About Drum Sticks:
While many drummers are quick to brag about their favorite drum kit, new cymbals and percussion, drum sticks might be the least celebrated pieces of the puzzle. There are so many combinations of stick length, weight, wood, taper and tip, it’s often easy for young drummers to surrender to the first stick that seems like a decent fit. And sadly, many drummers spend much of their careers wielding a less than optimal stick.
Most drum sticks are turned from a single piece of wood, most commonly of hickory, maple, or oak. The tip or bead, the part most commonly used to strike the instrument, can be an extension of the same piece of wood as the shaft and taper, or another material, such as nylon, affixed with an epoxy. Wood tips are generally said to provide a more natural, balanced tone and moderate attack, while nylon tips enhance attack and definition.
Generally speaking, the denser the fibers of the tip, the more volume and attack it will produce. The lightest of the woods, hickory, is noted for its high strength-to-weight ratio, but is still the most likely to wear quickly. Oak is certainly the strongest and most durable of the three main stick woods, but it’s also heavy and sometimes difficult to play. Maple offers a balance between the two. Following stick material, the attack, definition and tone produced by each can be greatly altered by the shape of the tip itself. The most common tip shapes include round, acorn and barrel tip, but even those vary in size.
Drum sticks can also made from metal, carbon fiber and other materials. Mallets, rutes (several small rods wrapped to form a single stick) and brushes are a great way to expand your tonal palette, and most professional drummers carry a quiver of sticks, mallets, rutes and brushes that allow them to play in any musical setting.