Talk:Drum stick

Restarting this article
Why do this? What's wrong with the move to percussion mallet? Or, if there is something, why not just move it back?

Well, for a start I think we need something at drum stick. I doubt even Vic Firth calls my Vic Firth American Classic 7AN sticks percussion mallets. He doesn't on the match box, it reads every pair of Vic Firth drum sticks....

I'd guess that many people (drummers and non-drummers alike) who know what a drum stick is have absolutely no idea that some musicians and organologists call them percussion mallets. On the other hand, we all know what a drum stick is. So as far as WP:AT goes, if we have only one article covering drum sticks it's a no-brainer.

On the other hand I think it was right to move the article. Tympani and xylophone beaters aren't drumsticks.

So, do we split the article? That was an option, but looking at the state of it, I thought it better to start again. That solves any copyleft problams with attribution.

Let's get this new article up to the best state we can, and then see what can be trimmed from the percussion mallet article. Andrewa (talk) 01:28, 6 February 2012 (UTC)

Don't try this at home
OK, this isn't a drum method. So with fear and trembling I describe the use of the shaft of a stick to crash a cymbal.

And I do so knowing full well that I'm likely now responsible for some damage to cymbals. Without tuition to show the right way to angle the cymbal and hold and follow through with the stick, this is likely to be bad news. Suggestions? What's in the article is accurate, but dangerous! Andrewa (talk) 02:32, 6 February 2012 (UTC)

Length and number


I recently ran across a web page, and now can't find it, that said that the number (5A versus 4A for example) indicated the stick length, not the weight or diameter.

This threw me into a momentary panic, perhaps I'd had it wrong all these years. But a quick look at my Fibes 4A and 5B sticks reassured me... the length is identical, the only difference is the weight and diameter (which raises the question of what the A and B mean too). Other sites that may be of use:


 * http://www.rockdrummingsystem.com/underground/drum-articles/choosing-the-right-drumsticks.php
 * http://www.howtoplaydrums.com/selecting-drumsticks/
 * http://www.drumsoloartist.com/Site/Drum_Sticks.html
 * http://www.vicfirth.com/product/how-to-pick-your-sticks.html
 * http://www.bestdrumsticks.com/
 * http://www.fivestardrumshops.com/TT-files/FS_TT-Drumsticks.pdf
 * http://vater.com/stickselect/ (awesome page)

And here's a challenging one that doesn't answer the question, but does plug Wikipedia - unfortunately linking to an article which wasn't all that helpful until recently!


 * http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071012040207AAHZajG

Comments? Andrewa (talk) 23:54, 6 February 2012 (UTC)

Non-western drumsticks
This is a big gap in the current article. We have Japanese bachi; We're about to get some Korean sticks. There are some fascinating African sticks still to come! Andrewa (talk) 08:29, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

Requested move 26 June 2019

 * The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

No consensus to move. There is a clear absence of consensus to move at this time. No weight is given to the !vote of User:John Alstyn, whose participation in this discussion is his only edit to Wikipedia. bd2412 T 16:23, 4 July 2019 (UTC)


 * This is a protest to your action as administrator; whether an appeal is filed or not. You are out of bounds in your decision. You don't have to have consensus to move an article. Throwing out a vote is also out of your jurisdiction and overreaching. Thatwasreal (talk) 02:50, 7 July 2019 (UTC) Blocked sockpuppet comment struck. BD2412  T 15:31, 16 March 2021 (UTC)

Drum stick → Drumsticks – It conflicts with current page and spelling. Thatwasreal (talk) 08:07, 26 June 2019 (UTC)


 * Oppose per WP:PLURAL: "In general, Wikipedia articles have singular titles..." --Comment by  Selfie City  ( talk about my  contributions ) 23:14, 26 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Not against a singular title but there are two factors. One, the disambiguation page would need to be changed in that case. Do you have a suggestion as to how to do that? Further you could check with the entertainment business and in particular the music industry - no drumsticks are sold one at a time. It's always a pair or pairs being sold and you play drums with a pair too. It kind of invalidates your point. Thatwasreal (talk) 09:19, 27 June 2019 (UTC)


 * Oppose per above In ictu oculi (talk) 11:01, 27 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Support per WP:PLURAL: Articles on items such as scissors or handcuffs are not located at awkward, unnatural titles like scissor or handcuff as well as Things like Skew coordinates. Although one may speak of the second skew coordinate of a point, the article is on the system of coordinates. Drumsticks are never sold nor used as singletons. Compare Chopsticks, which have been at that title since forever . No such user (talk) 13:12, 27 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Sure they are. When they are parts of chickens, too. 114.153.213.26 (talk) 16:36, 3 July 2019 (UTC)


 * Support per conventional english language, this article should refer to a pair of drumsticksJohn Alstyn (talk)  —Preceding undated comment added 05:20, 30 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Oppose but disambiguate to something like Drumstick (musical instrument). A singular drumstick is a lot more sensible than a chopstick, imho. Dicklyon (talk) 06:37, 30 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Support. Akin to chopsticks. Srnec (talk) 15:47, 1 July 2019 (UTC)
 * Weak support Not fully convinced that this rises to the level of an exception to WP:PLURAL (talking about a single drumstick seems more natural to me than talking about a single chopstick). But I do think it's a better option than the current title. Would also support (and prefer) moving to Drumstick or something like Drumstick (instrument). (I think the drum-hitting tool should probably qualify as WP:PTOPIC, but haven't considered it carefully.) Colin M (talk) 23:50, 3 July 2019 (UTC)
 * Obviously, I don't agree with your second sentence, but I agree with the first. --Comment by  Selfie City  ( talk about my  contributions ) 00:53, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

Discussion addendum
I was unaware of the discussion above, which has since been closed. Had I been aware, I would have voted in Support of the move, per WP:COMMONNAME. I also support WP:NCPLURAL§Exceptions as a valid reason for the move. While one could possess a single drumstick, it is rare to encounter them as anything other than in plural... and just there, I referred to drumsticks as "them", a commonality which further adds weight to the argument.

I therefore suggest that the discussion closure should be reconsidered. — Christopher, Sheridan, OR (talk) 22:08, 15 March 2021 (UTC)


 * It has been suggested to me that I should create a new Requested Move below. — Christopher, Sheridan, OR (talk) 21:29, 16 March 2021 (UTC)

Requested move 16 March 2021

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion. 

The result of the move request was: Not moved. -- Calidum 17:49, 23 March 2021 (UTC)

Drum stick → Drumsticks – It has been suggested that I initiate a new Requested Move due to the time elapsed since the first request. I propose that the article should be named Drumsticks per WP:COMMONNAME, and WP:NCPLURAL§Exceptions, the commonality of referring to drumsticks as 'them' (plural), as in "I found them at the music store". Though sticks are made individually, the manufacturing process pairs them according to their sound pitch. Alternatively, avoid the plural and just make it a compound word: move Drum stick to Drumstick. — Christopher, Sheridan, OR (talk) 21:18, 16 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Note: a page move from Drum stick to Drumstick would require a follow-up requested move because it would also require a page move from Drumstick to Drumstick (disambiguation).  P.I. Ellsworth   ed.  put'r there 03:45, 18 March 2021 (UTC)


 * Weak oppose per WP:SINGULAR and WP:PLURAL: It's a borderline case, but this same proposal was previously considered and it failed to achieve consensus (or even clear majority support). Unlike scissors, trousers, and handcuffs, it is not unusual to encounter a drumstick in the singular. You can be hit by a single flying drumstick and you can lose a single drumstick. That is also strictly true of chopsticks, but unlike with chopsticks, you can effectively use a single drumstick for its ordinary purpose of striking a drum, cymbal, or cowbell. It is rather common to see, for example, a band's lead vocalist grab a (single) drumstick and tap along with the rhythm for a while on a cowbell, and we need more cowbell on Wikipedia. —&#8239;BarrelProof (talk) 16:41, 17 March 2021 (UTC)
 * I had missed the previous discussion by a couple of years, so I thought I would check specifically in regards to the policies mentioned, given that no consensus either way had been established the previous time. An alternative suggestion would be to skip the plural, and just change it to a compound word: Drum stick → Drumstick — Christopher, Sheridan, OR (talk) 22:00, 17 March 2021 (UTC)
 * I support or . I think the current distinction between "drum stick" (which is not disambiguated) and "drumstick" (which is a dab page) is not well justified, and "drumstick" seems more natural than "drum stick". —&#8239;BarrelProof (talk) 00:57, 18 March 2021 (UTC)


 * Oppose, and also Comment: I agree that the article shouldn't include the plural "s", but OP is also suggesting that "drumstick", as one word not two, is correct. A Google search brings up many sources for both spellings.  The article only has one reference, and it uses both spellings.  It would be interesting to see if RS could be shown to be in favour of one or the other.  Perhaps Drumstick (instrument) would be the correct title.  162.208.168.92 (talk) 21:48, 17 March 2021 (UTC)
 * I can't apply a 'Thanks' for your contribution, as your account is unregistered (and possibly a shared IP according to your Talk page), but nonetheless, I would like offer a . — Christopher, Sheridan, OR (talk) 22:12, 17 March 2021 (UTC)


 * Oppose I see no reason to make it a compound word, but I would weakly support to make it plural simply because of the way they're sold and marketed. Regarding the compound word, it seems that Modern Drummer, Vic Firth, and Vater all use "drumstick". However, Guitar Center (and its subsidy, Musician's Friend), Lone Star Percussion, and many other retailers generally use "drum stick". Educators James Blades, Sanford Moeller, and William Ludwig have all also used "drum stick" in their respective books. Both "drum stick" and "drumstick" are correct, but only "drum stick" refers to the implement used to hit drums (not ice cream, chicken legs, etc.) | Why? I Ask (talk) 04:58, 18 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Comment: The people that have commented here, have not commented on the previous Requested Move. Unless someone has support to add, I would accept this as a consensus. Can we leave this open a while longer, though? I had re-proposed this because I was unaware of the previous discussion, and felt that the policies I mentioned had not been given enough consideration. — Christopher, Sheridan, OR (talk) 20:38, 18 March 2021 (UTC)
 * requested moves are formal proposals that are expected to last at least seven days. After that they could be closed, relisted, or after eight days they may enter the backlog.  P.I. Ellsworth   ed.  put'r there 21:06, 18 March 2021 (UTC)
 * I know, but thank you. I only ask for an extension before closing, to give late arrivals a chance. — Christopher, Sheridan, OR (talk) 22:04, 18 March 2021 (UTC)

Requested improvements
I came to this page as a non-drummer, looking for information on what variant drumsticks are called. I know there are brushes. I've also seen what looks like large cotton balls on the end of the stick, but have no idea what they are properly called. There must be others. Adding simple explanations like this would contribute to general knowledge. Typofixer76 (talk) 15:13, 7 March 2021 (UTC)
 * I believe you can find more information on the corresponding page; percussion mallet Why? I Ask (talk) 02:19, 8 March 2021 (UTC)