Purdie's post is right on the money. Doing as he says will keep you drummimg no matter how bad your hands get.

Robyn,

It would be interesting to note how long you have been playing. I think you will find that the folks that have really great technique don't hold a stick tightly at all. They keep their fulcrum open and relaxed while utilizing the other fingers to propel the stick. If you are a relatively new player, developing that grip is just a matter of time spent practicing and practicing correctly. If you have been playing a while then research how you are gripping the sticks but you also may need to investigate whether there is a physiological issue.

Purdie's comments about ergonomics are spot on. If there are shoulder issues, then set up your kit to minimize motor movements. I see photos all the time of drum kits set up and wonder how in the world someone can effectively play them. If there is a shoulder issue, then consider using a smaller kick drum and keeping the toms lower. Keep your cymbals lower as well. If you keep yourself centered and balanced you will find you can seriously minimize the mobility required to play your kit. One of my kits includes 7x10 and 7x12 mounted toms and I love how low I can keep them over a kick drum. They are extremely comfortable to play. When I put up an 8x12 tom I am amazed at how tall it seems.

Some guys wear gloves because they don't like the associated callouses that come with playing. Some people have health issues such as extremely dry hands and gloves can help that.

Regarding gloves, gorilla snot, grip tape, stick rings, goat vomit or any other aid, I can only quote a former instructor of mine: "When it comes to percussion, if it works, do it."

And...after all is said and done, ALL drummer's drop sticks, even the very best.

A simple solution I used years ago when I was having a problem with this:

Sand the lacquer off the butt end of your sticks.

Problem solved.

No snot (from any animal) involved in the process... I don't want pitch or snot or wax on my hands...

hi guys, wow, i guess i did start a pretty good subject, i'm glad my question has been informative for others as well. yes i agree with johns comments, he always has information worth reading. thanks john. appreciate all your time.

as for how long have i been playing....i don't play in a band or professionaly. but have always been around drums, guitars and other instruments, have several myself and my family is made up of alot of musicians. so when we (my family) get together, every one picks an instrument and the jam session is on. but here in the past year i have been playing drums (mainly for fun) quite a bit on my own. usually when i do drop, it is while doing rolls and fills and when i'm really "getting into it". i doubt if i do the glove thing mainly coz i'm not a glove wearer for any reason, i like to feel what i am touching. and as for the snot, i think that will be my last option. i want to try the excersizes first, besides they will also make me a lit'l better and the hairband idea seems to help too. i do have a cup'l extra sticks that i keep on the bd and am getting better with grabbing one when needed and being able to stay with the groove or at least getting right back into it. really i guess it is just like every thing else...the more you practice the better you get and it all takes time. for me, it is not that much of a big deal coz drumming is not a profession for me, just a pleasure, but big enuf deal to wonder if there may be a quick cure for flying drum sticks. lol

thank you every one for your comments and tips, it is all helpful for me and i hope for others too.

i will do an update later down the road and share what works best for me, may also work for others too. :)

ok gonna go back and read thru every ones post again a lit'l more thoroughly.

Robyn,

It sounds like you just need to work your technique a bit. Like any other instrument (or any other skill set for that matter) there is no shortcut to improvement through hard work. Every one of us has been there at some point. You will be fine, just keep at it. What you will probably notice is that when you start getting tired, or when you do something a little more complicated ("rolls and fills and really getting into it") you will have a tendency to tighten up and that is where problems begin to creep in. The more you practice the easier it gets. The great part is that you can enjoy every bit of it!

Great advertising lesson on this one... Seem to be lots of products out there but the one that got most mention, good or bad, is Gorrila Snot.

:)

[QUOTE=Purdie Shuffle;225485]I'm wondering if everybody who uses gloves to play, uses them because of this stick dropping problem. BunE Carlos (Cheap Trick) is one of my favorite straight-ahead rock drummers and he always wears gloves. I wonder if even the pro's encounter this problem. It may not be a 'strictly amateur' situation around grip.

John

Yes John, Iam a pro drummer.Year's ago in the 70's i had to fine out a way to keep the stix's in my hand's.I tryed many way's to do so but i found out that the glove's were the only way to help...Mikey

P.S. a few of the way's were "Pine Tar"- Sanding the end's of the stix's with sand paper

Just as bad a issue was stick breaking which i would go thru 1 or 2 pair a night at that time they were regal tips now i play Vic Firth 5AN's right hand tip forward left hand tip back, but the key is no matter if you drop them or break them you have to grab another without loosing a beat and that comes with practice. I use to practice dropping a stick and picking another one up and i had a rogers stick tray set so i always had 4 or 5 new ones right in front of me .

If I broke the left i switched the good stick to my left hand and grabbed another , all in a nights playing, i would not worry to much about it just practice it like any other drill.. I have broke snare heads during a song and had a roadie grab the snare and change the head just switched to my highest pitch tom and kept the train a rollin have fun and enjoy..

That is why you should always keep a spare snare drum and kick pedal at your position and ready to go. Odds are most of us have more than one of each.

I think that is the excepted way now to have extras but back in the late 60's and early 70's lol we just had what we had not you see alot of extra stuff, but if truth be told for the few times it ever happened (breaking a snare head) it would not justify buying another 400.00 dollar snare drum but i do understand .. great thread..