Sturdy, Concert Band Sticks

Snare

Member
Before I type anything, I'm happy to say I'm new to drummerworld and it's a really nice site/forum. Had no idea you could find this many drummers anywhere.

Anyway, I mainly play battery in my high school concert band, was recently playing in the pit for marching band and broke two drumsticks, my percussion captain accidently broke my other pair of drumsticks. What's a good pair of concert sticks that don't break so easily?(the pair I broke were 2B's and lasted a good 4 years or so)
 
Concert Band sticks are usually not the same as drumline/marching sticks. I would recommend getting multiple sticks for various scenarios.

I'll look in my school's percussion closet to see what the drumline and concert snare sticks are.
 
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For a great all-purpose concert stick, try the Vic Firth SD1 general stick.

You may also want to try the Tim Genis general model by Vic Firth.

( The Genis model looks like telegraph pole, but they're made of persimmon wood and are really easy to control.)
 
For a great all-purpose concert stick, try the Vic Firth SD1 general stick.

You may also want to try the Tim Genis general model by Vic Firth.

( The Genis model looks like telegraph pole, but they're made of persimmon wood and are really easy to control.)

Very decent stick to start at. Then when you get picky about how you want your sticks to be, you can venture out to other things.
 
Breaking sticks in a pit? Wow...

I'll second the SD1 recommendation for general stuff. They are a good size, but they are maple so they won't be as sturdy as hickory. If the concern is longevity, they might not be the best way to go. Incidentally, for quieter passages and more precise attack, the SD2 Bolero is a nice stick. I use it for some drum set applications actually. It's an SD1 with a very sharp taper and a small bead.

There are two Tim Genis models - one is designed with a short wide bead for extra clarity at lower volume. Very cool sticks, though. Persimmon has a very interesting sound. It's fairly sturdy as well.
 
Breaking sticks in a pit? Wow...

I'll second the SD1 recommendation for general stuff. They are a good size, but they are maple so they won't be as sturdy as hickory. If the concern is longevity, they might not be the best way to go. Incidentally, for quieter passages and more precise attack, the SD2 Bolero is a nice stick. I use it for some drum set applications actually. It's an SD1 with a very sharp taper and a small bead.

There are two Tim Genis models - one is designed with a short wide bead for extra clarity at lower volume. Very cool sticks, though. Persimmon has a very interesting sound. It's fairly sturdy as well.

Yeah, broke the sticks while in the pit, I actually have the video of that performance if you're interested in seeing it. We were doing a blue man group theme that involved playing trash cans and loud snare hits, basically sort of a rock beat. I was in the middle of a drum break and the front end of the stick flew right off mid performance (not on camera).

But getting back on topic, the SD2 Bolero sticks are shorter than SD1 sticks which means more control right?
 
Ahhh! Smacking trash cans would explain it.

Yeah, the SD2 is shorter. "More control?" Perhaps. It really depends on your hands and how they feel to you. They are a bit of an acquired taste.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRwOQvY8O9k Skip to 4:40 and... yeah smacking trash cans. However, I did decide to use bass drum mallets on the trash cans after they flew off.

But, for some of my school's winter concert songs like Carol of the Drums (aka Little Drummer Boy) there's varying dynamics all the way from fortissimo to pianissimo and lots of accenting so the Bolero's wouldn't be too bad of a choice depending on price.
 
Yeah, I used the SD1 and SD2 Bolero in high school concert band. I found the Boleros to be great for the delicate stuff especially. I miss that old Ludwig SuperSensitive snare we had at school...
 
After doing a little recent research, I've found that the Bolero's are the typical type of drumstick that I like to use. Lightweight, but pretty thick (I like to feel like I'm actually holding something when I play) with even better rebound if I purchase them with nylon tips. $15.00, but a nice Christmas gift if I feel like waiting that long, thanks for all of the input. (anymore is always welcomed)

Edit: Oh, Bolero is pronounced as bo-lair-ro, correct?
 
Vic Firth "generals" are good, as are any other comparable stick from other companies. I don't know about durability, but I'm more protective of my concert snare sticks. I play a pair of Cooperman "Nothung" model sticks. They have a great feel, balance, and ease of play to them that is unmatched by any other stick, but they're like $20 a pair, so I wouldn't recommend them for set or multiple percussion use.
 
Vic Firth "generals" are good, as are any other comparable stick from other companies. I don't know about durability, but I'm more protective of my concert snare sticks. I play a pair of Cooperman "Nothung" model sticks. They have a great feel, balance, and ease of play to them that is unmatched by any other stick, but they're like $20 a pair, so I wouldn't recommend them for set or multiple percussion use.

Those sound like some high quality sticks, are they sold generally in any music store?

I typically have to play more than one percussion instrument since I'm in a percussion ensemble class, so I probably wouldn't buy them. Either that or I'd get a cheap pair and use the Cooperman sticks for specifically snare use.
 
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