Snare rim-click help

Pyromaniac777

Pyromaniac777

Silver Member
I'll just get right to the point. I have never been able to get a good rim click out of my snare. It just sounds hollow and quiet, no matter where I do it on the drum. I have a cheap Peavey steel snare drum with Evans HD genera dry if that helps. How can I get better rim-click sounds? Could it possibly be a technique issue? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
You may be muting too much with your palm, thus 'quiet'. Open your hand but don't mute everything with it. Some people invert the stick to get the butt end on the rim for more volume.

I learned a trick from somebody on here. Make sure the end of the stick that remains on the snare head is not too close nor too far from the opposing rim....about 1 - 2 inches. Be consistent in where you click on the rim.
 
I like to rim click directly over a lug. Each stick has a sweet spot where it sounds nice and woody when clicked on the rim. The rim has to hit the stick just past the shoulder of the stick (if you aren't flipping it around).

Flipping the rim-click stick around so the butt end is facing forward...is the easiest way to get a nice rim click tone. Hit the rim right over a lug, a few inches in from the butt end...that's my recipe. When I don't need that much volume, I don't flip it around.
 
In addition to what Opentune said, make sure the shoulder of the stick isn't contacting the head before the stick hits the rim. In the attached pic, see how the shoulder lays against the head instead of the bead? That caused a quiet, weak cross-stick sound. You can swap to a different head, a different stick profile, or you can use the butt of the stick against the head instead of the bead...
 

Attachments

  • IMG_6407s.jpg
    IMG_6407s.jpg
    128.1 KB · Views: 1,112
This technique is referred to as "sidestick" or "crosstick.
A rim click is usually performed in 40's music.
Like T for 2 or a later usage in the intro to La Grange by zztop.
Actually hitting the rims with the sticks.
 
Last edited:
opentune said:
Some people invert the stick to get the butt end on the rim for more volume.
Click to expand...

So far on this thread, all good advice.

I always thought this technique was called cross-sticking.

I always get a much better sound using the butt end of the stick on the rim as opentune said. Try playing with the stick both ways and you will hear the difference.
This is also another benefit of playing traditional grip. It is easier to switch back and forth between regular playing and cross sticking (butt on the rim) with traditional grip.

I see some players who play matched grip and they play a cross stick with the butt end of the stich on the drum head. Because it is easy to change from cross sticking to regular playing. It is not the best way to cross stick.


.
 
As others have stated, where you hit the stick on the rim really makes all the difference. Try your stick in different spots up and down the shaft. One spot should really stand out as being the most solid sounding. Once you find that, practice hitting that spot consistently.

I personally like to do it between lugs, but I'm not sure that matters much. Where the stick hits matters the most IMO.
 
Hollywood Jim said:
I always thought this technique was called cross-sticking.


.
Click to expand...

ha, there was a rather heated thread on here maybe 6 months ago..?.. as to what 'cross sticking' is. Some referred to cross sticking and 'crossover' as the same thing, others thought cross sticking = rim clicking. Now we also have 'sidestick'.

I'm no expert on the etymology of any of these words.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I have tried using the butt end of the stick. I've also tried it in every possible position. I tried all of the suggestions again on my snare and still have the same hollow, quiet ringy slap.

Maybe I just need a new snare? My school has a 14" 6.5" deep acrolite and my rim-clicks (or whatever you want to call it) sound amazing on it.
 
Pyromaniac777 said:
Maybe I just need a new snare? My school has a 14" 6.5" deep acrolite and my rim-clicks (or whatever you want to call it) sound amazing on it.
Click to expand...

There you go, then. The fact that you have good cross sticking on the school drum means that the problem is not in your technique - the problem is in the snare, and specifically in the height of the counterhoop above the level of the drum head. Refer to the picture above and notice that the hoops barely extend above the head. Is the head on your Peavey snare old and stretched? If so, then you might get results from replacing the head. If not, then the only solution with that drum would be replacing the batter hoop with one with a taller profile.
 
gdmoore28 said:
There you go, then. The fact that you have good cross sticking on the school drum means that the problem is not in your technique - the problem is in the snare, and specifically in the height of the counterhoop above the level of the drum head. Refer to the picture above and notice that the hoops barely extend above the head. Is the head on your Peavey snare old and stretched? If so, then you might get results from replacing the head. If not, then the only solution with that drum would be replacing the batter hoop with one with a taller profile.
Click to expand...
I actually did replace the batter head a couple months ago. So it probably is just my snare.

Do different types of hoops affect cross sticking? I may look into a snare with some die-cast hoops if it helps with cross sticking.
 
Die cast won't make any difference. Out of curiosity, do you use the same stick model at school as at home?

GeeDeeEmm
 
I don't know if they're made anymore, but I really like the Yamaha Groove Wedges. It sits above the rim a little bit so it makes the cross sticking easier ergonomically, and I find that the wood to wood contact sounds really nice.

Specifically, it's a little higher pitched than the same technique on the same drum but using the hoop, with more pleasing resonance and attack.

It also makes a convenient carrying handle.
 
Pyromaniac777 said:
Do different types of hoops affect cross sticking?
Click to expand...

I don't think it's they "type" of hoop, it's the height of the hoop that can make a difference, as gdmoore28 said.

Just a thought; Have you tried taking the drum into a different room and seeing if that makes a difference? If you're practicing in a room with very dead acoustics, that can make a drum seem more lifeless than it actually is.

If your snare at home is dampened, that can make a difference. Some drums won't produce a decent click if the snares are on, so you need to throw the snares off.
 
Last edited:
Yay for cross-stick .. boo for rim-click. (side-stick is also okay). Cross-over is crossing your hands, usually rolling around the toms.

Now that my pet peeve is out of the way. You need to experiment with stick positions to find the sweet spot.. usually the tip about an in in from the rim and the butt hitting diagonally on the rim. If you can grip the stick lightly and snap it down without muffling the head with your fingers it will give extra volume.. . but a lot of drummers lightly rest their hands on the batter and chop away.

Harder to get a decent click on a small diameter snare, like a 13 or 12"... but there is an add-on you can get that attaches to the rim that extends the hit point outside of the snare and produces a pretty good chop.
 
I use one of these. It does not make the cross sticking sound better or worse,
but it makes it easier to keep your hand and fingers off the drum head when you cross stick.

ZWE-vi.jpg



.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top