Where Should You Really Be Holding The Sticks?! 🤨 

If I'm going for a chicken finger when I eat Chinese food, I hold my chopsticks at the butt end, this is a power grab. If I'm going in to tweeze a small piece of pork in my fried rice, I choke up, this is a finesse move. If I try to eat Chinese food when drumming.....I get sweet & sour sauce on my snare. Another great lesson, Rob !! :)

Rob, I just wished I had you as my drum tutor years ago ! I’ve been trying for years to find the best technique for holding the sticks and you’ve demonstrated perfectly what I’ve been looking for. Thanks Rob. Best wishes from the UK 🇬🇧

i've been waiting a long time to hear any drummer say this obvious truth thank you

Years of contorting my hands and fingers trying to adopt some sort of "system" or "method" for proper stick holding has taught me a couple of things........first, when someone begins to tell you about their system or method, go the opposite direction........ second, the best way to hold your sticks is with your hands...... Meaning however it feels good to you.... people have different size hands and different length arms and different body types and use different size sticks.... There's just not really a one-size-fits-all.... Start playing and you will know soon enough what is going to work for you.....Rob you have a gift for cutting through the bovine feces and saying those things which drummers need to hear.....

EXACTLY ROB! Any one who studies the hands on the sticks sees their positioning changes even during the song-- from Joe Morello to Abe Laboriel Jr to John Bonham. Finally Rob teaches it right! Thx!

I just found your channel and am very pleased. You might even get a kick out of the ways in which I am not your average subscriber. First, I just started working on the drum set again as a new activity to enjoy during my retirement, and even to give me a new form of mental exercise (you know, us soon-to-be old folks should think about such things). Related to that, a month ago when I started up again, it was the first playing I had done in about 44 years! Finally, even though the drum kit is my emphasis now, decades ago I was primarily a concert-band player specializing in snare drum, tympani and mallet keyboard, and back then, the drum set was always a bit of a weakness of mine. Starting up again on the drum set, I've noticed that a lot more modern rock drummers hold the sticks very far back than was typical of drummers back in the 70s, and that's a position that doesn't go with the combination of finesse and dynamic range which was what I was best at on concert snare drum. As someone who's returning to the game from a bygone era (and by the way, still using a 60-year-old kit), I really appreciate your explanation for why so many drummers are now holding their sticks this way!

“Laying Bricks!” LMAO! Love it!

You are by far the best teacher on RU-vid,I have a request,I heard you smashing hard and I think your next cover should be a heavy one!!!

6:08 i love that and i need to learn it!

Dave Weckl holds his sticks pretty far back even while doing his traditional grip work. Don’t forget the early days of Neil Peart using the butt-end as his “laying bricks” method. Even Mike Portnoy uses butt-end on his snare hand in present day. So like you said…it’s a matter of learning what works for each need. Great video and thanks for the great merch. Shirt #3 came last week. 🔥🔥

As always, you absolutely have the right approach. I normally play matched grip for finesse and then just lay the stick over playing matched grip with the butt end for power. I'm usually holding it down to the tip.

Don't forget about gripping the stick with the ring finger and pinky, a la Tony Williams. I like it for doing loud, fast, sloshy hi-hat stuff, like John Bonham on Rock and Roll, or for crash riding. I also tend to let the stick slip forward when I'm playing the ride cymbal bell, in order to get less rebound. Same with backbeats in matched grip - it makes the rim shots feel better. In fact, most of the time I'm playing rock, funk, etc., I'm holding the sticks toward the back. As far as traditional grip goes, I don't like it for rim shots, because it hurts the side of my thumb. Gripping it at the butt end mostly eliminates the pain, but it's a little more work to get back in position when I need rebound. Plus, I just don't like the way it feels. When I need to do rim shots, I modify my trad grip by putting the pad of my thumb on top of the stick, so that the stick and thumb are pointing in almost the same direction, and the stick is no longer pressing against the side of my thumb. If I'm going to be playing backbeats, I just use matched grip.

Just watch Chad Smith drum, his grip is right at the butt and he’s got killer chops! Love this vid, looking for that hoodie now, LOVE IT!

Well Rob oh, you just expanded my drum vocabulary. I never heard it described as laying bricks LOL. Definitely going to remember that one. You have also helped me to expand my knowledge of The Craft with this one simple video on how to hold your sticks. When I was in drum school I was taught to find the balancing point and go down one inch from there. I have been playing everything in that position. But now I think it's time to change it up a little and use that position as my default only. Thanks for another great video. And by the way, that was me in the back.😁

The Thing that I love about you Rob is that you aren’t one of these drum elitists who claims there is only one way to skin a cat and anyone who isn’t doing it that way is wrong or anything. I was unfortunate enough to have a drum teacher who was quite withering of anyone who Had a style or approach different to his to the point where it made the teaching less fun and much more dictatorial. Yes, he improved my drumming, but he also made me fall out of love with the instrument for quite a while. Too many people fall into the trap of believing that music is a science when It’s an art form. Yeah, there are better and worse ways to achieve what it is You might be trying to achieve, but that’s very different from right and wrong.

Thanks Bus Driver.

i always thought the mark in the Promark sticks should align with the rims when you do rimshots on a 14" snare lmao and then adjust according to the snare size.

Rob- I’ve been playing drums in the punk/garage/hardcore genre since the late ‘80’s. From watching your videos the past couple years I’ve realized how much I Don’t Know! I’m unlearning many bad habits I’ve built over the years from watching and listening to your words and ideas. I feel like a beginner all over again, which is a good thing. From using my left foot timing-wise, to developing stronger fingers and wrists through your workouts. As I’m sure you believe, drums are the most fun and king of the instruments, and while I get frustrated and impatient here and there, it’s a good frustration. Cuz when I (and others I’m sure) finally learn whatever difficult technique, the hard won way feels not only worth the time, but kinda magical! MANY, MANY thanks for your videos, and I’ll be ordering some clothing something soon!

I’m surprised there’s not smoke coming off the tips of the sticks.

Thank you Rob. That's how approach the matter of stick grip.

Cool

What a great video Rob. I have always stressed the maximum Rebound point for myself and my students, but you make great sense in what you are saying. Keith Carlock is a great example of playing towards the butt of your stick. By the way seeing you play Straight Ahead swing was also very nice. Once again you’ve knocked it out of the park. Thank you Mr. Brown

a great one

yes, i think so, some friends tell me i am wrong holding b4, i like hold back sometime and use 7A stick, because the stick speed is fast, i think it can get a good sound, is it right?

I literally never knew about the Vic Firth flag position.... I feel awoken!

Fantastic and practical Rob you outdone yourself with this lesson.

Great video Rob keep ‘em coming brother

Thanks for this, Rob - always instructive and entertaining! Please keep ‘em coming…

How weird...I've been noticing for a while that most real good drummers grip the stick way back...And the majority of them use french grip to...🎩🎩🎩

I got the answer right before he even said it...as soon as he said "you in the back" I said out loud "leverage!!" Boom!! A+ for me😂

Non-musical note...You have the best intros! "I just wanna give a shout out to the sponsor of today's video...ME!" I almost spit my drink on the laptop! Can't believe it took me so long to become a fan!

I learn more from Rob than anyone. There’s no bullsh*t.

Was gone. Came back to channel. Reminds me why I should not have left. Beat down remains legit.

Layin bricks 🧱

Holding the stick at the end is wrong

Before I even bought my first kit, I researched grip extensively thinking that was the foundation. What I quickly learned was how many different types of grips there are and how the one you use may vary depending not only on the style of play, but where you are on the kit. I've even settled on more of a middle finger fulcrum after finding my index finger would bother me after long sessions. So, as you correctly point out, you need to figure out what grip works best for you in a particular situation. Feel free to experiment.

It’s very easy to determine if you’re holding the sticks the right way - if you’re capable of playing beautiful music without injuring yourself in the process, you’re holding the sticks correctly.

👍

I never see drummers in the rock🤘 genre anywhere but the back of the stick. Thank you for sorting this out Rob! I think some of this grip/technique stuff is like counting triplets...🙄 If it works for you, it's probably fine.

Hold them wherever you feel comfortable! Don’t overthink things!

Yes, Groove Responsibly is pretty cool, but I got my black Paradiddle hoodie yesterday. 😎😎😎😎😎😎😎

I wish i HAD a tutor!!.my brothers sister's and family were musicians in church.when i was 11yrs old i told my sister and brothers to teach me. i wanted to play. They played a cd, gospel song and told me to play to it and that i could teach myself.well i guess i was good enough because they put me on the set to play the next sunday i keep up with the services and played almost every sunday basically keeping a straight beat and tempo barely any chops or licks i didnt know how.but after 30 years im not professional or never learned how to hold sticks do any licks,fills, chops or control my foot work im stick teaching myself to this day and cant figure it out.

The first video i watch with so good information where to hold drumsticks.I realy use 2 ways.When play on practice pad i hold on the balance point,but on the kit i hold in the end for more power

So helpful! Been noticing a lot of super accomplished drummers holding their sticks near the butt end and wondering about this. Another super informative, super practical lesson from Flamuel L. Jackson himself!

Many ways to skin that cat, but Weckl, Chamberlain, chambers, Rich, Moeller, Bellson... they aren't talking crap. Sure, you can flip the stick round and use it like a baseball bat, and have that weight all the way out. If you just want the maximum club, and momentum. Many sticks, many hands, I used to club... now I mostly weckl. If I can get to rich... I'll be happy. Practising moving the fulcrum around and adjusting your playing is good. Using the club to generate power... cheating. If you have the actual power, you don't need it. A really good player can make you deaf without even using power from the wrist. That's proper power.

I just wanted to say, thank you. I'm a new drummer. I've been a musician since I was 12 (vocals, guitar, keys, bass) but recently dove into drums. Your videos are so honest, helpful, and wonderfully inspiring with kindness and encouragement. Thank you for taking your time, energy, and expertise to share with us all. ! I will buy some merch to support you soon! With compassion and kindness, Bubby

I’m having a hard enough time just keepin those guys IN my grip! Almost every minute a stick just flies away. Left and right hands….doesn’t matter…like a trip when your walking, for no reason. Not a brain fart, but a single second seizure every minute. 🤷

Good vid!! It’s true,, Carlock holds his stick WaY back-- Buddy however has a ton of stick showing behind his hand…. Both work.

I always start off with the stick in the "balance, max rebound point", but after some playing i hold the stick wayyyy down, almost by the end of the stick

Todd Sucherman is another good example. You’d think the stick is gonna fly outta his hands he holds them so far back.

Great tip & noticed what you were saying abut power & finess🙏🏻🥁

I find different songs with different dynamics - I may hold the sticks in other positions, just kind of happens

I hold my sticks near the back a lot

I feel like kids should have been cheering as Leverage appeared on screen lololoo

"This video sponsor... me" auto-stonks XD

Great Instructor ….. merch is cool

Can you do a review a Eric Moore dope sticks?

Rob..... you're the man!!

Dave Grohl hits with the heavy end

Damn. Ur the best

Great point Rob! Thank you. I find that I do this when jamming without thinking about it. I thought I was being sloppy with my technique. Feels right to choke up the stick for finesse, then relax my grip and let the stick do the work when ‘choking down’ to the end of the stick. Works naturally. Thanks again for your awesome channel.

I like this guy

Excellent tutorial, and totally agree because the balance point feels odd when you want to play heavy

OK, so you are right and Dave Weckl, Virgil Donati, Freddy Grubber, Murray Spivack, George Lawrence Stone, Joe Morello, John Riley, Billy Gladstone, Dom Famularo and Buddy Rich , are wrong because they hold the stick ALWAYS on the balance point to obtain the maximum rebound posible. The most important thing of tecnique is the rebound (free stroke) to find the maximum rebound and let the stick do all the work. Dave Weckl has been saying this for decades since he studied with Freddie Grubber and changed his "power grip". There are two ways of obtain power with good consistent sound: stick heights and velocity stroke , not leverage. What you say is a technical aberration. Joe Morello called "Free Stroke", Drumcorp snare drummers call it "Rebound Stroke" , Jim Chapin called "Stop at the top" , Jeff Queen (snare drum guru) call it "Stone Stroke" (in honor to George Lawrence Stone), Other People call it "Gladstone Stroke" (in honor to Billy Gladstone). When free strokes are played with a lot of acceleration, this produces a lot of power and sound, that are called "velocity strokes". The "velocity stroke" was brought to the mainstream of modern drum corps by Thom Hannum in the late 1980´s. But was used also by George Lawrence Stone by the name "Straight Forearm Throw"

The demonstration at 5:05 was awesome...Man you do that well

Laying bricks....lol. I love his sayings. I'm using this one.

My drumming go to guy. Always thinking outside the box, and delivering straight and to the point content. Thanks Dr. Brown 🤘🏻

Cleverage! I change stick size between 7 (Vic) and 5 (Flamestick) and balance point for different musical styles and grips.

Thank you, finally someone got this right! Been shouting basically the same thing from the rooftop for ages. That said, while anywhere as far back as barely keeping your pinky on the stick, up to and including the balance point of the stick is valid, I'm not quite there with you when you advise aiming for equal proficiency at any point between the butt and the balance point. Yes, the fulcrum is a living thing that should move around at least a little bit. But aiming for equal proficiency across such a wide range risks coming at the expense of specialization. I used to be a balance point guy. Now I'm far-back fulcrum guy. I weighed the pros and cons of each, and made my choice. If I move my fulcrum further up the stick it's usually out of necessity. If I don't need to move the fulcrum forwards, I try not to, even if it's a bit uncomfortable, because that helps my hands develop. I don't think the greatest advantage of the far-back fulcrum is leverage or reach. If it were that simple, we should just add weight at the butt of the stick so the balance point moves backwards. We could eat our cake and have it too. Rather, I think it's hand development. Imagine trying to jump on the moon versus the earth. You jump higher on the moon, but you also atrophy. Likewise, if everything else is equal, the balance point should always be faster, but placing the fulcrum towards the back forces your hands to adapt to the extra work. As an extension of the above, just like going from high to low gravity, it's much easier to move the fulcrum forwards from where you're used to it than backwards. If you specialize in playing at the balance point, it's difficult to move the fulcrum backwards, but much less the other way around. Likewise, the far-back fulcrum forces you not to rely as much on rebound. On a drumset where some surfaces are less bouncy than others, that's significant. I disagree, somewhat, on the notion that you should move the fulcrum forward when playing intricately, and backwards for "laying bricks." I think to an extent this is true, but you don't want to overdo it either. For example, you can still develop great power even when you place the fulcrum at the balance point, you just can't engage the mass behind the fulcrum with your small (fingers, wrists) muscle groups. You need to use the entire arm to physically bring that mass down into the head. Generally this leads to a lot of exaggerated Moeller motions. Likewise, you can develop great finesse with a far-back fulcrum. You adapt to making smaller and smaller motions. It's difficult to explain, but you also learn to apply a kind of "upward pressure" that magnifies the rebound (I'm certain that's a primary component in Carlock's doubles). Tony Royster Jr. is another far-back exemplar. Or, consider Nate Smith, who no one would accuse Nate of lacking sensitivity. He's at the far-back 90% of the time. When he moves his fulcrum up, it tends to be when he's needs to play consistent, fast notes, and I've never seen him move all the way to the balance point. Everyone is different, and everyone's hands are different, and some people might have the dedication to practice or natural talent to be able to hold more items in muscle memory at once, but my gut says that for the vast majority of people, it's best to mostly focus on one extreme, while setting aside a small amount of time for the other. If you overly rely on moving your fulcrum back and forth to cover different bases, like if whenever you want to play intricate you move the fulcrum up, you aren't ever going to fully develop any hand position. I'm biased towards far-back, and things seem to be moving that direction among elite-level drummers, but there are plenty of amazing drummers who play further up the stick too.

Can't say I have the most experience with sticks (I've only been playing for a couple of years) but I always feel much more confident with Pro-Mark 5A sticks. Definitely gonna continue using those. As usual, thanks for the great advice Rob!

Great video on grips. I would like to see some instruction on second line drumming. I'm having a time with some New Orleans style playing. thanks Rob, keep up the work.

Been drumming 30 years your spot on correct. Seems for me the longer the stick I have to move toward the middle. If they're shorter I go towards the back.

Just like baseball. I’m so happy to hear this one. Most of the time I love the feel of holding on near the end. When I’m trying to do super fast (for me) singles rolls like Green Day stuff, I choke up on the sticks.

You are absolutely spot on. I always say do what feels natural be unique and have fun. Every “technique” in music was developed because it felt natural to that artist. 😀

Yeah Rob, I remenber : Neil Peart with sticks inverted. Out of box. This is the rule 😀

A lot of times you can see Steve Gadd holding the sticks on the butt end. Great vídeo, great advice as always.

Rob, you've got nice jazz chops too! Thanks for the video.

Another good one Rob-- the more we learn about the uses and various properties of the stick, the more tools we add to our arsenal. Thanks for bringing this to light.

As always very useful and greatly appreciated!

What sticks do you guys advise to use for a beginner

Great insight without over-thinking it!

Good info to get 🔥

Thank you for this video! So many drummer “snobs” (I call them) out there who come to me and say I’m holding the sticks wrong. Always have to explain I’m holding for more power…and leverage. Thanks for the way you explained it!! Always love your videos!

Thanks for that bro. Been watching a lot of content on RU-vid and was starting to get a bit stressed out about my technique with regard to holding my sticks.

Breakn all the drumming myths, great stuff, Rob😎

I've used Promark sticks for sometime. They're really great, and tough.

Hi Maestro Rob Brown, I have a few simple questions if you don't mind .., you played on Yamaha PHX and The Yamaha Stage Custom birch, in terms of sound really what's the difference between the two drums? And without any mic, how does the stage custom react to the phx? Is there really a huge difference in sound? Does the stage custom stay correctly tuned? And about how it feels when you play between the Phx and the Custom Birch Stage? I am asking a non-seller rather than a seller. Because I know Rob Brown is being honest.

Quite helpful, for sure. Cheers, Rob! ✌️

You’re a legend Rob! I always leave your lessons one step closer to feeling more comfortable and in control. It’s great to know when you doing something right sometimes. I can relax and concentrate on other things.

Anyways love the content and continue to learn allot from you - even after playing for 40 years. But ‘Beat-Down’ you gotta revisit the lighting or the new camera, or something brother. Sumpin’ ain’t right. 🇨🇦👍🏼

Thank you for another awesome lesson, Rob!! I have had a hella time with figuring this out…

Got me a new addition to the kit ,18" masters xtra thin crash.goes real well with my masters 22" swish. Time to start saving for my masters dark energy ride Rob.

Hey Rob! Greetings from Oregon. I wanted to ask what you do when you don’t get the call back on that gig you really wanted and you feel really b a d about it