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One Stick Trick That Will Impress Your Friends – Drum Lesson
Let’s get into it!
How to spin a drumstick
5 Ways To Spin A Drumstick in One Hand
- Spinning the drumstick using your index finger and middle finger (the Fake Twirl method)
- Spinning the drumstick over your index finger
- Spinning the drumstick with four fingers
- Spinning the drumstick around your thumb using three fingers
- Spinning the drumstick on your palm
Together with the help of talented drummers on YouTube, you’ll soon discover exactly how to perform all five of these entertaining stick tricks so you can master whatever method suits your style.
Plus, as an added bonus, we’ve included a special stick trick on how to bounce your drumstick off your drum and catch it in the air.
But first, let’s talk about why these stick tricks can add a whole new level of professionalism and entertainment to your performances.
Let’s be honest, what budding rock & roll drummer wouldn’t want to twirl the drumsticks like Tommy Lee, Neil Peart, or John Bonham?
Back when I was learning how to play the drums, I always admired drummers that could twirl their drumsticks. So I set my sights on learning as many stick tricks as I could master.
It wasn’t easy at first, but after a lot of practice, I made it look easy.
Eventually, I learned a few drumstick tricks and got pretty good at them, so I started adding a few stick tricks to my performances. Eventually, people were so amazed at how well I could spin my sticks that it became my trademark move.
Not only is playing drums very cool, but if you can add some stick tricks, such as twirling your drumsticks, you’ll look like a rockstar in no time.
So let’s not waste any time. Grab your sticks and get ready to learn some great stick tricks!
Fly Away’s Guide on Learning How To Spin A Drum Stick
Don’t get discouraged if it takes you a while to learn how to twirl drumsticks. Just stick with it, and within a day or so, you’ll likely acquire the basic skills. And within a few more days of practice, you’ll be feeling like a rock star.
1. Spinning the drumstick using your index finger and middle finger
This stick trick is often referred to as spinning a drumstick using the Fake Twirl method. By following the guidelines below and the videos, you should be doing the fake twirl in no time.
- Place the stick between your pointer finger and middle finger.
- With the stick in between your two fingers, alternate the positioning of your fingers and rotate the drumsticks in a figure-eight movement.
- As you continue to spin the drumstick, you may find that it will naturally slide down to the end of the stick due to gravity. If this happens, you simply readjust the positioning of the drumstick.
- You can use your right or left hand to practice this trick, and it looks even better when you can do it simultaneously with both hands.
The Fake Drum Stick Twirl
Here’s how the Fake Twirl looks in slow motion
2. Spinning the drumstick over your index finger
This stick trick is often referred to as spinning a drumstick using the four-finger method.
- Hold the drumstick in the standard grip position.
- Grip the stick by hooking your pointer finger around the stick and grasping the stick with the pad of your thumb. Hold the stick about 4 inches from the bottom.
- Wrap your other three fingers around the drumstick. The drumstick should rest in the palm of your hand.
- Position your hand vertically – not in the traditional horizontal position.
- Pinch the stick and release your other fingers. Put your middle, ring, and pinky fingers behind the stick while still keeping the drumstick vertical.
- Spin the drumstick backwards. With your three fingers behind the drumstick, push the bottom of the drumstick forward. Your middle finger is going to be doing the majority of the pushing. As the drumstick begins to spin, release your thumb from the stick and allow the stick to spin over your pointer finger.
- As the stick finishes spinning around your pointer finger, release your middle finger and let the drumstick finish spinning around your pointer finger.
- Catch the drumstick as it rotates using all of your fingers and thumb to stop its motion back into starting position once you have spun a full rotation from where you started.
Spinning the drumstick over your index finger
Here’s how this stick trick looks in slow motion
3. Spinning the drumstick with four fingers
Spinning a drumstick using four fingers takes a bit of dexterity, but like all good things, practice makes perfect! Let’s get into it.
- Position the drumstick between your pointer and middle finger.
- Spin the drumstick by moving your pointer finger away from you and moving your middle finger toward you.
- As you do this first spin between your index and middle finger, relax your ring and pinky finger so they can be pulled away and lower than your two spinning fingers. This will prevent the stick from hitting those fingers as you execute the first spin.
- Hook your ring finger. As the drumstick spins and travels around your middle finger, hook your ring finger onto the back of the stick, and allow your pointer finger to relax and straighten out.[9] This will transfer the drumstick from your pointer and middle finger to your middle and ring finger. Just like you moved your pointer finger away from you and moved your middle finger toward you to get the drumstick to spin, you are going to do the same movement with your middle and ring finger.
- Move your middle finger away from you and move your ring finger toward you. This will cause the stick in between your two fingers to continue spinning.
- Hook your pinky finger. As the drumstick spins around your ring finger, hook your pinky finger behind the stick, and allow your middle finger to relax and lay flat. Allowing your middle finger to relax, position the drumstick between your ring and pinky finger.
- From this position, you can again move your ring finger back, away from you, and move your pinky finger toward you, causing the drumstick to continue spinning.
- Transfer the stick from your pinky to your pointer finger. As the drumstick spins around your pinky finger, it will come back around to the front (palm side) of your hand. When it is on the palm side, tuck your pointer finger down.
- When the stick is horizontal and perpendicular to your fingers, lift your pointer finger back up so it is in front of the stick.
Related Article: Are drums hard to learn?
Spinning the Drumstick With 4 Fingers
Here’s how this stick trick looks in slow motion
Here’s How The 4 Finger Twirl Looks in Action
4. Spinning the drumstick around your thumb using three fingers
Spin the stick around your thumb using 3 fingers takes a bit more practice because it takes a fair bit of pressure to push the drumstick around your thumb and back in position again.
- Start by holding your drumstick with your index finger and ring finger on the back side of the stick and your thumb on top of the stick, securing it in position.
- Next, using your middle, put pressure on the drumstick to push it around your thumb.
- Let the stick move freely, rotating around your thumb.
- Catch the drumstick after it completes the rotation using your index finger and middle finger – see the video below for more details.
Spinning the Drum Stick Around Your Thumb
5. Spinning the drumstick on your palm
This stick trick is often referred to as spinning a drumstick using the palm method.
- Hold the stick with an open hand. Hold open your hand, palm facing up, and position the middle of the stick horizontally in the middle of your hand. Spinning the drumstick from its middle will allow the stick to be balanced as you spin it. Once you have the positioning down, close your hand loosely to grip the drumstick.
- Spin the drumstick. With your wrist back, as if you are going to throw the drumstick away from yourself and open your and all the way so fingers point downward. This will allow the jointed part (where fingers connect palm) to be at the highest point on your hand while rotating the stick so it doesn’t hit any of your fingers as it rotates.
- Make sure you get a good spin on your drumstick, and give it all the momentum needed by spinning in one direction for a full rotation while spinning.
Spinning the Drumstick On Your Palm
Here’s how this stick trick looks in slow motion
Related Article: How to set up a drum set
BONUS Stick Trick
How to Spin a Drumstick by Bouncing the Stick off the Drum
This move is a real crowd-pleaser and gives you instant cred as a professional.
- Hold the drumstick at the centre with your thumb and index finger.
- Rest the stick on the edge of the drumhead and bounce it off, using your fingers to control the movement.
- Keep your arm straight and use your wrist and hand to spin the drumstick around its long axis.
- Experiment with different speeds and techniques to find what works best for you. You can also try spinning the drumstick on the rim of the drum or on the floor.
With a little practice, you’ll be able to spin the drumstick faster and with more control. This is a great way to add excitement to your drumming and impress your friends!
Spin & Twirl With Ease | Drums Stick Accessories
If you’re finding it difficult to get the hang of twirling your drumsticks, don’t worry. For most first-time drumstick twirlers, learning how to spin a drumstick just takes time.
You may want to try these drumstick accessories to help you accelerate your learning skills. These drumstick control clips offer beginners a great way to gain spin control.
Conclusion
Now that you have the basics of how to spin a drumstick, hopefully, you’ll dedicate a little time to master these techniques so your showmanship becomes a natural extension of your drum-playing repertoire.
And who knows, by following these steps, maybe you’ll be the next Tommy Lee, Neil Peart, or John Bonham. But either way, I encourage you to take the challenge and enjoy it!
PS – If you’ve ever considered taking some lessons but don’t want to part with your money, we’ve got some suggestions for drum lessons that may help you get started on your own – for free!
Happy Playing!
