Drumsticks are essential for every drummer who takes their drumming seriously, and it isn’t apparent which drumstick should you pick. 

Because of that, today we will explain how to choose the right drumsticks and never get confused again when deciding to buy them. 

Nowadays, there are a lot of drumsticks on the music store’s rack, and the options are overwhelming. It doesn’t matter whether you are new to drumming or a professional. You are always going to face problems when picking the right drumsticks. 

In addition, you don’t have time to try every single one of them, so you need a consistent number of factors upon which you decide to buy them or not. 

Before we go into the exact steps of choosing the right drumsticks, we will quickly go over different types of drumsticks.

Finding the right drumstick is just as important as picking the suitable drum set. You need a well-balanced set of sticks that will make you feel comfortable and help produce the best sound possible. Different things like numbers, letters, and tip shapes play a significant role, and we will review them first.

There are five types of tips: teardrop, round/ball, oval, barrel, and acorn. Each of those tips produces a different sound. 

Also, they all have a different feel, especially when it comes to playing cymbals. Oval tips are great for providing the most extensive spectrum of sound. 

Teardrops are excellent for warm and focused low tones. However, if you are a drummer seeking a clean and bright sound, you must opt for round tips. 

Acorn tips are the best for producing rich sound, and barrel tips are excellent for punchy and loud sound. When you choose the right type, you need to consider the kind of music you play. 

Teardrops are great for playing with an acoustic ensemble, and barrel-style are great if you need to be heard over a few amps. If you are a beginner and don’t know which tips will best suit your need, maybe you should speak with someone professional or a music teacher.

The letters represent styles of music, and numbers are directly related to the stick’s diameter. 

The larger the diameter, the lower the number. For example, 7A sticks are smaller(in circumference) compared to the 5A sticks. However, companies today adopted individual systems for naming numbering sticks. 

This means that 7A of one brand may differ from 7A of another. That is why professionals recommend trying different sizes or shapes every time.

Here are some common drumsticks:

2B – High thickness, heavier weight

5A – Medium thickness, lighter weight

Extreme 5A – Medium thickness, lighter weight, extra length

5B – Medium thickness, heavier weight

7AN – Low thickness, lighter weight, nylon tip

7B – Low thickness, medium weight

Follow the next steps to choose the right drumsticks.

The first step in choosing the right drumsticks is to select the suitable wood. Drumsticks are generally made of maple, Japanese white oak, or hickory. 

Recently, laminated birch has regained its popularity. However, each one of these has a slightly different feel. 

The distinct feeling is achieved depending on how the stick transmits or absorbs vibration and how much it flexes. So now let’s review all wood types and see which one is the best for you:

The second step is to pick a suitable material. Generally speaking, tips come in wood, nylon, or delrin. Wood tips are known for having a darker contact sound and less articulate sound on cymbals. Certain companies mainly use Delrin because it is supposedly more durable. Lastly, nylon tips have a brighter sound on cymbals.

As we mentioned, tips come in different shapes, producing different sounds. The most common tip shapes are barrel, ball, acorn, and oval. In addition, each shape comes in multiple sizes. Bigger create deeper sounds while smaller create more articulate sounds. Here is a brief overview of all common shapes:

The fourth step is to choose the thickness. This matters because the thickness also changes the sound. Generally speaking, there are two ways to know the thickness of a stick. The first is to see a model number, and the second is to understand the diameter of the stick.

Regarding the first one, higher numbers represent thinner sticks. For example, 7A is thinner than 5A. However, this system is unreliable because companies tend to have individual parameters. The second way to know the thickness is to find the diameter of the stick by finding a three-digit decimal. Here are some general guidelines to follow when choosing the thickness of the stick: 

The market has to offer many brands of good drumsticks, but not all are the same. Good advice is to consider your favorite artist’s preference in sticks when buying ones. 

Here are some of the top brands when it comes to choosing the right drumsticks and their endorsements:

There is no better way to choose the right drumsticks than to try them out and experiment. This is a smart thing to do when choosing a new kind of drumstick or size or brand you never used before. 

Practice with them and see if they suit you. Try them on a practice pad until you get a feel for their springiness, balance, and weight.

When choosing the right drumsticks, you must consider everything from material, shape, tip, numbers, and letters. 

Also, your style is one of the deciding factors in choosing the right drumstick. Thickness and brand are also important factors. 

In addition, the most crucial advice is to take the drumstick and try them gently on a practice pad and see if they suit you.