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Sometimes I use the butt of my drumstick to do things. i dont know terminology well so i cant really explain how i do that but...im sure you can use your imagination.

I turn the sticks around frequently to play.  What are you asking?  Is there a specific question?

Yes, what is your point?

Not to be rude, but I notice that you seem to be talking to yourself in your posts. You're not asking a question or engaging a topic for discussion.

And for everyone on the forum ... it's also helpful to make the subject title something relevant so the everyone (including those searching for specific topics) can understand and determine if this is a subject we want to discuss or that might have information we need or want.

Thanks Bart!  Not only does it make searching easier but it makes surfing the Drummer Cafe easier when I am supposed to be working.   ;D

sometimes things that come to my mind dont really need answers i guess i shouldve asked "does anyone else do this" or..if it was traditional thing to do...ive noticed some snare drummers flipping their sticks around and useing the butt end to hit the snare..i dont know if that is just for show or for a louder sound. sorry about not really asking questions....i tend to try to get my subjects to invoke thought and conversation i guess...ill try to make them more relevant.

It's not just *for show*.  There's more stick mass in reverse, so for power playing, it's very common.

i know its not just for show all the time. but...often times it does seem like it is for show.., i believe.

when i do the 'butt end thing' its typically to hit the lowest floor tom, and then the higher floor tom with my right hand and then a higher tom really fast with my left hand......the same thing could be done doing crossovers im aware, but it feels better the way i do it..for me atleast. . im wanting to say triplets but like i said before i dont really know terminology. so the term triplet probably isnt what im meaning...someone correct me
i use it to hit two floor toms and a higher tom really fast, is what i was aiming at.
i feel sort of humbled after this post. this is my first forum after all.

Triplets are a way of grouping notes together wherein the value of the original note is divided by three. For example when you divide a quarter note by three you get three eighth notes that are connected together. That is the simple definition and explanation.

I've been known to flip my left hand for a solid crack on the snare. Meanwhile my right hand is doing normal rudiments on the hat or a ride cymbal. Then I'll flip it back again. I don't even realize when I flip the stick over for an accent or louder snare work. It's just something I've done for many years. I guess that's the "old school" in me.  :)

thanks louis. ive been aware of that but ive never been able to recall that. now that i think about it its not really that hard of a concept to grasp...ill remebmer it from now on..but...yeah...i dont know how to smoothly go back to the topic.
sometimes ill switch to the butt of my stick for show...ill hit the bell of my ride and then switch back and hit a crash...
its not really just for show...its quite fun to do...ill do it sometimes just to mix it up and screw around. 

What you describe sounds like "backsticking".  It's fancy, but it doesn't record well. ;)

Are you taking any drum tuition by the way?

I've been slowly building a Glossary/Dictionary (http://www.drummercafe.com/component/option,com_glossary/Itemid,20/) of drumming terms here at the Drummer Cafe. It's far from being complete ... but you might find it useful for some terms you are not familiar with.

Everyone tells me that I play too loud anyway, so I haven't used the butt-end since high-school marching band.  If you do need the power though, they make sticks that are butt'ed on both ends, not to mention, other massive tipped sticks.


I agree with that...you get a better, clean and crisp sound using the stick in the standard way.  If you feel that you've got to whack your ride cymbal bell, you can always just reach further and hit more with the middle of the stick, that'll give you the power you're looking for.

I flip my right hand stick around with the butt end out sometimes to mplay on my ride bell only because it gives a nice heavy bell sound moreso than the other end, if I want that to be the sound that stands out.

I'm guessing you're talking about turning your stick the "wrong" way around - as in, using the butt-end to play with, rather than holding the stick at that end... if that's the case, then I guess a lot of drummers do it =)

However, if you're talking about holding your stick the way you usually hold it, but hit your drums/cymbals/any other percussion instrument you have with the butt-end regardless, then perhaps you should be checking out marching drummers on youtube ;)

See I get the same effect but with less effort just by reaching a little further and striking the bell with the shoulder of the stick or just below.

One thing I've seen drummers do is flip the stick around for cross-stick, but whenever I try, it just winds up sounding flimsy rather than fuller.

I use that tactic quite often. You've got to experiment with holding the stick with a light grip, across the middle of the snare, with the tip just a short distance from the other edge. In reality you've got to use a solid "clique" against the rim you're striking. Don't bury your palm against the stick or it will smother the strike. Too tight of a grip with the fingers can do the same thing. It takes feel, plus practice to get the sound you're after. I've done it so much doing country music I don't even think about it. I'll use the clique during a verse, then flip my stick over for a solid snare crack or woody driving rim shot sound during a lead. Then back to the country clique on the next verse. When done right you'll get a nice wood sound from the stick. My guess is that you're probably griping the stick too tight and choking the sound. Practice, practice, practice. Different sounds can be made by where your hitting the rim. It take's a feel and a light grip with the fingers. Too light of a grip could result in the stick doing a double bounce on the rim. The stick grip has got to be just right to work properly.... Hope I helped your quest.  ;)

As Chip said, it's a feel thing.  You may find that a heavier or lighter stick sounds better. You might need to choke up or choke back on it from where you usually grip.  Try different strike points on the rim - near a lug, between the lugs, directly over a lug.  Keep experimenting until you find a sweet spot you like.

BTW - I've NOT been able to get a good sound from the Zildjian Anti-Vibe model sticks.  The rubber (or "creamy Twinkie filling", or whatever they have inside them) seems to suck the tone from a cross-stick click.  YMMV.

In my younger days i was a butt guy. I prefer playing tips now but i will use the fatso on some ballads.....sometimes.

I will occasionally flip my left stick over (my off hand) to get a thicker and more aggressive tone with my rim-shots, for heavier sections of some songs. You may think it doesn't make much difference, but if you try playing the same segment with your stick the 'right' way up, it's just not the same.  :)

Like others have said, the most common reason I will use the butt end of the stick (stick flipped over) is for getting a full sounding cross-stick. The second most common situation is when I am playing more aggressive backbeats or just want a consistently bigger sound. This is almost exclusively in my left hand only but on rare occasions I might need to bash a bit and the tips of the sticks won't be as effective in either hand. Like I said, that's rare for me. But since there are some sticks manufactured with only butt ends (mainly for heavy rock stuff) there are certainly those who do that on a regular basis.

IMO, the disadvantage to this method is that it's much more limiting, sound wise. With the tip end being used, you can get many different snare (or even tom) rim shot sounds by increasing or decreasing the length of stick that goes past the drum rim. On cymbals a butt end of a stick is almost one dimensional to me. Having the tip, at different angles, the different parts of the shoulder, etc. available is much more expressive. It's doubtful guys that are mostly bashers would even have that option in mind so it depends where the music lives on whether this makes a difference. 

My .02

Jim

 
I used to play with trad gip, but later I had to play heavier and louder, so I turned the stick in my left hand and used its butt end, and switched back every now and then to play finer and more complicated fills with the trad grip. This two-way use of the stick wasn't very comfortable, and so, much later, I learned matched grip, and it's been fine so far, even though I can't do the solos that I did with the traditional grip. (And/but, alas, I can't play trad grip any more, for all the more because my snare is tilted a different way for the matched grip.)