Ever felt that on ‘good days’, you feel in sync with your drums?
But on other days, it seems as though you have to use more energy to swing those drumsticks?
Here’s a secret…
It’s nothing to do with your ‘flow’, nor does it have to do with having a ‘good day’.
You just haven’t found the sweet spot on your drumstick.
What’s the Balance Point?
Also known as the fulcrum or the sweet spot of the drumstick.
It is the point on the drumstick that when held at, will give you the best control over your sticks and your drum kit.
Why Must You Identify the Balance Point of Your Drumstick?
When learning to grip the drumsticks, it is important for a new drummer to be able to identify the balance point of the drumsticks.
This is also known as the fulcrum and is the optimal point to hold the drumsticks.
Gripping the drumsticks correctly will increase your drumming speed and reduce muscle fatigue as you practice and play.
If you have not gotten a pair of drumsticks, here’s the best beginner drumsticks in my opinion.
How to identify the Balance Point of a Drumstick
To identify the balance point of the drumstick, you can use a snare drum or a drum practice pad. (For this, a snare drum feels better)
- Place the drumstick on your index finger with it’s tip in front of you.
- Use your thumb to hold the drumstick in place and prevent it from rolling off your fingers.
- Lift the tip of the drumstick and let it drop.
- Feel the bounce and rebound of the drumstick.
- Adjust the location of your index finger along the drumstick until you reach a region which gives the greatest rebound of the drumstick.
This point could vary slightly for different players, so play around with it.
Here’s a good video that shows us how to find the right balance point on a pair of drumsticks – for both types of grips. It is a 7.35 mins video:
As shown in the video, when you grip the drumstick at it’s balance point, you should be able to maintain the bounce on a snare drum as though you are dribbling a basketball.
Once you have identified the balance point of your drumstick, make a mark on your drumstick using a market for the ease of reference.
Vic Firth drumsticks has an American flag placed at the sweet spot of the drumsticks.
If you are using a pair of Vic Firth drumsticks, use the American flag as a starting point to identify the balance point of the drumstick.
