MUS 420Music Products Seminar

Dr. Sandy Schaefer Drum Sticks

Introduction  The basic accessory every drummer

needs.  Materials: various woods (maple, hickory,

oak, persimmon), carbon fiber, plastic, fiberglass, metal

 Sizes: length, diameter, taper, tip shape, tip material.

Parts of the Stick

Stick Types  Different sticks for different uses.  Concert style - heavier, some prefer

round tips. Most prefer wood tips. Enough flex in taper to roll smoothly.

 Rock - heavier than jazz sticks, some use concert sizes. Usually nylon tips and thicker neck for durability. Recording drummers usually prefer wood tips

Stick Types   Jazz - lighter than rock, good taper for

flex (good bounce off the cymbal). Most prefer wood tips

 Marching - heaviest stick (promotes open rolls). Usually wood tips.

Woods   Rock Maple - lighter, good flex and rebound.

10% lighter than hickory   Sugar Maple   American Hickory - heavier, more durable SP .

82 @ 15% moisture   Japanese shira kashi white oak, SP .90 @ 15%

moisture, 10% heavier than hickory   Persimmon - beautiful finish

Other Materials  Metal - Ahead Sticks  Graphite - Aquarian   Light & glows - Hip Trix, Powerstix

Tips  Shape controls contact area. Contact area

controls overtones. Small contact=higher, larger=lower ball oval teardrop acorn

Tips cont.  Nylon Tips - originally designed for rock

drummers, durability. Harder surface means higher overtones (brittle sound)

 Wood Tips -= warmer sound, less highs, damaged by cymbals

Stick Sizes  Sticks identified by number/letter

combination  Common sizes: 2A, 2B, 5A, 5B, 7A, 8D,

2S. Lower number = larger diameter. B= band, A=orchestra, S= marching (street), D= dance band.

 No real standardization between brands

Stick Sizes  Example Vic Firth   7A - 15.5”, .540” dia. (Zildjian .525”)   8D - 16”, .540’   5A - 16”, .565” (Zildjian .560”)   5B - 16”, .595” (Zildjian .600”)   2B - 16.25”, .630”  Rock - 16 5/8”, .630”

Stick Grips  Some drummers have stick slippage

problems.  Some sticks have roughened area or

plastic grip to help  Gorilla Snot applies to the stick  Zildjian has a Dip series with plastic

coating.

Stick Sizes  Artist Models - famous drummers

assemble their favorite from the variety of length, diameter, tip, & woods

Selecting Sticks  Roll on counter to check for warping. The

tip will wobble on a warped stick. Put the good ones in a pile

 Weigh/balance sticks using the same hand. Sort similar sticks.

 Check pitch on counter or using the clave technique

Combination Sticks  To facilitate some concert situations sticks

sometimes have mallets at the other end.

Manufacturing Process: Vic Firth (Newport, Maine)

 Wood cut 1” squares and kiln dried for 2 weeks. 50% of fresh cut wood’s weight is water. Drying contracts & hardens wood. Improperly dried wood sticks warp. (Sawdust & shavings fire the kiln)

 Vater uses a vacuum process (24 hrs.)

Process cont.  Pro-Mark has additional “Millennium II”

process. It strengthens the wood, adds resonance, reduces warping.

Process cont.  After reaching desired moisture content

Wooden squares placed in doweling machine

 wood dowels inspected and graded into several categories, (color, grain straightness, mineral streaks, blemishes and structural defects). Best grain pattern used for the tip end. Length is cut.

Process cont.  Stick shaped with grinding wheel. Two-

step process (butt then tip).  Each model has a different grinding wheel

and steel template (.001” accuracy).  Grinding done underwater to keep stick

from burning (water is filtered & recycled)  Pro-Mark uses high speed lathe, doesn’t

heat the wood as much

Process cont.   Timpani sticks and bass drum beaters and

lathed, sanded, & varnished.   Sticks with complex shaped on Computer

Numerical Control lathe.   Sticks put in tumbler to add the finish.   Pro-Mark has non-toxic finish, sticks less

sensitive to moisture changes   Another inspection, Pro-Mark has 7 inspections   Logo stamped

Process cont.   Inspected for straightness by infrared

fiber optic sensor.  Sticks sorted by weighed  Sticks sorted by tone, struck with

hammer, & frequency analyzed by computer

 Pro-Mark sorts by weight and pitch also.

Process cont  Sticks matched by color, placed in

package, bar coded, wrapped in bricks of 12 pair, and shipped.

Brushes  Originally were “fly whisks” used for softer

playing.  Classic brushes are thin metal wires in a

rubber coated handle. The wires retract into the handle.

 Today some brushes are made of plastic wires.

Brushes

Rute/Rods  A bundle of wooden dowels in a plastic/

rubber handle. Dowels in various thickness’. Softer than sticks/louder than brushes

Manufacturers  http://home.iae.nl/users/nuenen/

trademarks_drumsticks.htm lists 90 brands

 Drum manufacturers once marketed their own brand of sticks

 Now stick specialists control the market

Manufacturers  Retail stores can their own brand of

sticks  Vic Firth -(vicfirth.com) timpanist Boston

Symphony, began making timpani sticks, expanded line. Has complete line of sticks, mallets, beaters, practice pads, stick bags, and wearables.

Manufacturers  Pro Mark - (promark.com) Houston TX

1957. Oak, Hickory, and oak. 50% of oak sticks made in Japan. Also concert percussion sticks, practice pads, etc.

Manufacturers  Zildjian - the country’s oldest cymbal

manufacture moved into drums sticks in 1988. Has a standard stick line plus anti vibration sticks, coated sticks, and roughened grip sticks.

Manufacturers  Vater (vater.com). Started in 1940s, hand

made sticks out of his music store  American Drum - family owned, started

with marimba mallets

Manufacturers  Cooperman - (cooperman.com) makes

rope tensioned drums for drum & fife corps. Sticks are persimmon wood

Manufacturers  Ahead (bigbangdist.com), alloy sticks,

with replaceable plastic sleeve and plastic tips. Unbreakable

Manufacturers  Aquarian (aquariandrumheads.com).

Graphite sticks & power sleeve

Manufacturers  Square Beat - (squarebeatsticks.com),

yep, another spin on an old idea.  Trueline - (trueline.com) unique designs

Manufacturers  Hip Trix - (hiptrix.com) glow in the dark

sticks. No batteries, luminescent

Manufacturers  Powerstix - (powerstix.com), multi-colored

LED lights inside a polycarbonate stick