Pro Mark Drumsticks

I've been playing drums for about 13 years but recently I've been playing in a rock/indie/punk type band.

Everything's been going great except that our guitarist, in typical guitarist fashion, has been complaining about the noise levels.

Therefore, when I went into my local music shop a couple of weeks ago and discovered these devices called ryhthm sticks, made by Pro Mark, I thought this would be the answer to his delicate hearing problem.

They're kind of a cross between sticks and brushes. They look like brushes but they're made up from about twenty small sticks, with a piece of plastic half-way up them to bunch the sticks together. They normally cost about £13.00 but I managed to get them for a tenner.

The very next practice, I pulled these things out of my stick bag, much to the delight of the guitarist. I even managed to last a full two songs before putting them back in the bag and getting out my trusty pair of regular 7As!!

The ryhthm sticks do reduce the volume quite dramatically and they do sound good, particularly on the snare. However, for someone used to using little 7A (match)sticks anyway, it was like holding a huge branch in each hand. They are very heavy and very broad, making quick fills very difficult indeed. Also, it must be said, after just two songs, the sticks were beginning to fray and look a little sorry for themselves. I fear that they would struggle to last more than 12 or so songs and for something that costs twice as much as a regular pair of sticks would, I don't think they were worth the money at all.

I think that they might be of use to jazz drummers, or less energetic drummers than myself, but they're just not strong enough for rock drumming.

I've since told the guitarist to stop wingeing and buy himself some earplugs instead.