Intro
Why should you look at the drum sticks that are important to Mic Fleetwood and Phil Collins? and I am not talking about chicken drumsticks here because Mic and Phil are famous drummers in bands.
Drum sticks are just as important as the drums because they also have a big part in making the percussion sound. If you hit say a table with you hand it makes a flat often dull noise; try hitting it with something harder and it makes a completely different sound and that is exactly what drumsticks do.
Now in this speech I will be telling you about the history of drum sticks, the different materials use to make them, and the different drum stick shapes.
History
First off let me tell you a little bit about the history. While drum sticks have been around for thousands of years the earliest version of the drum sticks we know now started to appear 1,500 years ago in Asia. Changes in drum stick manufacture were slow until about the last 50 years when big advancements have happened
Some of the earliest version of the modern drum sticks were seen from the 12 century. Both the drums and drum sticks then were made of heavier wood with the drums covered in thick animal skins. Drums and drumsticks in this period were used in religious ceremonies and to draw peoples attention for special occasions. They were also used for military purposes to send signals, communicate and keep order when marching. Drums sticks and drums were one of the most common musical instruments around this period providing entertainment of a basic sort. Back then drums sticks were pretty rough and heavy.
Materials
What different materials are drum sticks made of?
They have been making drum sticks out of wood for centuries but now they have come up with lots of different materials like aluminium, carbon and plastic as well as types of wood. 300 years ago heavy woods were used like ebony that gave a loud sound on the heavy drum skins used then so the sound carried a long way. This is very true for drums used in the Navy or Army of that period that needed to be heard above a lot of noise from fighting.
Now they can even be made to glow in the dark or light up with tiny lights inside plastic sticks. Coloured plastic is used to make a variety of bright coloured sticks that are light and strong. Most drumsticks are still made of wood, like my own ones which are hickory wood which is straight, strong and light. This wood absorbs the shock of hitting the drums well so makes it easy to use. It produces a nice loud, crisp sound that is pleasing to hear and works with sounds good other musical instruments like guitars.
Types of sticks and tips
While the actual drum sticks have not changed much in shape they now make them with different types of tips ( the end that contacts with the drum).
I have drumsticks with 2 different types of material at the end; wood and nylon. The ends also come is all sorts of shapes and sizes. The nylon tips are a modern invention and have been made since 1958. They are a lot more durable but wood tips are still being made and used..
As I have said there are all sorts of different types of sticks, there are some that do not look like sticks and they are called brush sticks at all. They look like brushes at the end. Now you might be wondering how they make a sound well it just like painting something. It makes a softer swishy type of sound.
Conclusion
Drum sticks are really important because they have been used for 1000 of year with drums to provide entertainment, warning of danger and to send signals. They have been used in war, religious ceremonies and for entertainment. Today almost all drums and drum sticks are used for entertainment and just about every band will have some form of drums and drum sticks. Next time you see a drumstick have a look at what they are made of because the different materials and shape will produce a different sound.
