The BEST spot to grip your sticks

[@AliasAnimates]

way back when i was mabe 9 or 10, i wanted to learn how to be a drummer, now my dad was a really good drummer and although he never played in a band, i always found him jamming out to his songs in the basment, so he taught me. now because i was a dumb stupid kid with the shortest attention span possible, i got into drumming, was bad at it, and dropped it about 3 years later. Now I want to learn drumming again, but unfortunately my dad is not able to teach me anymore as he is so rusty, and we cant even find room to set up his old drumset, but this channel has definitly helped me get back to learning the basics i was to dumb to understand before. I am still trash but hey it helps alot

[@IrishStoner]

This channel Drumeo and about 4 others that aren't go to like this channel is why i bought Acustic to keep playing after the electric drums died

[@jordanjohnsondrums]

Thank you for teaching that there’s more than one way to play!

[@simonomallon9035]

Thanks Stephen, awesome as always. So simple, and so useful. Cheers, Simon Australia

[@DataBroth]

you should hold the drumstick as close to the tip as possible, so that only a little bit pokes out, this gives you more control over timing and makes double picking and string skipping easier

[@jordanjohnsondrums]

love it!

[@LukeTang-t8l]

Lol

[@jessyl_bln5109]

like this tip, crawlingupthestick that change so much, thanks

[@DrummClem]

THANK YOU ! I've always thought that the "loud grip" was wrong (and I was sad becaus my sticks always get there as a default position) Now I feel better, and I will work on these transitions ! I have so much songs where this will come in handy.

[@choupahbrootality4607]

Bro thank you so much, you just blew my mind, you have no idea how much i needed this lol. and yes this is something that ive never heard talked about enough, this is great stuff brother! again, thank you.

[@PatrickHogan]

I always put my thumb on the flag of a 5BN Vic Firth stick. Perfect spot for me

[@jaydensuttles5198]

When I started playing I held the sticks in the “right” spot, just behind the balance point. Several years later and I hold them almost on the back of the sticks now. (I play old school punk)

[@jadedillon5201]

I find it interesting how many ways there are to accomplish various goals with the drums. A song that comes to mind is Pride and Joy by SRV; coming out of the big triplet fills you have to get right back on the ride and into the shuffle. I would like to see you revisit the Texas shuffle with grip in mind… I find that (especially with the Chris Layton version of the Texas shuffle) I am essentially changing my grip three times each measure to get the ghost note, backbeat, and bounces. Not bad once you get used to it, but a bit of a devil when first learning it.

[@ver_nick]

Thank you!

[@DamianS1893]

I've been wondering about this very subject. I've noticed a few Drummer's gripping the ends of the sticks... Now I know why

[@maltes666]

You're the perfect example that it doesn't need a good drummer to play rly complicated rythmes, just to take a step back and play what the music rly needs....

[@loumonte658]

Great info.

[@SaintNine]

I've never heard anyone recommend using a mismatched grip. That's radical! I assume you'd adjust to matching grip for a double stroke roll, or something of that ilk? It would be a bit difficult otherwise. I can't say I've ever resorted to using a mismatched grip, although it makes perfect sense for the situations you suggest it for. I've relied on the power of my rim shots, as I tend to ghost and use double stroke rolls quite a lot. But I'll give it a go. Switching fulcrums will be good practise anyway. As for a song, the first one that sprang to mind was ‘Sunspots’ by NIИ (Nine Inch Nails), from the album ‘With Teeth’. The verses are fairly quiet but the choruses really kick off. Trent Reznor actually played the drums on this track and I think he did a great job. There are some very tasty fills. I'm a big fan of his anyway (BTW, in case anyone doesn't know, basically Trent Reznor is NIИ, at least in the studio. He does collaborate with a guy called Atticus Ross, especially on the movie soundtracks, where they're both credited, but on NIИ albums he plays all instruments, produces and records everything himself. His first job was working in a recording studio and he would experiment during dead time. ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ was the end result. It got good reviews, encouraging him to continue. Live he gets a band together and concentrates on vocals and some keyboards). I think he's a true original and, although he's primarily a keyboard player, he's a pretty decent drummer too. In his multi-instrumentalism he reminds me of Prince, both spending hours in the studio by themselves, crafting, writing, experimenting and playing. Anyway, this is one of his anthemic, stonking, rollicking songs. With Teeth has a fair few of those and is one of my favourite albums, let alone NIИ albums. ‘The Hand that Feeds’, ‘Love Is Not Enough’, ‘Every Day Is Exactly the Same’ & ‘Right Where It Belongs’, although the last is a more introspective song, not so much a belter as the other three and ‘Sunspots’. Thank you, as always, for another great lesson. If nothing else, you've given me food for thought.

[@BFedie518]

Great video. I saw you flip to traditional grip for a second there. Do you have any tips specific to playing traditional on the kit?

[@chadphillips1950]

Since I've Been Loving You Led Zeppelin

[@goodtimejohnny8972]

Where were you 25 years ago? My wrists are junk from day job then drumming weekend warrior style. Now my right hand has limited patterns because of grip. I now have that stick in between index and middle finger. It works for me but not ideal. Perhaps if I wasn't a self taught drummer, and didn't work on cars for a living I could have saved my wrists. Although I do see wrist problems no matter the profession.

[@davidmcaninch4714]

Vic Firth 5A American Classic Hickory sticks. That’s the only pair a drummer really needs.

[@MortonLuvz2drum]

I would say that is the go to stick. Somewhat universal. It's nice though to have some different sizes of round tip for rebound, some slammers, light jazz, ...

[@loumonte658]

And a pair of 7As.

[@SaintNine]

I used to use those myself, but I've switched to the Steve Gadd signature series for my acoustic kit and the Joey Jordison for my digital (I've found I get better response and dynamics with a heavier stick on the digital kit). I particularly like the tips of Steve sticks, they're really on cymbals and great for doubles& rebound. I do still have a couple of 5As, but I don't use them very often. It's a matter of taste and style, each to their own. If one size really did fit all then why do manufacturers make so many different models (that's rhetorical, I can think of a few reasons 🙂)

[@StoyanStoyanov88]

I always play in the end of the stick,feel more comfortable and longer,more relaxing when i play.I tried to play on balance point on the stick but not feel good.

[@stevepompei3694]

Me too, but I think in my case it's partially because my hands are dry as stone and they slowly slip on me, but feel better for locking into a groove, but I find choking up is better for speed and more precise stuff like on the hi-hat though, thinking of maybe trying longer sticks, use vic firth hickory 5an now

[@StoyanStoyanov88]

@@stevepompei3694 I use Vic Firth 2b

[@StoyanStoyanov88]

@@stevepompei36945a and 5b is very thin for my hands,and i like the sound of 2b drumsticks,drums sounding more full

[@DamianS1893]

🤔 Interesting

[@Dayz_Ex]

Im currently playing punk music and having trouble with the stick sliding forward. I can't figure out what is wrong with my grip

[@SaintNine]

It may not be your grip, it could be the sticks you're using. For example, although I've not ever really had this problem, I do find fatter sticks tend to slip more easily. Where grip does make a difference is if you're holding your sticks near the butt, making them heavier and giving them more momentum, as Stephen shows for playing loud. Then again, it might just be one of those perennial problems, especially if you're playing particularly energetically. Have you tried drumming gloves? I can't say I've ever used them and I don't really like the idea of them, personally, but I know drummers who swear by them. You could also try the sticks Stephen pointed out in the video, those with a kind of rubberized finish from just below the shoulder to the butt (they were red where the special finish was. That would be my preferred option, as opposed to gloves, but they may not have them for the model stick you prefer, so don't write the gloves off just yet). Another suggestion is to tape up your hands - I once bought a job lot of Zildjian 7C sticks which had a matt black finish (which I thought looked 😎), not realising that the finish was abrasive. Basically, it was like a really fine sandpaper, like the sort you use for polishing, giving a shiny finish to perspex for example. I got badly, painfully blistered & bloody fingers from them every gig, something that hadn't happened before except very rarely and nowhere near as badly. Talk about suffering for your art! It took about three gigs until it dawned on me that that's where the problem lay, so I taped up my fingers with surgical tape after that. That not only stopped the blistering, but, coincidentally, also reduced slippage - it stops your sweat from getting on your sticks, as sweaty hands are a major contributer to slippage. That's probably your cheapest option, so maybe try that first? A roll of surgical tape (I found the 1cm (just under ½") width best: it fits neatly between your finger's joints and doesn't impede flexibility) only costs a couple of bucks. I used to tape my index & middle fingers at the bottom two phalanges (ie, not the tip) - the middle one got the most & worst blisters - no need to do the ring fingers & pinkies, at least initially. See how it goes and if you still have problems, try taping more fingers and/or phalanges. It's a bit tedious doing so for every gig, but if it helps... I don't really know what else I can recommend. I hope you find these suggestions useful and most of all that you manage to fix your problem. Good luck and let me know how you get on.

[@SaintNine]

I've had one more thought about this. If it's sweaty hands that are causing the slippage, or a major contributer, try having a pouch of talcum powder handy. You might have seen extreme rock climbers use it, with a little pouch attached to their belt. You could try something similar: if you're hands are starting to sweat a lot, dip them into your pouch between songs. You might even consider using two pouches, one on each side just to make things easier. Watch that you don't overdo though, too much will make your hands slippery, actually making matters worse rather. I'd experiment during a practise session, drum practise and band rehearsal, you'll soon learn how much and how often you'll need to use it. It will also help you get used to doing it quickly and smoothly. Basically, you want enough to absorb your sweat. As I mentioned, you've probably seen those amazing extreme rock climbers use, hanging close upside down from a rock face just by their fingertips. For them it's also a question of grip, except in their case, a sweaty, slippery grip can be lethal! Best of luck.

[@sanitylost4681]

I just let the stick fall through my grip when changing to soft grip....happens a lot on the snare.

[@hasan_bahramian]

🌹 💞 💞

[@DamianS1893]

Stone Temple Pilots - Conversations Kill

[@IrishStoner]

lol Step one don't zone out while Jamming and get relaxed and loose your stick trying for a cymbal

[@nickpisarczyk]

Not a huge fan of this lesson, just not for me. If you have two different grips that’s gonna lead to inconsistencies in your sound quality. Imo you should be able to play everything with one grip

[@simonbath]

This site takes way too long to get to it. Sorry.

[@DamianS1893]

Stone Temple Pilots - Conversations Kill