Tips for increasing stick control?

Thread is a few months old, poster is m.i.a. but i second what VerdanS and Monica McCoy said. The "Stone Book" is a classic book for drummers and will always be. The key to it is long repitition, do the excercises i think like a MINIMUM 20 times each for each of the 2 bar phrases, but recommended is like 50-100 times. Gradually ramp up the tempos in each session until those sticking patterns become second nature. I think Mike Mangini (worlds fastest drummer) attributes his phenomenal stick control to hours of practicing repetitive sticking patterns. He recommends like 90 minutes MINIMUM for each pattern that you want to truly master. As for grip, it should be relaxed. Jim Chapin has an excellent analogy, it's like grabbing a chick (baby chicken, not a girl, you perverts) with one hand. You don't want to grip too tight and crush it, but you don't want to be too relaxed and wiggle out of your grip.

How do you get to play Carnegie Hall?

Practice, Practice, Practice
 
For me this is accomplished by exercises such as gripping the drumstick as you normally do, then squeezing the hell out of it, and with zero forearm movement, (matched grip) do single strokes from the wrist while squeezing as hard as you can maintain to both build and stretch your drumstick holding muscles.
This can lead to carpel tunnel syndrome and tendinitis at worst. At best, it just makes the drummer very uncomfortable while playing.

Aim to make the muscles burn.
Both George Lawrence Stone and Joe Morello have been quoted to say that control begins with muscles relaxed. It is recommended to stop at the slightest feeling of tension - long before you get to the muscle burn.



Of course during actual playing, relax relax relax.
How, when during your training you trained your body to be tense? Guys like Morello and Chapin never recommend tensing up while practicing or performing.
 
There's a little blurb about this in the beginning of Stick Control. Seems this technique is nothing knew. Stone says "neither myself or any musicians has any need of it."

Interesting, I never bothered to read anything but the exercises in that book. I wonder how long (and how many injured students) it took for early drummers to realize this was a bad idea?
 
Thread is a few months old, poster is m.i.a. but i second what VerdanS and Monica McCoy said. The "Stone Book" is a classic book for drummers and will always be.

Yeah, It's a no brainer.

How do you achieve stick control?

Well, maybe you can start with the book called "Stick Control."
 
yea man, i also second "Stick Control". Some other good ones are " Accents and Rebounds"-the sequel to stick control, Joe Morello's "Master Studies", and Jim Chapins books, cant remember the names. And ALWAYS practice rudiments
 
Something worth mentioning is WHY you use heavier sticks when first developing technique.... Not to make things harder, but to make things easier! On a tight practice pad, a heavy stick will react slower (in rebound, etc,) which allows you to practice your motions at a slightly slower speed than with your regualar sticks, and to develop control over that motion. Jojo also talks about this in his dvd in relation to metal sticks.
 
How do you guys feel about heavy vs. light sticks in general drum kit playing? I prefer a 5A-ish stick but I don't like using light sticks. I feel I get more control and rebound from a heavier 5A than a light one, and it requires less effort to move around quickly. I use a very loose grip but have a controlled fulcrum...light sticks feel like they require more work, to me.

Anyone agree? Disagree?
 
How do you guys feel about heavy vs. light sticks in general drum kit playing? I prefer a 5A-ish stick but I don't like using light sticks. I feel I get more control and rebound from a heavier 5A than a light one, and it requires less effort to move around quickly. I use a very loose grip but have a controlled fulcrum...light sticks feel like they require more work, to me.

Anyone agree? Disagree?


I like maple [lighter wood] on thicker sticks, and I like Hickory [heavier wood] on thinner sticks.

As far as a 5a is concerned I would like to not be too heavy, where it feels like a 2b or anything like that.
 
Back
Top