Quiet gigs but with a good feel - which 'stick'?

hint: "Vermont"

"what kind of syrup do most put on pancakes?"

answer: ________
 
Why "the first song"?
At our last gig, the pub was packed with customers all chattering loudly - the band leader started with one of our most rocking songs and half of them promptly left. (I'd have started off with gentle stuff and gradually cranked up the energy)
Because they help me play songs (pop, rock country) with a back beat more quietly in the beginning of gigs if im not warmed up or the volume requirements are extremely low. You re aware that they are a type of brush
 
The stick must be light enough to help me control the volume, but it needs to have normal stick action so that fast parts can be played fairly effortlessly. In other words, not having to abandon energy/technique in order to work the stick (such as with the front-heavy & floppy brush sticks.) It seems like there would be a special stick designed for this. I don't expect many more of these type of gigs, but I'd like to be prepared if we ever go back to this place.

Thanks in advance!
Modify your own sticks. I have two modified sets. One is VF American Custom SD1 General. I put some fairly stiff cylinders on them and can play fairly soft. To get even softer I took VF American Custom SD5 Echo, cut 1" diameter, 2½" long cylinders from pool noodles, drilled a 1½" long, small diameter hole, centered and glued them with Shoe Goo on the tips. Very soft, Very controlable - as long as tou don't want to play double stroke rolls. Here's a pic. DSCN0199.JPG
 
Modify your own sticks. I have two modified sets. One is VF American Custom SD1 General. I put some fairly stiff cylinders on them and can play fairly soft. To get even softer I took VF American Custom SD5 Echo, cut 1" diameter, 2½" long cylinders from pool noodles, drilled a 1½" long, small diameter hole, centered and glued them with Shoe Goo on the tips. Very soft, Very controlable - as long as tou don't want to play double stroke rolls. Here's a pic. View attachment 145071
What are those rings/wires on the sticks?
 
Here’s a hot take: Try a really heavy stick. Rick Dior did a video where he talked about using really heavy sticks to play soft passages in classical music. I’ve found that if feels better to play softer with a heavy stick. You sort of get the feel without hitting hard. It works on the drums and hats, but it still can overpower the ride cymbal. Something to try.
 
Here’s a hot take: Try a really heavy stick. Rick Dior did a video where he talked about using really heavy sticks to play soft passages in classical music. I’ve found that if feels better to play softer with a heavy stick. You sort of get the feel without hitting hard. It works on the drums and hats, but it still can overpower the ride cymbal. Something to try.
From my carpentering days. It's much easier to drive a small nail with a hammer that's too heavy than it is with a hammer that's too light.
 
For the drummer, playing an acoustic kit 'quieter' requires a different touch and maybe a lighter stick. That's how I've always done it, though a truly quiet gig has somehow escaped me all these years. Until last night.

One of my bands was booked into a small neighborhood restaurant, with the obvious requirement being that we play quietly. It's a blues/rock band with some fairly uptempo swing & shuffles. No way my thin 'jazz' sticks (VF AJ5) would be quiet enough, so I brought out my Flix plastic brush-sticks. Of course they were quiet enough, but required minimal motion and velocity, and being kinda front-heavy and the brushes being flexible, were difficult to play at faster tempos. I can move them well enough at more moderate volume & tempo, but last night really put me to the test. I compromised my faster parts, compromised the drum sound, compromised the feel, and just didn't have a good time playing that way.

An e-kit is not a viable solution, and turning down gigs is not the answer. I'm hoping someone here has found a stick solution and I'd like to hear your experiences.

The stick must be light enough to help me control the volume, but it needs to have normal stick action so that fast parts can be played fairly effortlessly. In other words, not having to abandon energy/technique in order to work the stick (such as with the front-heavy & floppy brush sticks.) It seems like there would be a special stick designed for this. I don't expect many more of these type of gigs, but I'd like to be prepared if we ever go back to this place.

Thanks in advance!
I discovered Vic Firth Live Wire brushes a few years ago. They have extremely stiff wires with tiny metal beads on the end of each wire. They play like super lite sticks as regards rebound on the drums but at a lower volume and resonate on cymbals very well even when fully extended.
 
Modify your own sticks.
What do you use for playing a ride cymbal part? Those look like they'd work for everything else. Do the O rings make it easier to find and maintain good fulcrum position?
 
We're a blues/rock band booked into an acoustically inappropriate venue.
I saw a drummer who used rutes, and replaced his snare drum with a djembe. It sounded really good - better than rutes on a snare drum - and worked well for him. With that low volume version of a snare drum, he was able to bring the rest of his small kit down to match it.

Another, rather severe solution, might be RTOM Black Holes and low volume cymbals. With the Black Holes, if you use a Tunebot (or good ears) and tune them up to the same pitch as the drums they're sitting on, they sound quite musical. They're no longer (virtually) silent, but they are still very quiet - compatible with unamplified acoustic guitar. With that rig, you could play with your normal sticks and full energy. You might need to mic' the drums and/or reinforce them with triggered sounds. I wouldn't be able to use Black Holes with real cymbals, but you might not have a problem with that.
 
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The Silent Sticks have worked really well for me. I used them for a blues gig at a restaurant like you did, and they performed really well.
 
The Silent Sticks have worked really well for me. I used them for a blues gig at a restaurant like you did, and they performed really well.
How do those compare with hot rods or other rutes?
 
How do those compare with hot rods or other rutes?
The tips are plastic loops & are ONLY for soft playing. If you lay into them, you'll split them & then the rebound is really weird.
However, even with that issue, they still do the job & I like them. The clear plastic shafts flex just fine & to be honest, in the place you'll be using these, most won't be listening to you anyway. 😁
 
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