How to Choose the Best Drumsticks for You
Just as a pro golfer wouldn’t use a driver on the green, a great drummer wouldn’t pick a pair of heavy sticks for a jazz show. We know that one kind of sticks simply can’t do it all, and there really isn’t a “best” pair of drumsticks to choose. In fact, different genres of music and playing styles call for all different types of drumsticks.
With so much drum gear in the industry today, it can feel like there’s a wedge constantly being driven between beginner, intermediate, and professional designations — but that’s not the case with drumsticks! Whether it’s your first day behind the kit or you’re a touring professional, drumsticks are designed to land in the hands of all timekeepers; it’s about feel more than anything. In this Sweetwater guide, we’ll break down how to choose drumsticks that perfectly match your sound and style of drumming so you’re prepared for every song in the set list.
- Types of Drumsticks
- Drumsticks: What Size?
- Drumstick Materials
- Drumstick Tips: Wood vs. Nylon
- Signature Sticks
- Brushes
- Mallets
- Rods
Types of Drumsticks
- Sticks: This standard, timeless, and versatile design is the most frequent choice of drummers.
- Brushes: Brushes are quieter than sticks and are great for soft effects in the musical realms of jazz, pop, and ballads.
- Mallets: Mallets can be used with a number of percussion instruments and offer a focused beat with a dampened attack for your drum set.
- Rods: Rods are louder than brushes but quieter than sticks, making them excellent for low-volume acoustic performances.
Drumsticks: What Size?
Drumstick sizes are generally described with a number and a letter, the number representing the stick’s diameter (thickness) and the letter its application. Generally, the smaller the number, the thicker the stick. For example, the popular 5A size is wider and heavier than the thinner 7A. While minute in their differences, your drumsticks’ weight will certainly affect how they feel and sound when you play. Thicker, heavier sticks provide more volume and durability — perfect for large venues and heavy genres where projection is paramount. Conversely, lighter sticks are thinner and easier to handle, lending themselves to greater finesse.
Alongside a number for thickness, a drumstick’s weight is represented by the letter S, B, or A. The music you’re playing can help indicate the weight of drumsticks you need:
- “S” sticks are heavy and intended for marching band and street performing.
- “B” sticks are medium heavy but offer better control; these are used by many metal and rock drummers.
- “A” sticks are lightweight and comfortable, making an ideal pair that will really thrive in low-volume settings such as jazz combo and orchestral ensembles.
While a wide, heavy pair of 5B sticks is perfect for hard rock and metal, you’ll find that 5A sticks provide much greater versatility. For jazz, a set of 7As makes an even better fit! It may require some experimentation, but in the end, there’s nothing like performing with a pair of sticks that have been perfectly designed for your style of drumming. And remember: longer, lighter drumsticks aren’t necessarily better than shorter, heavier drumsticks. It’s all about finding the perfect set to best express yourself musically.
Drumstick Materials
The first of the three most common drumstick materials is also the most popular: hickory. Hickory is an excellent shock absorber and a well-rounded, reliable, and consistent wood that accommodates a wide range of music genres. Then, heavier and more durable than hickory is oak, which is denser, provides greater performance longevity, and gives metal and hard-rock drummers phenomenal rebound and momentum for blast beats. Last comes maple, which is often used in softer music. Maple is a flexible wood ideal for fast playing and provides the quickest response of the three with a lightweight feel that also makes practicing complex patterns easier.
No matter which wood you pick, drumsticks can wear down and break in as little as a few weeks, especially when touring. For this reason, some drummers prefer synthetic sticks made from more durable materials such as metal and plastic. They definitely feel different than wood sticks, but they offer better sound control and more expressive freedom. And for the eco-conscious drummer, companies such as Promark lead by example, producing their wooden drumsticks only through sustainable processes — and planting trees to cover their carbon footprint!
At the end of the day, it’s a good idea to have a few different types and sizes on standby in your stick bag to meet different musical situations as they arise. If stick damage and replacement is a serious concern for you, then it can also be worth looking into snare drums designed with stick-friendly hardware.
Drumstick Tips: Wood vs. Nylon
Neither wood nor nylon tips are definitively “better,” but each kind’s distinct sonic impact is certainly better for different uses. Drumsticks with wood tips are most common. They produce a deep, traditional sound that’s popularly heard in genres including jazz and rock. Wood tips rebound exceptionally well, making snare rolls effortless and offering a thuddier tone on the toms. On cymbals, wood tips maintain a lovely, natural sound but become much more susceptible to deterioration over time. Nylon tips, on the other hand, provide a brighter and more consistent sound than wood tips, especially for heavy hitters. Plus, they’ll last much longer and virtually eliminate the threat of chipping at the tip!
Signature Sticks
Many manufacturers offer signature drumsticks, which are models made to the custom specifications of prominent artists in the industry. Typically seen in variations of standard shapes, sizes, and grips — and sometimes with custom artwork — manufacturers craft signature sticks to fit the specific musical style of one drummer to put players right in the driver’s seat of their favorite artists and tunes. If you’re looking for a signature pair, then you’ve come to the right place! Sweetwater offers well over 100 pairs of signature drumsticks specially designed to meet the specifications of some of the world’s most celebrated artists.
Brushes
Quieter than sticks, brushes are used for soft effects at low volumes and can come in a variety of configurations and sizes. Brushes produce a unique sound that many drummers favor when performing genres such as jazz, pop, and Latin music. Made from a series of wires or plastic strands joined at the handle, these percussive tools can be utilized in a variety of ways. They can be swept over the drumhead to create a background effect, used like a stick to strike and produce a very light drumbeat, lightly whispered on a cymbal, or paired with hand percussion such as cajons for acoustic sets. Brushes serve a soft, subtle complement to other instruments and can even feature adjustable fans for maximum percussive variety.
If you’re looking to regularly implement brushes into your set list, then you may want to consider a set of accompanying drumheads — check out our drumhead guide for a detailed look!
Mallets
Mallets are sticks topped with large, rounded or entirely spherical heads offered in both hard materials (plastic, rubber) and soft, wrapped materials (cotton, cloth, felt, yarn). Their shafts are typically made from lightweight, balanced natural materials including birch and rattan. Depending on their head construction, mallets accommodate a wide variety of percussion instruments in both orchestral and pop settings. Hard head surfaces thrive on xylophones; yarn-wrapped mallets are perfect for marimbas; and dense felt heads make great options for the drum kit. Soft-headed mallets are excellent for building percussive energy, mimicking timpani rolls on the floor tom and creating luscious cymbal swells on the crash and ride.
Rods
Also called “rutes,” percussion rods are comprised of several thin sticks bundled together to make one hammer. First established for orchestral music, rods are now extremely popular for use with standard drum sets. Their tone is a unique middle ground, playing louder than a brush but quieter than a drumstick. Because of their construction, rods are a great choice for producing that focused drumstick tone at lower volumes without having to depend solely upon a brush. What’s more, you can adjust the tone of a pair of rods by sliding the band that holds the bundle together to precisely set the focus of the stick. If you need to drive the band without going all out, then rods are an excellent solution.
Find Your Next Pair of Sticks at Sweetwater!
Before settling on a style or model, take the time to explore the many different kinds of drumsticks available. To achieve certain tones and volumes, it’s necessary to keep several types of sticks on hand in your stick bag — not to mention a few backup pairs to prepare for midsong snaps! For any style or genre, Sweetwater has the variety and quality you need to find your perfect pair. Give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call today at (800) 222-4700 to talk tone and track down the ideal sticks for you!