sasKuach

Hello,

This is surely a silly question, but I have not yet managed to figure out HOW THE HECK (rock) drummers twirl drumsticks! I just can't comprehend it by watching; it appears that fingers are moving THROUGH the drumsticks and I get a headache.

So can anybody tell me HOW? Please...

I'm not asking for a lesson or anything, I just want to know how it's done, and I have not found anything online except books and tapes for drum majors for marching bands.

best,

Rob

Zephyr66

I only know a really basic way to, and I'm not sure if this is what you mean, but you can just put the stick in between your index and middle fingers and twirl it at a high angle. It's mostly just an illusion and is extremely simple if you know how to do it. All you have to do is twiddle your fingers really quickly and it mostly comes with practice. I'm not much of a drummer, but I hope that helps.

fresnelly

Zephyr66 is right on. Try this for a slow motion demo:

Position the stick in the crook of your index and middle finger on your good hand. The butt should be on your palm side and the tip on the backhand side.

With your other hand, take the butt of the stick and move it slowly in a wide circular pattern in front of your palm.

What you see is all that needs to happen. The stick never leaves the crook of those fingers or spins freely. You just work your index and middle fingers back and forth to make it go.

With a bit of practice, you should be twirling like Tommy Lee in no time. If it helps, hum Motley Crue's Wild Side when you do it.

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sasKuach

Ok, so the stick doesn't actually spin, that makes it easier.

I still have some questions and observations though.

Which way is this circular motion?

The drumstick is between my index and middle fingers (close to the tips or at the webbing? I don't know where the crook is sorry)

Am I just moving my fingers back and forth, as if they where walking? And with the drumstick between them, it just gets swung back and forth in a half arc? I'm still confused. I'm practicing with a pen right now, and it looks like I'm swinging the pen back and forth, not spinning it.

I saw somebody do this right in front of me, it looked like it was spinning really slowly, but when I'm swinging the pen back and forth it looks too quick. I'm probably not doing it right.

I appreciate your input.

Rob

fresnelly

When I say the Crook, I mean at the Webbing.

Getting a pen to twirl is tricky because it doesn't have the weight and length to get enough momentum. You'll need to get your hands on a real pair of sticks or something similar like a wooden mixing spoon. A cheap set will run you less than $10.

Rock on.

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Zephyr66

I personally find it easier a little out from the webbing, just under the knuckles. But I guess that's just preference.

Carno

Ummm, here's a page that explains how to really spin something such as a drumstick:Pen Spinning

I don't know what all that jazz about diddling the drumstick back and forth with your fingers is all about, but the web page above explains three different spins pretty well.

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sasKuach

Thanks for the link Carn. I've also stumbled upon pen spinning when broadening my searching to "twirl sticks".

I used this image


to great effect. I've been practicing for a few hours now and though I'm still spinning slowly, I'm doing much better. Now if only I could figure out how to stop the pencil from walking out on me... it seems that as I spin it, my fingers wander along the length of the pencil until I'm only holding the eraser.

But in any case, thanks for the info ppl

I can spin a piece of 2 ft long thin aluminum pipe quite impressively already.

Rob

Carno

Yeah I always practice in class. When I first started doing it sometimes I would accidently fling my pen like 5 feet away

Actually, I think I know what technique fresnelly and Zephyr66 were talking about. I can't do it though.

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WillyPete

With a pencil you will quickly 'walk' up its length. However a drumstick is much heavier and that weight spinning will counter-act any 'walk' you get the faster you spin it.


There's also the single 'flip' you get with a lot of drummers. Usually done with some flair by the snare hand during beats or seen a lot done by both hands before the final crash at the end of a song.

It's like a bartenders flair really. It doesn't make the drink any better but entertains you whilst you wait.

sasKuach

Haha! This is some neat shit!

The fact that the aluminum pipe is a blowgun (with a dart snapped into the safety mouthpiece) makes it all the cooler, because I can transition to a shot in about a second. Spinning weapons are always fun.

flamingdog

The 'spin through the fingers' is the only way I've done it, but then I only do it for my own amusement, never while I'm actually playing. It works pretty well, and if you use a hefty stick, say a 5B, you can get a nice swift turn going on. It's satisfying to pull it off, but not very useful. I often do it with pens while bored.

The more traditional, illusionary, way is probably the easiest to pull off in a pinch, but ironically, I find it much harder. Just imagine you're holding your stick between index finger and thumb at your second joint or thereabouts. Now look at your palm, so the butt end of the stick is staring you in the face. Imagine kinda 'rolling' it by moving those two fingers in countermotion, so that the butt of the stick is moving in a rough circle in front of your face. That's how it's done.