Sliding drumsticks

OK...so I am practicing inverted paradiddles around my practice kit in my chilly garage just now and no matter how I am handling my drumsticks I end up starting at the fulcrum grip and then the sticks slide in my hands so that I'm holding on to them at their butts. I often notice some pro-players holding sticks at the butt ends. So am I doing somthing wrong? Any help!

Sounds like you just need to keep developing your grip muscles...?

Also if you're in a cold environment, try stretching and loosening up your hands/wrists.

Next time you're at your music store check every stick they have - I think it's a matter of finish (and maybe, also diameter). Some slide (more), some don't. And we all have different hands (how much we're sweating when playing). I think your sliding problem is basically a good thing - you seem to have a relaxed grip, that's good! Just the sticks are too slippery for your hands it seems.

I had those issues, too but they're gone now. I found sticks which are a better match for my hands. I hated that problem you have, with the sticks sliding up to the butt end.

Some drummers are gripping their sticks further down the fulcrum point or even at the butt end but usually that's a preference thing. Plus you have more punch but sacrifice control as the fulcrum point is the best position to have maximum control with minimum effort.

thank you for assuming that I am doing something right and your intelligent advice. I've been at it for many years. I just never asked anyone and today I seemed to have more of an issue with the problem. I have wondered if temperature was the culprit or not.

I think there can be many reasons and there are also different preferences to solve them.

It happened to me a lot in the beginning and initially my teacher told me it was a good thing for a beginner.

People seem to develop on of two solutions, Either sort of grip thatæs tightened enough to avoid slipping all together or constantly compensating. I do the latter, but it's no longer something I think about. It has just come about as I at an early point was exposed to that idea and it made sense to me, so that is what happened over time.

This means that other factors don't matter to me, I can use any stick in any condition.

everyones sticks slip and move around .....or at least they should

you need to develop micro adjustments so that you unconsciously adjust to any movement or slipping without even thinking about it and without interrupting what you are playing

this usually naturally develops over years and some drummers don't even realize they do it

if I remember correctly Tommy Igoe has a good section on this on his hands DVD

check it out if you don't know what I mean

Had a drum instructor one time that watched my hands and told me I wasn't compensating properly on the sticks- that I had a "dead grip". I asked him how he could tell, and he told me that as he watched, the logo on the sticks never moved with respect to the stick centerline while I played. In other words, if I started playing a piece with the logo facing straight up on the top of the stick, it would stay exactly on the top of the stick for the whole piece. And the stick would indeed slowly migrate away from proper balance until I had nothing but the butt left. According to him, if you have a light grip and are compensating the way he thought it should be done, the sticks should slowly and continuously rotate between your fingers as you finesse your grip back to the fulcrum point as soon as you feel any imbalance.

He taught me a warmup exercise where you roll the sticks in sort of a conical motion in a very, very loose grip without striking anything, and work on keeping your fulcrum right where you want it, rolling it in the grip as a part of each "stroke": clockwise in the right hand, counterclockwise in the left. It seemed to work: once you get that as part of a simple warmup and finger stretcher before actually playing a note, it becomes second nature. Anyway, I find that I turn the sticks about one rotation every 3-4 seconds on my ride side, and about a quarter as fast on my snare side (depending greatly on the tempo and the power level of the play, of course). But sure enough, they spin quite nicely while I'm playing now, as I adjust to keep the fulcrum home....

That was a long time ago- 35 years, maybe. I have no idea if that sort of thing is taught anymore- for all I know, it has now been declared to be a horrible thing to do (and it surely doesn't work with traditional asymmetrical fan-shaped brushes, which is why I don't play 'em!). But it sure worked for me at the time, and helped me a lot with dropping sticks, stamina, blistering, and all sorts of other woes I was experiencing back in my misspent youth. Anybody else ever get shown this?

Your mileage may vary: I'm sure as hell not qualified to even play a drum instructor on TV...

It resonates with me, but I think my students find my nitpicking intense enough as it is, so I just mention it as we work and sort of share my own development with them.

I do so mnay things. French, german, traditional, matches, fulcrum on index finger, fulcrum on secon finger. I isolate a bit when I practice, but don't think much about it when I play and that stick slippage isn't something I consciously think about and apart from that early phase I've almost forgotten about it being an issue.

I think it will take care of itself if you just keep it in mind while practicing. My grip is a little tighter now, but that's just because I don't exaggerate and do jusst what's needed. To solve any issue I think one should investigate thoroughly and exaggerate every motion not just for learning a movement, but to analyse anything that feel a little off.

Aside from technique (which I agree with), the climate might be a culprit and the moisture leaving your hands. Are you in Alaska .

I know in the winter time (Even in Southern California) my hands get really dry and I have to lotion almost every hour.

Heck, if your sticks stay put when the temp is OK - then it's prolly the climate in the garage. Otherwise I'd also recommend some grip tape or sticks with more grip. All my sticks are wrapped anyways with Tennis overgrip.

thank you very much for all your thoughts into this.... So.....at the least I know that it can be a very interesting subject. Yesterday I started with light weight Vater sticks and went to Pro-Mark 5-A sticks but bye then my hands and the garage may have been a little warmer (I have not used stick tape as that seems like a lot of future supply of tape, maybe I should keep some on hand). The playing of inverted paradiddles for extended periods of time is probably not ever going to be requested by any other musican I play with, but on the other hand I want to be able to "work it around the kit" in a manner that I'm not loosing sticks either! Thanks!

I am in New England but have been to Alaska! I signed up on this site only yesterday. I just added my pic. Thanks again

I've read elsewhere that cold weather generally will make fingers feel "thin" due to decreased circulation which can make the grip less tight. Same thing happens in the cold weather with golf clubs and tennis rackets- they tend to rotate and slip more in the cold. Also, a bit of perspiration on the hands can also make the grip a little tighter. There is less perspiration in cold dry weather. All that being said, when my fingers feel "thin" I tend to play better- with more feel and snap than when my hands feel swollen or "fat" (my golf game is better too!).