Losing a Stick

I don't need to practice as I drop my sticks constantly. I am the worse stick dropper in the world - trust me. As a consequence I have learnt how to finish the phrase or even song with one stick. This is great discipline and I am now a black belt single stick player. The rest of my playing is distinctly average so I doubt anyone would notice!!

Davo
 
Bermuda,

Like the look of your setup. I see an old car horn... Every drummer should have one lol!!
Is that one of those Bum Chum devices you have on your throne? Are they any good?

Whats the rest of your kit in the flight case for?

Cheers

Antmanbe
 
Like POG said....I keep a spare pair of sticks on top the bass drum just in case I drop one, which I have done several times.
Never practiced it though. Kind of instinctive as to what to do.
 
One way to practice for when you break or drop a stick is to simply play with one hand. Start grooving, and then randomly take away one of your hands, and try to keep it together with the other. Its something that with a little bit of time, can really make a difference. I learned to do this when I broke my right hand, didn't have much of a choice ;)
 
At church I keep a spare stick leaning up against the hi-hat stand in between one of the double braced legs. It did not cost anything. Peace and goodwill.
 
At church I keep a spare stick leaning up against the hi-hat stand in between one of the double braced legs. It did not cost anything. Peace and goodwill.

Isn't it difficult to reach down that far to grab the stick?
 
Throw the other one and do a John Bonham solo!
 
Hey heres one i havent found on here yet.

How do you guys "practice" for when you lose a stick during a live show? Where are your extra sticks where you can reach them quickly?

If i lose a stick i find im scrambling playing one hand while reaching for my spares in my stick bag on my floor tom.

I just keep my focus and reach for another stick. Supposedly, Jeff Porcarro lost a stick in a session which another person noticed. He reached for and grabbed another stick so smoothly, you would never know that it had happened.

Mike

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Bermuda,

Like the look of your setup. I see an old car horn... Every drummer should have one lol!!
Is that one of those Bum Chum devices you have on your throne? Are they any good?

Whats the rest of your kit in the flight case for?

Ongoing discussion about the ButtKicker elsewhere in the forum.

Mixer, and amp & crossover for the ButtKicker are in the rack case to the left, with my sampler on top.

Bermuda
 
I tend to drop a fair amount of sticks plus break my share..I just keep a full Gibralter bag on my hihat..has worked well..
 
Ongoing discussion about the ButtKicker elsewhere in the forum.

Mixer, and amp & crossover for the ButtKicker are in the rack case to the left, with my sampler on top.

Bermuda


I saw the ButtKicker thread Bermuda. Over here in the Uk they call them Bum Chums In the drum mag adverts and have a tag line 'Silent but deadly' !! The differences in marketing between the UK & USA!!

I would like to try one out though I doubt I can justify using one in the small venues I mainly play!

Cheers

AMB
 
I am a terrible dropper during rehearsals, but rarely at gigs. It also depends (for me) on the severity of the drop and if it catches me out badly. I'm usually good at single stick, but the real issue is that none of the sticks in my bag (attached to my floor tom) match! So when I recover, I have to adjust accordingly.

Just a word of warning. Never put a stick in you mouth. A few weeks ago I was doing a rehearsal for a gig that needed quick changes between beaters, brushes and sticks. I put a stick in my mouth (lengthways, I never did work out why) and then managed to hit the stick with my other hand doing a changeover to brushes. Whacked it right into the roof of my mouth and that really, really hurt. The laughter coming from the bass player made the rest of the band (fifteen or so saxes and clarinets) wonder what was going on and lost the piece all together.
 
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