thinking of switching from 5A to 7A

Any input or advice from someone who did this? My bass player is switching from electric to stand up so I need to do something to quiet down.
 
What's to know? A stick is a stick in my book......a mere tool of the trade.

I reckon you're overthinking this. If you feel like a change, why not just grab a pair of 7A's and see how they feel? Your hand certainly isn't gonna drop off by experimenting with them. If you don't like 'em, ditch 'em and either keep looking or go back to your 5A's.

The stick doesn't play the drummer.......it's the other way round. I have 7A's, 5A's, 5B's and 3A's in my bag. I can grab anyone of them and still play the drums.
 
Be mindful that changing the stick weight isn't going to make you a softer/more dynamically aware player. You need to work on playing quietly when it's appropriate. You can do this with a 5A, no worries.
 
I change sticks frequently going from a 7A to a 5A and back again without any problems. The 7A sticks will give you a more delicate sound depending on your technique, where as the heavier sticks sound more beefier. I have sticks up through 5B's and find them all interchangeable, but haven't used the heavier 5B's for a long while.

Dennis
 
Just go try out as many sticks as you can. I'm sure one day you will find your ideal stick...who knows maybe it's neither 5A or 7A

;)
 
I wouldn't change to a thinner stick to play lighter. I went from 5a to 2b over a period of 6 years and I can play as light as ever.
 
I wouldn't change to a thinner stick to play lighter. I went from 5a to 2b over a period of 6 years and I can play as light as ever.

I agree, I would also recommend going to a larger maple stick instead of a smaller hickory one. Maple is softer and has a bit less attack. The smaller bead on the 74 will probably give you more attack than before.
 
I found thinner sticks don't always lead to softer playing. If you search for the stick that feels the most comfortable in your hand I think it is a lot easier to control and leads to more dynamic playing no matter what you're wanting to do.

In my quest for the "perfect" stick I ended up going for larger sticks in maple. The combination of lighter weight and larger diameter works really well for me. I still use a couple of different (but similar) models but in general I think it is more effective to find the stick that matches your hand best. That will open you up to do more than trying to match a stick to a particular style or volume level.
 
I found thinner sticks don't always lead to softer playing. If you search for the stick that feels the most comfortable in your hand I think it is a lot easier to control and leads to more dynamic playing no matter what you're wanting to do.

In my quest for the "perfect" stick I ended up going for larger sticks in maple. The combination of lighter weight and larger diameter works really well for me. I still use a couple of different (but similar) models but in general I think it is more effective to find the stick that matches your hand best. That will open you up to do more than trying to match a stick to a particular style or volume level.

Couldn't agree more.

The best stick to use for any volume playing is the one that you feel the most comfortable with. A few months back, I switched to maple sticks and I much prefer the feel along with the added bonus of the stick having slightly less attack. The differences between what I was playing and the new sticks size-wise was insignificant.

I often find that when I switch to a smaller stick, I start hitting harder. Oddly, having a smaller stick often makes me play more loudly.
 
I use 7A's when I have to play in a "loud" room. It is easier to play quietly with a thinner stick. I mean I can play whisper quiet with 5B's or bigger, my normal stick, it's just easier with a 7A. A thicker stick will bring out a fuller sound in a drum and cymbal. But sometimes you just can't go there.
 
I don't really notice much from the volume aspect. They both produce equal amounts of lovely drum music!!

5A's however are a whole bunch easier to play with in my opinion. I'm trying to use up my last two pair of 7A stick so I can return to 5A's.

Good luck.
 
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