How often do you use the butt-ends when playing?

Yopps

Senior Member
How many here use the butt-end of the stick when playing? Do you use it often? sometimes, most of the time? Just curious. More often then not I end up useing the butt ends especially if they are 5As for that extra Ooomph....
 
I'm terrible at switching between cross stick and back so end up playing a little bit until I have more transition time. I don't like the balance difference myself.
 
I use them occasionally, but only when I need to play a louder dynamic. I tend to stay away from the butts because I play my ride a lot more than most of the things on my kit, and stick butts don't play well on non-crashable rides from my experience.
 
Rarely. Even for x-stick, I tend not to swap the ends around.

I also must admit that I hate having the little gouges on the butt end of my stick where I hold it most of the time. So yea, I don't flip em much.
 
All the time.

Switched to using the ends when in a former band for more power, I was using a 20", 12" and 14" setup and the guitarists all had Marshall stacks so the drums needed a lift.

Came to get used to using the butt ends quite quickly as I like the extra power and response they give me, plus the extra but suttle heaviness. I also prefer less stick definition and more wash on the ride and hats. Lastly, prefer controlling the stick with the tips in my palms.

Don't think I've turned round my Vic Firth American Classic 1A's (the stick of choice back then up till now) in the ten years since. Proof's in my avatar.
 
I started playing butt-ends out of necessity when I was a teenager unable to afford new sticks so I started playing 5As backwards - they last a lot longer that way. I grew accustomed to having that extra weight out on the end and even how to make a ride cymbal not sound terrible.

I still play butt-ends (7As) about half the time (I cut the tips off so they don't dig into my handbones as I like to grip the sticks on the ends). One of the benefits is playing the bell of the ride cymbal: you can directly hit it with a butt instead of with the shoulder of the stick.

The rest of the time I use 5As the normal way.
 
I like to switch between matched and trad.
If the song requires left hand rim shots I flip from trad to matched and I use the back of the stick. Rim shots are much easier with matched grip.
I will cross stick in the same mannor.
 
When going from cross-sticking to regular. I need to work on stick flips.
 
I usually don't use the butt end, because the dents where I hold the stick drives me nuts, haha :D
Ah, you've brought up an excellent point with that! When I go to buy sticks, I get a couple pairs of 5As and couple 7As. Like I said, I cut off the tips of the 7As right away, mostly because I don't like the tips digging into my hands, but also I don't want to be gripping the part of the stick that has cymbal rash all over it. That stuff hurts!

Gotta be careful with the cut-off tips, though, as someone else might have a turn on the kit using the backward sticks in the "normal" way - denting every head with every hit! Yikes!! ($adly, it's happened to me...).
 
i used em so much i started duct taping the taper end to make it the same diameter as the rest of the stick. trying to hold on to the tapered end is not good.

i bought oak dowels at the hardware store i was so bad, but the problem was the 5/8 was way too fat and the 1/2 was worthless, like a timbale stick. and those are the standard hardware store diameters- nothing in between.

honestly, i still haven't solved my problem...not that i don't use sticks in the traditional way. but for big sound in pop, rock, r&b, etc., i got addicted to the fat sound of the butt end. i need to go to meetings for it.
 
Once upon a time, I used Pro-Mark Rock Knockers (double butt end sticks). But I hated the feel and balance (or lack thereof). Since then, I've only usually played butt out on the left hand when doing crosssticking off the trad grip on my left hand.
 
I'm terrible at switching between cross stick and back so end up playing a little bit until I have more transition time. I don't like the balance difference myself.

Tried to post this earlier but I think I logged out too early...oops

Anyway, check out this video of Tom Lonardo from Memphis Drum shop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMotCuS4ycE

Watch his left hand right around 1:05. He pulls off this very quick transition from trad grip to butt-end matched to play cross-stick. I gave this technique a little try at yesterday's practice and what a time saver! It's just so simple I can't believe I didn't think of it myself.

So to answer the OP's question this would be the only time I'd us the butt ends of my sticks. I've tried it before while going for some Latin grooves on the toms to simulate a timbale stick but I just don't use enough Latin stuff in my playing to utilize it with any frequency. It did sound good though.
 
I could play with either end (I use 5A's). But if I do intricate stuff, like 16th note patterns on hats or ride, then I go to the tips. But lots of times I'm just laying it down, so it doesn't matter which end.

At one point I thought I'd try timbale sticks.
 
I use double butt sticks for almost everything I'm doing.

Mine are .572 and 14 7/8. My sticks are made by customdrumstix.com

You can get any type stick design you want from them, the prices are great and the quality is superior.

I'm able to do all the rolls and double stokes I want.

I've used the Pro-Mark, Regal and Zildjian double butt sticks over the years.

Even when I use a tip, it's like a Regal Quantam 3000, or a Regal 5A which is kinda on the bulbus side.

I'm playing in rock bands, and not quietly MOST of the time. I like the beefier sound, and I don't have to play hard. The stick does all the work and I can stay relaxed.
When I need something "quieter", and I can't get there by playing softer, I just pull out the tipped sticks I had CDX make which was a .572 version of a Quantam 3000 wood tip (the Regal stick is .600).

iwantmemoney, you should check them out to get what you want if other sticks aren't working for you. Click the link on my sig.
 
thank you karl- wow! i guess i thought it was just a little tiny mom and pop operation...never thought about it much more than that. so i'm gonna contact them and start taking a real close look. thanks a lot. i'll have to have them make a mr. krabs signature stick...i really want to look at their different woods. i spose you have a thread where you've talked about it?

and just to keep on track with the op, i would say the reason for using the butt, for me, is not just the bigger sound, but the 'thump value'...it records well, and plays well to the mics in live settings too. for me, i also agree with karl's point about less work.

but like naigewron said, he's a hard hitter and never needs to use the butt- i can see that point of view, and apply it a lot of times. turning the sticks around probably doesn't have to happen- like i said, it's sort of an addiction or something.
 
When going from cross-sticking to regular. I need to work on stick flips.

It used to take me too long to flip them too. I felt retarded that it took me like a half measure to flip the stick.

I just discovered a new way (for me) to do this. When the stick is flipped to use the butt on a cross stick, (on the snare rim) and you need to turn it the right way...

Basically lay the stick on the snare head, and give it a spin, right on the head, like you would play spin the bottle.

It's pretty quick.
 
Rarely. Even for x-stick, I tend not to swap the ends around.

I also must admit that I hate having the little gouges on the butt end of my stick where I hold it most of the time. So yea, I don't flip em much.

Ditto here. I do flip my mallets around sometimes, since they have tips on the other end.
 
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