[CDWolfe]

Far too often drummers gripe about breaking wooden drumsticks. I play hard rock/heavy metal on a double bass kit and my sticks (Pro-mark 5B w/ NT) last months before I swap them out for new ones.

One thing I have seen a lot of drummers do is to have their cymbals flat and level instead of slightly tilted. If you have them flat, then yes you are going to chew your sticks up because you are going to be prone to hitting the cymbal right on the edge. Wood vs. metal...laws of physics. If you tilt them down some, you will hit more of a glancing blow across the top of the cymbal, which will not only produce a better sound, but it will save your sticks.

Something else you can do is to have your toms as close together as possible. Not only will you be faster and more accurate on fills, but you'll be less likely to hit a rim. Again, wood vs. metal.

Lastly, find out where you are striking your drumheads at. Most strikes should be in the center of the head. For the snare, if you have it set deep under the racktoms, you'll find you'll be more consistent on hitting in the center rather than the edge, something that can lead to another wood vs. metal scenario.

The art of drumming is a science!

[Bo Eder]

That's good advice - but remember the technique is more important than the placement of the gear.

If you recall, Buddy Rich, and other drummers from back in the day, used to have their cymbals in an almost flat-fashion. But when you watch them hit their cymbals, it's this glancing downward stroke.

Proper snare drum technique is tantamount to getting a good sound out of the drum. Over the years, I've noticed that students really want to progress faster than their bodies will allow, and there's really no substitute for actually sitting there and practicing your strokes in a slow, methodical manner.

My early days were spent in HS drum lines and later in drum corps where the striking of the drum becomes a focus unto itself. But I also recall days sitting in front of the tv with a practice pad and training my hands to hit the drum. In the beginning it was really hard for me, but as time went on, it was like all of a sudden I could do it, and it wasn't a strain. Then I spent years (still do) perfecting my use of brushes.

I was never a multiple drum kinda' guy (the most drums I've ever used was 5, usually settling on 4), so I've never really had the opportunity to put my toms as close to each other as possible, which is why I'd focus on technique rather than the placement of the gear. Besides that, you as a networking drummer will find yourself (hopefully) getting to sit in with other bands so others can see how you play, and you won't be playing your own drums anyway. The technique will transcend the kit, and you should be able to sound good regardless.

This isn't a gripe (again, due to my age), but I really think too many people want to play harder than the drums will allow. YouTube Thomas Lang, and you'll see a guy who gets this great big sound but he's not working that hard. Watch any professional drummer, and they let the drums speak, rather than pound the sound out of it. The drum will only sound good to a certain point.

There's a reason guys like me carry their own PA systems nowadays - mic up to compete with the other guys in the band! Gary Chester wrote about this when he published "The New Breed" years ago, and it's advice to be heeded (if it can be afforded). There's a thought: get a smaller cheaper kit, but get a little PA system and mic up. I'd bet $20 you'd get a gig before the guy with the huge expensive pro drums who has to rely on the house for his sound - because you're giving the band what they need: a solid foundation that they can hear clearly!

[Bobferd]

Great advice about the cymbals! You'll also reduce cymbal breakage by angling them down a bit but be sure to check that there is enough room between the cymbal and your drums so that the cymbal doesn't bounce off a rim and crack that way (done it!). Also, try angling your snare drum towards you a little bit. That will prevent unintended rim-shots which will also pro-long the life of your sticks. ROCK ON!!!

[xxvenom13xx]

I think it comes down to being a combination of gear placement and technique.

From also being in a marching environment I have learned to draw the sound out of the drums and where to hit on the drum in terms of making my fills stronger and more flowing. It's like playing tenors: play in the centers of the two middle toms and on the inward-facing half of the lower toms.

My toms are not really close together; they are far enough apart. One is also higher up than the other; I have the left, smaller tom tilted down toward my snare. My snare is not in the center of my set, but more left of the center. This is comfortable for me and I manage not to break any of my sticks(unless I am pissed off).

All of my cymbals are slightly tilted...because I am short. Ha

There's my 3 cents.

[Nicook]

Originally Posted by Bobferd

Also, try angling your snare drum towards you a little bit. That will prevent unintended rim-shots which will also pro-long the life of your sticks. ROCK ON!!!

watch out though, since your probs hitting the heads more with the point of your sticks with the drum at that angle you'll shorten the life of your snare heads D:

[xxvenom13xx]

Then we get into the topic of stick control...

Although I do angle my drum a little toward me (maybe at a 20 degree angle downward) it hasn't really dealt any damage to the snare head.

I think it really depends on how Bobferd is hitting the head and how much it is angled...otherwise it may not pose a problem on the life of the snare head.

If he jams hard and hits the snare like a 5 year old on crack with a baseball bat, that could be damaging(: Uh oh for the head.

[tamazildjian]

Also another tip I have for not breaking sticks is being relaxed. If you have a death grip on the stick your more likley to break the stick and damage the nerves in your hands and wrists than if you were relaxed. I got tendonitis in my wrists and was unable to play for almost 4 months and that experience taught me too be more relaxed than before so now drum sticks are lasting even longer than before and I can play just as loud. (It also looks ridiculous if your playing very tense at a live show and looks like you got lock jaw or something.

[xxvenom13xx]

I hear ya.

[littlekid]

Hey, any advice for me? - I feel most comfortable with all of my drums and cymbals flat. I've always been under the impression that tilting cymbals can cause keyhole-ing if hit too hard. Now, I'm not a hard hitter, but once and a while I like to take a good thwack at em'. I don't want my cymbals too low, otherwise I end up accidentally hitting them when playing. I have my setup with everything pretty close together. Now, I do have the modern "Punk" Setup - You can see my pic's under drummer setups. - However, I don't have my cymbals ridiculously high like most alternative drummers do.

Anyway, I have a habit of breaking/cracking sticks close to once every 2 or 3 weeks. I typically buy my sticks in bulk, so I don't have to buy new every week, but I'd like to have them last longer. If anyones got an good tricks, let me know. I'm going to include a pic of my kit for reference.

[tamazildjian]

If you like playing rimshots your going to break sticks pretty fast. The way you play the hihat might be it. If you play on the edge of the hat then it'll wear sticks faster but don't stop doing that if that's the sound you want. If they are maple sticks then you'll go though them pretty quick. I don't recommend oak sticks because I've heard it can cause nerve damage overtime since it doesn't absorb as much as hickory. Hickory will probably be the best wood for sticks if you ask me.