How to twirl a drum stick: step-by-step guide
4th Feb 2011 | 10:55
How to twirl a drum stick: step 1
I start the trick with a matched grip
Want to wow the audience with some showmanship? Thomas Lang guides you through one of his many stick tricks as part of Rhythm magazine’s 25th Anniversary celebrations - you can still purchase that special issue for more.
Lang starts this trick with a matched grip - check out our drum basics video lesson to make sure you get it right.
Step 2
I use my middle finger to push the front end of the stick down
Step 3
Then I put my index finger on the butt end of the stick, while stretching out my ring finger and pinkie
Step 4
I roll it over my middle finger for one full rotation. If the tip starts at three o'clock, the tip ends at just over nine o'clock after one rotation. By the end I'm holding the stick between my middle and ring fingers
Step 4 continued
Step 4 continued
Step 5
From this position I roll the stick backwards, anti-clockwise around my middle finger
Step 6
I grab it with my index finger and bring it right over from my middle finger until it is back in the first position of my matched grip
Step 6 continued
Step 7
I repeat this motion, one full rotation, back and forth multiple times and that's my twirl!
Now check out Rhythm’s current issue 186 featuring an exclusive interview with in-demand session ace Keith Carlock. Or subscribe to Rhythm here for a monthly dose of new gear reviews, kit-buying guides, pro drum lessons and all-star interviews.
Liked this? Now read: Drum basics video: matched grip
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