All about the sticks

Stick choice depends on your style of music. For heavier music like rock or metal, try heavier sticks. Good general sticks for beginners are "2B" in thickness.

A good stick exercise is "snap-ups," which teaches you how to let the sticks naturally bounce up, or rebound, off a drum. Use a full wrist bend on each stroke-- the arm only moves in reaction to the wrist. While you play, the hand should stay flat (horizontal to the floor). The elbow and shoulder should be relaxed and close to the body. The tip of the stick should hit the center of the drum. Use a mirror to see if the stick's moving straight up and down. And try to keep a steady tempo (speed).