Breaking sticks

I don't care what anybody says, there's no such thing as playing too hard, and promark 2b oaks are the balls. the harder you play, the better it sounds, as long as you know what you're doing and it's appropriate for the song. I don't break many sticks these days, but they're usually on their death bed at the end of 3 hours of total play.
 
I've only been playing a year or so and I'm still at the point of breaking sticks all the time. Husband complains everytime I break a pair... so I think I might look into that hockey tape theory of yours. But wait, how often does one break sticks..I find myself needing a new pair at least once a month..too me..that's not that bad, but like I said, Husband thinks thats ridiculous..LoL. I've lowered my hi hats even, and repositioned cymbals..but the truth of the matter is.. they're just wood..they're GOING TO BREAK..LoL...


I Don't Know If Anyone Has Suggested This Already Or Not (Im To Lazy To Look Through All The Pages).

I bought some Hockey Stick Tape (fibre glass tape) and i wrapped it thinly around where i was breaking my sticks by rim shoting them and now they dont break! + the sound hardly changes!

def recommend it!
 
I've seen sticks like this... she tends to pop the rim a lot on snare hits... it gives a different sound....some extra flare but its HECK on her sticks.


I Don't Know If Anyone Has Suggested This Already Or Not (Im To Lazy To Look Through All The Pages).

I bought some Hockey Stick Tape (fibre glass tape) and i wrapped it thinly around where i was breaking my sticks by rim shoting them and now they dont break! + the sound hardly changes!

def recommend it!

Sometimes noise is a necessity. This is what my sticks tend to look like after a few weeks if they don't break sooner:
DSC00464.jpg
 
Sticks will always break! there wood and your hitting things with them!

I rim shot hard and used to break sticks within afew hours of heavy gigging.

now my sticks dont really break! now after afew weeks they start to feel abit flimsy nearer the tip so i just replace them!

Hockey tape will only cost afew £'s but will prolong the life of your sticks by a hell of alot!
 
Im new to drumming. A lot of you guys speak of rim shots. How do you do them properly to not f up your sticks so much? I havent really used them all that much. I also just bought some Pro-Mark 747b's, jap oak.
 
Re: Breaking sticks left and right...

I use Thomas Lang Signature sticks and I break about one stick every one or two practices. My record so far is three sticks in less than 10 minutes.

In response to your problem though it may be because of the way your cymabls are posistioned or if your using too much rim when you hit the drums.

Breaking sticks is normal. But expensive...

I broke two pairs of sticks last week at youth group but I had been playing heavy metal which is mostly well... hitting the rim of the crash repeatedly. I don't know bout you but my goal is trying not to break sticks, but every time I break sticks, which isn't often, the sticks are always EXPENSIVE zildjian!!!!! Plus the rim thing, SO TRUE!! I was giving lessons to a girl in my nieghboorhood and she kept hitting the rim of the snare which I also think contributed to the crack in the tip.
 
Im new to drumming. A lot of you guys speak of rim shots. How do you do them properly to not f up your sticks so much? I havent really used them all that much. I also just bought some Pro-Mark 747b's, jap oak.

There is no way. Rimshots will always cause them to break.
 
lol my friend was playing one time, and he felt something hit him in the chest, and then he realized half of his stick just completely snapped, ricocheted off the ride, and tried to stab him basically.

made for an interesting "break" in the beat...




man im so freakin funny
 
lol my friend was playing one time, and he felt something hit him in the chest, and then he realized half of his stick just completely snapped, ricocheted off the ride, and tried to stab him basically.

made for an interesting break in the beat...




man im so freakin funny

That happened to me before. I was bleeding.....
 
I've been playing for two years, I've never actually broken a stick, and I play quite hard. I have pro mark 5 B "Sumo Sticks". While they aren't broken, they have definitely succumbed to their fair share of war wounds...
 
Im new to drumming. A lot of you guys speak of rim shots. How do you do them properly to not f up your sticks so much? I havent really used them all that much. I also just bought some Pro-Mark 747b's, jap oak.
Don't bury the stick into the drum. Stop your arm movement before the stick hits the drum and let the momentum bring your hand and the stick the rest of the way, and then rebound freely. It's basicaly like a flick of the wrist, like cracking a whip.
Perform every stroke like this, even the soft ones, and your sticks, heads, cymbal and hands will thank you, and your drums will sound better too.
 
good idea! my opinion, zildjian makes great cymbals, bad sticks. i bought a pair of 5b's and splintered them right down the middle on second practice.

from what i've experienced, thinner sticks like 5a's and even more so 7a's break far less for me than the 5b's do; no matter what make zildjian, vic firth etc.
 
Everybody it's not the brand,type,wood,etc. count the grains from the but end of the stick the more grains and straighter grains the stronger the stick it's basic physics.

Yon can get a Regal-Tip 7a with 7+ straight grains and it will last longer than a Pro-Mark 2S with 2 crooked grains.......really.

The finer & straighter the grain is what you look for.

Bonzolead
 
I play with 2B's and break at least two per night and that is a club gig. If I don't have a mass of woodchips under my kit when I am packing up, I wasn't wailing enough! I feel you should be exhausted after a night of playing!
 
The sticks at my local music go round are awesome. They are 4 bucks v.s. the $8 vic firths. And it turns out that Vic Firth MAKES the generics. It says so on the little sleeve and recently, right on the stick. its awesome.
 
I hardly ever break sticks I play the quads in the marching band and my friend breaks sticks all the time it frustrates me so much
 
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