Spin a Drumstick

Playing the drums is pretty cool, but playing the drums and incorporating stick tricks while you play is even cooler. Doing stick tricks can make you come off as more experienced and confident in your abilities. Most stick tricks are fairly easy to learn, but in order to master them, you must put in the practice.

Steps

Spinning the Drumstick Like a Baton

  1. Place the stick between your pointer and middle finger. The basic drumstick spin is essential for any drummer to know. Position the middle of the drumstick low, in between your pointer and middle finger.[1] The stick should be resting in the webbing of your two fingers.
    • You can use your right or left hand to practice this trick, and it will look even better when you can do it simultaneously with both hands.
  2. Alternate the position of your fingers. With the stick in between your two fingers, alternate the positioning of your fingers.[1] Your fingers should look like the legs of a swimmer, moving alternatively up and down. This up and down movement of your fingers will make the drumstick move back and forth in a pendulum-like motion.
    • Practice this finger movement to get accustomed to the back and forth motion of the drumstick.
    • The middle of the stick should remain in between your pointer and middle finger.
  3. Incorporate a figure eight movement. As you alternate your fingers and the drumstick is moving back and forth like a pendulum, slightly roll your wrist to get some fluidity to the movement of the stick. As the stick spins, begin making a circular, figure eight motion with your fingers.
    • As you continue to spin the stick, it will naturally slide down to the end of the stick due to gravity. Because of this, you will have to eventually readjust the positioning of the stick.[1]

Spinning the Drumstick Over Your Pointer Finger

  1. Hold the stick in matched grip position. Matched grip position is the starting position in which you hold your drumsticks. Grip the stick by hooking your pointer finger around the stick, and grasping the stick with the pad of your thumb.[2] You should be holding the stick approximately 4 inches from the bottom of the stick.
    • Then wrap your other three fingers around the drumstick. The drumstick should be gently (but securely) resting in the palm of your hand.
  2. Position your hand vertically. Normally when drumming, your hands (and sticks) are in a horizontal position. For the spin, turn your hand so you’re holding the drumstick vertically.[3]
  3. Pinch the stick and release your other fingers. Remain holding the drumstick with your pointer finger and thumb. Put your middle, ring, and pinky fingers behind the stick while still keeping the drumstick vertical.[3]
  4. Spin the drumstick backward. With your three fingers behind the drumstick, push the bottom the drumstick forward (so the top of the stick comes toward you).[4] Your middle finger is going to be doing the majority of the pushing. As the drumstick begins to spin, release your thumb from the stick and allow the stick to spin over your pointer finger.
    • As the stick finishes spinning around your pointer finger, release your middle finger from the stick, and the drumstick will then finish spinning around your pointer finger.
  5. Catch the drumstick. The stick will make one full rotation until it is back in its starting position. As the stick comes back to its starting position, catch it using all of you fingers and thumb.
    • Once back in the starting position, you can continue to spin the stick.

Spinning the Drumstick With Four Fingers

  1. Position the drumstick between your pointer and middle finger. Place the middle of the drumstick in between your index and middle finger. Spin the drumstick by moving your pointer finger away from you and moving your middle finger toward you.[5] This will make the drumstick in between your fingers spin over toward your other two fingers (ring and pinky finger).
    • As you do this first spin between your index and middle finger, relax your ring and pinky finger so they can be pulled away and lower than your two spinning fingers. This will prevent the stick from hitting those fingers as you execute the first spin.
  2. Hook your ring finger. As the drumstick spins and travels around your middle finger, hook your ring finger onto the back of the stick, and allow your pointer finger to relax and straighten out.[5] This will transfer the drumstick from your pointer and middle finger to your middle and ring finger. Just like you moved your pointer finger away from you and moved your middle finger toward you to get the drumstick to spin, you are going to do the same movement with your middle and ring finger.
    • Move your middle finger away from you and move your ring finger toward you. This will cause the stick in between your two fingers to continue spinning.
  3. Hook your pinky finger. As the drumstick spins around your ring finger, hook your pinky finger behind the stick, and allow your middle finger to relax and lay flat.[5] Allowing your middle finger to relax positions the drumstick between your ring and pinky finger.
    • From this position, you can again, move your ring finger back, away from you, and move your pinky finger toward you, causing the drumstick to continue spinning.
  4. Transfer the stick from your pinky to your pointer finger. As the drumstick spins around your pinky finger, it will come back around to the front (palm side) of your hand. When it is on the palm side, tuck your pointer finger down.[6] When the stick is horizontal and perpendicular to your fingers, lift your pointer finger back up so it is in front of the stick.
    • At this position, your pinky finger and pointer finger should be in front of the drumstick, while your middle and ring fingers should be behind the drumstick.
    • As you move your pointer finger to be in front of the drumstick, slowly release your pinky and ring finger so the only two fingers touching the drumstick are your pointer finger (which is in front of the stick) and your middle finger (which is behind the stick).[6] This will put you back in the starting position and you can continue spinning the drumstick.

Spinning the Drumstick on Your Palm

  1. Hold the stick with an open hand. Hold open your hand, palm facing up, and position the middle of the stick horizontally in the middle of your hand.[7] Spinning the drumstick from its middle will allow the stick to be balanced as you spin it.[8] Once you have the positioning down, close your hand loosely to grip the drumstick.
  2. Spin the drumstick. Bring your wrist back, as if you are going to throw the drumstick away from you. As you “throw” the stick, open your hand all the way, really wide, so your fingers are almost pointing downward. This will allow the jointed part of your hand (where your fingers connect to the palm of your hand) to be the highest point on your hand.[9] The highest point is where you want the stick to spin, so it doesn’t hit any of your fingers as it rotates.
    • Spin the drumstick with enough force so that it can make at least one full rotation spinning. If you don’t spin the drumstick with enough force, it will stop spinning on your hand.
  3. Catch the drumstick. When the drumstick starts to slow down on the palm of your hand, clench your hand to catch the stick. It will be easier to catch the stick if one of the ends are in between (or near) the space between your thumb and pointer finger.

Tips

  • Remember that learning stick tricks takes practice, just like learning the actual drums. Practice, practice, practice!

Warnings

  • Don't do these tricks while performing until you are confident that you can perform them without fault.
  • Don't let the drumstick get too big on one side because you will lose control of the stick.
  • When catching the stick, be sure to keep your hand relatively flat or else the stick can strike the fingertips, causing pain.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd2NtiSNVYM
  2. ↑ http://pearldrum.com/media/education/gripping-the-sticks.pdf
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N9mo07CLVo&list=PL37A2661A28898CA9&index=2
  4. ↑ https://www.x8drums.com/blog/mastering-drumstick-tricks-and-twirls/
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AptA0n9mx-E
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AptA0n9mx-E
  7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVH1nbaoWNs
  8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iloDCWgQWM
  9. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVH1nbaoWNs
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