I use Vic Firth American Classic 5BN w/ the Vic Grip already on them. Helps to hang on to them.LOL! Check em out.

Ed

I've never heard of stick-dropping being that much of an issue. The once in a while, or whatever, sure. Prolly happens to everyone. Maybe just grip that lumber a lil' tighter....just a lil'. I would think tape, gook and especially gloves, would take longer to get used to and reduce the feel in your mitts. Interesting topic, though. Best of luck to hanging on. Love to hear how you make out.

B

PS - I use Vic Firth 5A's.

PPS - Do you lose the stick by just letting go, or do you hit something while in a fill, etc, and she goes?

I think AZBill is right. A drummer should be able to learn how to hold on to the drum sticks. If I drop a stick when I am practicing I will leave it on the floor and walk away and say to myself "no more drumming for you, you stink" Its like a time out. Then when I go back to playing again I pick it up and tell myself "Okay, now dont drop the stick or you cant play the drums any more today" Sounds corny but I think it works. I for one hate gloves, I never use them unless its like 50 below zero. And the day I have to put snot on my stick,, well I hope it dont come to that. Just figure out that perfect amount of pressure it takes to keep them in your hand, once you have it, you have it.

Jeff C

I'm wondering if everybody who uses gloves to play, uses them because of this stick dropping problem. BunE Carlos (Cheap Trick) is one of my favorite straight-ahead rock drummers and he always wears gloves. I wonder if even the pro's encounter this problem. It may not be a 'strictly amateur' situation around grip.

John

PS - (Mostly for Jeff) Every drummer on earth drops a stick once in awhile. You never stop playing! If you do drop it, it's important to teach yourself to reach for another stick while staying in-time and maintaining the groove for the other musicians. The best time to learn how to do it smoothly is during practice sessions. If you don't have those moves down before you play with other musicians, it results in what is affectionately known as a 'Train-wreck!' When it happens during practice, work on retrieving a fresh stick while maintaining the groove. It's a good practical skill for any drummer to have.

**** i got that same dam problem .is like i told many drummers out .i drop my sticks of the cause i got a Shoulder problem .and i got a lot of things wrong with my hands and arms .just can't grip my sticks like i use to .It hurts sometimes ..

1. If you have some shoulder, arm and hand problems, (depending on the nature of the injuries,) drumming is probably one of the best forms of exercise you could be doing to help keep yourself, mobile and healthy.

2. The minute you start to feel any pain, your body is sending you a message that, that's enough practice/playing for today. Give the muscles time to recover between sessions.

3. Ask your doctor if he thinks your drumming is either helping your condition or hurting it and then follow his recommendation. I'm sure he'll give you a green light to play as long as you don't over-do it.

4. Unless you're trying to look like Keith Moon behind the kit, you don't need to be using your shoulders and arms so much. There's a bunch of tricks you can use that minimize shoulder and arm movement. For instance - When you are alternating strokes with the right hand from snare to floor tom, there is no need to swing your right arm back and forth to move from drum to drum. If you place your arm in-between the two drums (holding the arm steady, in-position) and simply rock the stick from the wrist side to side, you won't need to swing your arm at all. There's a bunch of those little tricks that make playing easier and more fun. I always recommend to everybody to find a good drum coach and book a few lessons. Only a good coach can spot your playing mistakes/bad habits, and give you info about how to correct or improve them so you can be a better drummer and enjoy playing more.

:2Cents:

John

PS - BTW, that little trick I just shared with you can be used no matter what drums or cymbals and drums you are alternating between. If you are alternating between snare and ride, or snare and rack tom, just position your arm in-between whatever two things are being played and simply move the stick between them from the wrist... it works and takes a lot of the physical work/effort out of it. I hope you guys don't mind some of these long posts I throw up. I owned a music store for 5 years and I used to teach drums out of there. I miss it sometimes and answering some of these questions that come up is a way for me to keep that muscle in good shape. Besides, you can't keep it, unless you give it away!

Robyn- How long have you played? If you havent used gloves before, I wouldnt start now. Ive never used any of the Gorilla Snot stuff (i liked your "stick stickum stuff" comment). I did use grip tape back when I was on drumline, but havent used any for drumset. Research some of the videos on Youtube for proper grip techniques, that should help out alot.

If you are starting out, I recommend a quality practice pad, Vic Firth SD-1 general snare sticks, and "The Rudimental Cookbook" by Edward Freytag.

For playing drum kit, I like Pro Mark 5A, nylon tip. Tried lots of others, but always go back to the Pro Marks...

John your long post are very informative for all of us. I appreciate the fact you take time to write them, it show's the kind of person you are, a nice guy whos trying to help others. No need to appologize, we are reading this because we want to learn.

And yes, you are correct about learning to grab a new stick and keep going. Please understand that I will come into my office (where the drums are) to print a drawing or something and sit down at the kit for a few minutes. If I drop a stick its like a sign to "get back to work". But the next time I come in I have to pick the stick up off the floor and its kind of a reminder to work on and think about grip issues.

But I will also start working on the art of stick drop recovery. Thanks for the wake up call!

P.S., I got the Tommy Igoes "great hands for life" DVD. It is very well done and I am confident it will really help me out. I have not done much with it yet. My daughter is here for Christmas break and I am spending any free time with her. But after she goes back to College I plan to really get into it.

Robyn, you started a good topic here!

Jeff C

+100 on John's post! I always enjoy reading his dissertations on drumming/drums/etc. He has a lot of knowledge it seems, and it's great that he shares it. AND he never comes across as "well, i know this.. and i know that." type of thing... Ya know what i mean?

IKR....

At least they didn't call it "Gorilla S_ _ _ _"...a substance from another "appendage".....dang.............

Excited