Dad3353

Ah, but that's the key, you see. Hickory. I must have tried, over the years, most sticks, including aluminium, fibreglass, maple and more. Japanese White Oak is where it's at, is all. I actually used the Tama ones for a very long time, but by the time I wanted to renew (not broken, just a bit too ragged, chipped, dented and worn out from much use...), they didn't make 'em any more..! If I'd bought a dozen pairs at the time, I'd still have some left..! D'oh..! Not much in it between 5A and 7A, but I prefer the slightly longer reach (am I lazy..? You betcha; it's a quality I panegyrize..!); the nylon tips mark cymbals and heads less than wood, too. StickChat will be one of the sections in the new DrumChat.co.uk when the Admins get back from their hibernation. I may not live to see it, but it's programmed.

Try a few pairs of these... Promark 7A Japanese White Oak Sticks, Nylon Tip ... You won't need more than three or four pairs, as you'll not be breaking them (I've seen some videos of your strike; these should suit just fine...). I have spares in the stick bag on my floor drum, but only for when (not 'if', but 'when' ...) my oafish old fingers lose grip and I drop one. I've not broken a stick in decades, despite some fairly hefty rim-shots with a rockish repertoire (RATM, SOAD, Noir Désir and more ...). My 'Tip Of The Week'; no need to thank me.

Just so folks know what to look out for ... Hope this helps.

Albie..?

An excellent exercise in recycling, but they're real suds to play.

Good evening, Steen , and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share. Just a thought: what happens if you use a capo, at various frets..? Is that string still different compared to the others..?

And to think he spade for that..!

Hoe, hoe, hoe...

Wot, the hole thing..?

Good afternoon, Martin , and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Good evening, Joris, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share. As above, there are more than a few BC members from the Continent, including myself, from la Mayenne.

Yeah, but you're old, innit..? ... Or, more kindly and to the point (I, too, am old..!), for now you have the choice. For an increasing number, here in the UK and Europe at least, that choice is fast dwindling, soon to vanish. Buy now, whilst you still can..!

In days of yore, there were way-stations, taverns and lodging houses all along every highway of this island. Travellers would be compelled to stop at one or other of these inns, as travel was on foot, on horseback, coach or bullock cart, and there was a limit as to how far one could go without feeding and watering both the rider and the steed. With the advent of alternatives, (rail, cars, motorways...), some vestiges of these services remain, albeit much evolved, but anyone trying to do things 'the old way' would have a hard tome of it, I suspect. Times change, and the services one needed, even in pre-war days, are now redundant, or so changed as to be no longer recognised. Farriers are now rare, in a not-so-distant future, local filling stations will be just a memory (already the case in some areas...). It's the same with local commerce, whether music shops, book shops, cobblers... There will be a place for niche outlets, but they will no longer be dependant on local trade, I suspect. There's no going back any time soon, so best to leave the sentimentality and nostalgia behind and make the best of what's 'now' and tomorrow. Is it a Good Thing..? Does that matter, as it changes nothing..?

The 'plus' that our 'local' shop had was the camaraderie and complicity with the blokes behind the counter. I worked for many years, myself, in a music shop, as technician, and always found that the 'rapport' between staff and the folks that came in was the key factor. I even repair, still, some 'customers' from those days, several decades after quitting that shop..! At that time, before t'web, having that personal interaction was what helped have them come back; I can only imagine that, with all the facilities of on-line stuff, it would be all the more important. It's really impossible for any retail outlet to have stock to cover what t'web offers, nor really match the prices, but the service and bonhomie can, and should, be a major factor. I can't see why anyone would make the effort to push the door if there was no personal interest in doing so, really.

There are three of us at home (drummer, guitar, bassist...), but our annual consumption of anything at all, be it strings, heads, instruments... whatever... would be less than noticeable on the balance sheet of any local outlet. The nearest to us is fifty km away; I've not been there for... well, even longer than that. Our Eldest (guitar...) is making his own electric guitar; we even had to scour t'web to find the pick-ups he wanted; no chance of 'em being in stock. They came direct from the States in the end, even cheaper than Thomann. Loyal customer..? Yes, in the sense of, if they have what we want/need, we'd go there, but it's so rare as to not be worth considering. The shop survives thanks to the music schools and private teachers, plus their local musicians that live in that town, but there's no money to be made from our commerce. I'd say, too, that we're not, in general, 'consumers' (swapping 'phones, buying CD's, 'fashion' stuff, hair-cuts...), and already have all we want/need.

Good evening, CC, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Here's how to make a five-string bass pick-up. Use a curved 'popsicle stick' to match the curve of the bridge and you're set... How to make a bass pick-up ... S'not that hard; worth a try..? Edit: just to note that the bloke winds by hand; I'd recommend attaching to a hand drill and turning the former (slowly, at first...), rather than fixing the former and winding manually. Much faster, and much less chance of breaking the wire. Just sayin'. Here's the Stew-Mac method for doing the same thing ... Build Your Own Custom Pick-ups ...

There is no contradiction from me in saying that not all music is focused on the audience. I'd even suggest that most music is played with no audience present at all, if we include rehearsal and studio work. Yes, being 'aware' (sounds too much like Van Damme to me, but that's just me...) is what it's about, and, to me, communicating is the name of the game, and the whole point of playing, mostly. I would agree that one should not be dependant on any one partner, but building complicity is a huge advantage in many genres (I would hope, all genres, but 'shoegaze' may be an exception..!). I don't think we're at loggerheads, just using different terms for nuances of much the same thing. However, I, for one, get much more pleasure, myself, and 'play' that pleasure back into the mix, when I know that all the other players are in the same 'moment'. Indeed, even when practising alone, I'll try to imagine transmitting emotion, events, feeling... in what I'm playing.

That seems a bit harsh and 'dry', to me. Listening is critical, but so is 'reading' the mood of the other musicians, by whatever means. Even seeing someone smile (or frown..?) at something going down is part of how and what one plays, as far as I'm concerned. It's possible to play in a 'vacuum', but better if all are contributing to the song with all of their senses, in my view. I'm not a machine.

It's from 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy', recommended reading, as there are references to that work interspersed throughout this forum, and others. Here it is, in Pdf format ... HHGTTG ...

"Hey, you sass that hoopy Bluewine? There's a frood who really knows where his towel is."

I've no qualms with that if I turn the sound off. Leaving the sound on and closing my eyes, however, is quite a different story..!