Novice drummers will inevitably hold their sticks incorrectly, and even the most advanced professionals can slip into bad habits—which is where HingeStix can help.
HingeStix practice drumsticks have plastic pads on each side of the stick where drummers place their fingers. When they strike the drum, the stick moves freely.
The hinge created by the plastic pads allows drummers to feel the rebound of the sticks, develop finger technique, hold the stick properly and feel the whipping motion of the Moeller technique. The pads may be unscrewed and adjusted into three different spots on the stick.
“Even professionals sometimes hold the sticks so tightly that their arms get sore or they start breaking equipment,” says Sam Ruttenberg, creator of HingeStix and percussion/ drum set artist, author and educator. “This stick creates an atmosphere where your playing becomes smoother, so that when you go back to your regular sticks, you can see how fast and smooth you can play.”
Ruttenberg says that learning to hold the sticks looser is a big benefit of HingeStix. For marching percussionists, HingeStix helps those who play with matched grip and provides an easier transition to mallet percussion and timpani.
“I’ve gotten feedback from people in every sector of drumming, and they like the idea that they can notice things they were doing in their right hand that they weren’t doing in their left,” Ruttenberg says.
For more information, visit www.hingestix.com.
