Percussion instruments produce sounds by being hit with a stick/mallet, shaken, scraped or rubbed. A stick isn’t required to play a drum–for instance, bongos and conga drums only require hands–but many manufacturers insist that their sticks improve a drummer’s performance.

The two most popular types of drum sticks have heads made from either wood a synthetic material, like vinyl, plastic or carbon fiber. Many jazz players prefer to play with nylon-tipped sticks because they can evoke more sound from the cymbals having to strike them hard (compared to rock drummers, jazz musicians don’t typically hit their drums as hard). Nylon-tips are easier on electric drum sets because they don’t splinter and damage drum pads. Rock players prefer wooden-tipped sticks because plastic tips have been known to damage cymbals when played too hard. Wooden tips also create warmer sounds.

Jazz players use smaller sticks to perform faster, intricate beats, while rock drummers use thick sticks for powerful playing without breaking them. Stick size is assigned through a letter and number–a “B” after a number will mean that the stick is larger, and an “A” means that it’s smaller. 5As are standard sticks used for playing all types of music, but most jazz musicians prefer to play with 7As. Conversely, rock drummers often use 5B sticks to get the durability that rocking out requires. “S” sticks stand for street, or marching band–S sticks are very thick for projection and volume needs.

The wooden types of drum sticks are either made of hickory, maple, and sometimes oak. Maple sticks tend to be lighter, but they’re more susceptible to breaking. Hickory is a very strong wood, and the majority of sticks are made from it. For this reason, most beginning and rock musicians who are used to rigorous drumming use hickory sticks.

The head of the stick (the tip) can be acorn, barrel, oval and round. While the difference between shapes is very subtle, expert drummers will swear by their preference. For example, orchestral percussionists like to play with round-tip sticks when playing the snare. The round head gives the sound a very subtle, crisp feel that sounds excellent paired with auxiliary percussion. Generally, those who play on a drum set like acorn-shaped heads because they are the most versatile and work well on any striking-surface.

Mallets are not sticks in the traditional sense, but they are used to produce sound from percussion instruments. Timpanists use mallets with soft heads to make thunderous sounds and there is a wide variety of mallets used for key instruments like xylophones, marimbas and Glockenspiels–each with a different hardness. Glockenspiels require hard plastic mallets to make the ding sound, but marimba requires soft, cloth mallets to produce the muted bell sound. Percussionists can choose between hard plastic and rubber when playing a xylophone depending on how pronounced they want their strikes to be.

Custom drum sticks make perfect gifts for a musician of any level. Custom sticks can be used on anything from a beginning drum set to an advanced drum set. They are ideal for most drum enthusiasts, musicians, and collectors.

Custom drum sticks are available in a variety of colors and styles. Sticks can be made with a certain name, logo, or color scheme. These sticks are available on the Internet and in specialty shops.

Custom drum sticks can also have embellishments. Some may have a special type of paint and others might have a unique engraving. Sticks can also be made to glow in the dark for a special effect on a dark stage or in a dark room.

If you are looking to add a little extra something to your performance, lighted drum sticks are a definite novelty. There are basically two different kinds of lighted drum sticks. For example:

• Battery-operated – Some lighted drum sticks are battery-operated. These are interesting because the drum sticks can be programmed to light up in patterns or light up when it strikes the drum. These can be a bit of a disadvantage because they are sometimes shaped a little differently from normal drum sticks to allow for room for the batteries.

• Glow-in-the-dark – These lighted drum sticks look like normal drum sticks in every way. The shape and size is exactly the same. Then, when the lights go out, the difference is noticed. These glow-in-the-dark sticks might not be as brilliant as normal sticks, but they are something to look at in the dark.

Lighted drum sticks might be a novelty, but they are fun. Both drummers and audiences tend to enjoy seeing them used in performances. They are not especially expensive, nor are they too hard to find

Perhaps you have heard practice drum sticks mentioned before, but you are unsure of what they exactly are. This is common for novices to wonder about practice drum sticks, but the fact of the matter is that these drum sticks are nothing different from normal drum sticks.

Practice drum sticks are the sticks that you use when you practice. Plain and simple. These drum sticks are often used when you are practicing, but they can just as easily be used when you are doing other things -- like playing in a concert.

Of course, there are sometimes those drummers who have special drum sticks that they use when playing in a concert or other place. So this could differentiate itself from practice drum sticks, but aside from that, there are not a lot of real big differences.

Practice drum sticks can be found anywhere that you would find real drum sticks, since, for all intents and purposes, they are really the exact same thing.