Taping Drumsticks

by liam.plybon.3 in Living > Music

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Taping Drumsticks

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Learn to tape implements to prevent damage.

What Tape to Get?

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Most drummers use electrical tape one their sticks. It has low friction, has crisp edges, and does not leave color or adhesive on the rim after a rimshot. In addition, it comes on and off easily and is cheap.

Electrical tape (from now on I shall refer to electrical tape as stick tape) is also available in many different colors. When choosing a color, compare the sticks that you plan to use with the tape. If it looks distracting, you should go with a different color. Most drumlines use either black or white.

Tapes you do not want include duct tape. Duct tape has a large amount of fiber, which cam muffle the sound of a rimshot and get into the splinters that inevitably develop, making the tape almost impossible to remove. it is also very heavy, and will make the sticks less responsive. Finally, duct tape looks bad when it gets torn, whereas stick tape still looks decent.

Other tapes you might not want to consider include athletic tape and scotch tape. They look worse than duct tape, and perform even worse.

Stick tape can be purchased at almost every hardware shop in the world.

Wrapping the Stick

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When you have the stick tape, go ahead and inspect the sticks for damage. If there is any part of the stick that looks like it will come off soon, tear off about 4 inches (10 cm) of tape and wrap the area in a solid band. This will help reinforce the area.

Next, you are ready to tape the stick. Start by making a solid band near the tip, then spiral down. I like to hold the stick in my left hand with the base resting on my belt and the tape in my left hand where it can spin freely.

I like to tape about one hand length down the stick. This provides adequate room for missed rimshots and pings. If I were taping a bass mallet, I would tape to the tip of my thumb. This ensures that the entire stick is protected, as they are quite expensive.

To finished the wrap, just make a small tear and press the tape against the wood. This should hold it in place.

Congratulations!

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Now that you have finished the tape you can practice until the director tells you to stop!