I think I'll pick up some marching sticks sooner or later.

[Seafroggys]

.695" eh? I'll have to do some more looking around. Thanks, :chug:

-DM

what do you mean? You'll notice a definite difference compared to 5as or whatever. MS3 I think are the renamed versions of the Jim Casellas, those are nice too and a little thicker.

[steeldrummer11]

I prefer 7as for applications that require slightly lighter touches, generally I use 7as for jazz but otherwise i dont feel I have enough power with them.Then I've always used ms2s on a pad. Its pretty weird going from ms2s to 7As.

[CARMEN77]

You should just get danny carey sticks. Who wouldnt want overpriced sticks with an occultic symbol on it LOLZ?!?!

[The Philosopher]

Oh dont you know playing his sticks give you his talent? ? ? ? ?

[The Philosopher]

Double Post :'(

[isp_of_doom]

I recently bought a few different pairs of sticks to try. In the past I've tried Vater, Regal Tip, Pro Mark, Vicfirth, Zildjian... maybe a few I've forgotten.

Their all good.

Then I bought a Thomas Lang Sig, and Mike Mangini Sig. I like the Thomas Lang sig because it teaches you not to feel it as a heavy stick (which you will probably notice when you pick it up - compared with 7's or 5's. The Thomas Lang stick size also somehow has made me feel and adapt more according to the vibrations of the stick. Another thing it's helped me do is keep my hand in the 'sweet spot' of the stick, where its weightless. This can easily be felt after a few decent sessions with the sticks.

The Mike Mangini's I need to spend some more time with though. They seem to have a very interesting rebound action, with quite a defined balance point. its also the first time I've felt a difference caused by the head shape, but I need more practice with them to find more of their secrets.

Drummonkey: I'd suggest not to 'vic firth of course' yourself. Vic firth are a fantabulous brand (with a fan-fricken-tabulous website to match!) but when I changed from vic firth to pro mark it really opened my eyes to wood type, grain, polish, etc. and grip.

T'was interesting.

[Talos]

Thomas Lang sigs are great for normal playing as well as rudiments, they cost me as much as a normal Vic Firth - £7.50 amd I played with them last week with my band. I was playing the heavier stuff and there were like no chips or anything! I didnt want the white paint to chip off either and it didnt.

It was great, but I like 5Bs over everything

[SkaRabbit]

It doesn't matter what sticks you use to be honest.

[jalel]

^Exactly, the only thing that makes you better is practice, not what stick you use:thumb:

[SkaRabbit]

The only difference in sticks is just finding one thats more comfortable.

[Kalvarium]

^^^ I cant agree with you more.

Its all a matter of personal comfort and confidence with the stick you're holding. Yes it might help learning how to use two sticks.

If you use Metal N's for example on a practice pad then use a 5A on the kit, you might feel lighter and quicker as your muscles are trained for using much more force as opposed to the force needed to handle a 5A. But thats about it IMO.

By the way, I use Metal N's... anyone else? I dont know why I broke more Metal N's than 5A s and I play pretty brutal.

[drummingducktape]

is the vic firth Metal N (CMN) sticks good for pad work, just as good as marching sticks? its quite a stick. i bought it when i first start cause i liked the red tip. haha

[Drum Monkey]

what do you mean? You'll notice a definite difference compared to 5as or whatever.
I know. It'll make a HUGE difference. When I had my P.O.D. sticks (.533") and switched to 5B Extremes after a song (.595") the 5Bs felt like tree trunks... Just wondering what you guys would reccomend when it comes to sticks for pad work... A heavier stick would be more work, of course, but what should I get... I'm thinking of getting Thomas Lang's signatures...

Drummonkey: I'd suggest not to 'vic firth of course' yourself. Vic firth are a fantabulous brand (with a fan-fricken-tabulous website to match!) but when I changed from vic firth to pro mark it really opened my eyes to wood type, grain, polish, etc. and grip
I think of it this way. If I can find what I want with Vic Firth, there's nothing wrong with that. If I find some Pro-Mark sticks that I really like, I won't put them down and pick up some Vic Firths because of the name...

It doesn't matter what sticks you use to be honest.
Different sticks offer different things... It's finding out which ones offer you the most... I'm not asking "Tell me a stick name and I'll go out and buy it." I just want to know what is suggested and if they have it at the music store, I'll try 'em out.

-DM

[Loser]

You should just get danny carey sticks. Who wouldnt want overpriced sticks with an occultic symbol on it LOLZ?!?!

Last I checked, they were the same price as most other sticks.

[SkaRabbit]

Right DM. Sticks make little difference. It is all about how you practise.

[some jive turkey]

I've thought about switching to heavier sticks while playing on the practice pad.

I typically use lighter weight sticks. I like to play with dynamics, and make the most of accents and ghosting. A lot of acoustic jazz gigs that I like doing can never be too quiet, so many times I never need the volume. Even with a full loud band with PA, monitors & the works, I don't find it that hard to play loudly either with small sticks, when needed.

The reason I haven't really moved to bigger sticks on the pad is because it's like weight lifting. In theory, heavier sticks would develop larger muscles in your hands. Larger muscles would enhance your ability to manipulate larger weights(bigger sticks) but (in theory) wouldn't do much for your ability to improve your agility and dexterity.
It's kind of like the difference in the physique of a power lifter or an aerobics instructor.

I don't think using larger sticks will hurt, but I doubt it will do much to improve. There's no short cut, no quick fix, only a lot of disciplined hard work to own up to if you want to improve. Practicing with any size daily is the only thing that's going to make you improve.

[Josiah]

Using larger (EG marching sticks) for pad work makes a considerable difference.

People can reason how or why's all they want. It comes down to brass tacks - every person I've ever seen who switched to using larger sticks on the pad saw noticable improvement in their drumset playing.

It has never failed to be a positive factor.

[CARMEN77]

Danny Carey sticks are about 5 dollars more exprensive than similar sized marching sticks. Capitalism loves quasi-Occultism!

[Btrutt87]

where do you buy your sticks? i just googled his sticks and found them on zzounds.com for the same price as weckl's sticks.

[djs]

It's actually pretty fun going from marching sticks on the pad to 7a's on the set. You feel like you're using pencils to play, its kinda weird, but you can go pretty fast.

[Det_Nosnip]

Im sorry, but 7a's are NOT ****ing real sticks people! Jesus christ!

Its like using a splash as a crash, both have their place, but if you use a splash for everything, it doesnt work. Pick up some real sticks and stop playing with those toothpicks.

Actually, I played a gig once with just a ride, hi-hat and splash as my cymbals....worked fine.

[Det_Nosnip]

Using larger (EG marching sticks) for pad work makes a considerable difference.

People can reason how or why's all they want. It comes down to brass tacks - every person I've ever seen who switched to using larger sticks on the pad saw noticable improvement in their drumset playing.

It has never failed to be a positive factor.

I don't understand what the difference between that and ankle weights is, though. People are very quick to criticize them, but has anyone actually tried them?

[Josiah]

I don't understand what the difference between that and ankle weights is, though. People are very quick to criticize them, but has anyone actually tried them?


Besides the physics of the movements and control being totally different. There is no fulcrum control with the foot. There is however a very important and absurdly complex fulcrum point that's worked very heavily using larger sticks.

[rockindrummer]

Heavier sticks will build the muscles in your hand way quicker than using a smaller stick. It is definitly benificial and if you havn't switched yet then I say that you should.

[some jive turkey]

Using larger (EG marching sticks) for pad work makes a considerable difference.

People can reason how or why's all they want. It comes down to brass tacks - every person I've ever seen who switched to using larger sticks on the pad saw noticable improvement in their drumset playing.

It has never failed to be a positive factor.

Well, I wouldn't doubt it, but I won't believe it until I try it for myself. Notice that I did say "in theory". In many situations there can be a difference between theory and practice.

Heavier sticks will build the muscles in your hand way quicker than using a smaller stick. It is definitly benificial and if you havn't switched yet then I say that you should.


I'll guinea pig myself. Starting tonight, I'll switch to marching sticks on the pad for awhile and I'll see what happens. I found like 6 pairs in the trash dumpster once. I was thinking about doing this anyway, a while back, but now, thanks to the forum, I have the incentive to try it out.
(big ups for the forum):thumb:

[Retarded Chipple]

I've been wondering wheather using heavier stick for practice actually works, like 'overtrain' yourself so when you come to playing lighter sticks, your hand fly. Now I know it does!

I use Thomas Lang Sigs to practice with, they are awesome! I practice on a pillow as I heard it has no stick rebound so you can develop better technique. Is this true?

[ilikenoise]

7a's!? what a joke!

even thomas lang's son who is like 2 uses his dad's sig sticks!
http://www.artport.at/sticktrix/photo/gallery_13/images/07_nick_and_lex.jpg

imagine what stick size he'll be using in 20 years time. a whole redwood!

[Loyton]

wierd, that picture doesnt really look like thomas lang. Crazy german asshole.

[ilikenoise]

wierd, that picture doesnt really look like thomas lang. Crazy german spatula.

it dont look like him cause it aint him. thats art verdi.

not german- austrian.

[Josiah]

That's not Art Verdi either....


Bigger sticks help, because they give you more to work with. More bounce, more momentum, more to hold on too, more energy. It takes a more refined skill with smaller sticks, so to say.

Mastery of drumming is the mastery of physics, or at least a particular type of object in motion. Learn to work with the stick and embrace the movements and things become much easier.

[crazyguy832]

*runs out to buy -4S sticks*

[Talos]

even thomas lang's son who is like 2 uses his dad's sig sticks!

Have you ever thought that its for illustration purposes only?

Why isnt Tom with his kid instead of some faggot?