Authentic Drum Sticks

Curious how worthwhile authentic 18th and 19th century drum sticks are?

You should never under-estimate how much your equipment can affect your form, style, and sound.

Any professional percussionist or set player will tell you that they select different styles for different styles and arrangements depending on what they’re trying to accomplish.

But that’s not often a concept discussed among historical drummers or drummers in ancient fife and drum corps.

To really embrace the older, historic method of drumming – by which I mean a traditional grip with the older right-hand grip, using calfskin heads, etc. – then heavy, well-balanced sticks are a must. They completely change the way you attack the drum and how you sound. (Check out my discussion of the Double Stroke Roll to learn more.)

Drumstick Research

Currently, this is pretty British / American oriented, but I hope to find resources for French and other nationalities.

materials

Cuthbertson notes that drumsticks

“should be made of Ebony or Brazil Wood, that being fittest for the purpose, and not easily broken in practice”

Cuthbertson (105)

Likewise, an order made by Fort McHenry in 1812 states that they want drumsticks

“18 in long of heavy west India wood”.

Fort McHenry

According to Howe (Drum & Fife Instructor,1862), the sticks

“are about sixteen or seventeen inches long, of Cocoa or Rosewood”.

Howe (2)

Based on these resources, a number of different types of woods could certainly be appropriate. The similarity between all of them was the heavy, dense nature of the woods.

These woods also happen to be darker in color, which is consistent with images and extant sticks (see below).

For reference, Brazil wood, from the Pernambuco tree, is found in Brazil. Ebony is a dense hardwood from southern India, western Africa, and Indonesia. Rosewood can refer to a number of different woods, which can be from Brazil, India, Madagascar, or Central America. By “Cocoa” Howe most likely means Cocobolo, which a type of rosewood found in Central America. The Fort McHenry order is most likely referring to some type of Rosewood.

Stick Length

Based on the information above, the sticks should be between 16 and 18 inches.

This length would seem roughly accurate based on images of drum sticks in relation to the diameter of the drum.

Note, the drumsticks in the Royal Procession appear as if they are about an inch longer than the diameter of the drum, which is probably 16”.

The drumstick held in the right hand of the 3^rd Regiment Drummer is roughly the same length as the diameter of his drum, perhaps slightly longer.

The same is true of the 7^th Regiment drummer.

Shape and Tapper of British Sticks – 18th Century

The general shape and construction of the drumsticks appears to begin with a larger butt that tapers slowly to the tip.

The bead of the drumstick tends to be an acorn shape.

See the 3^rd Regiment Drummer, 7^th Regiment Drummer, and Drummers in the Royal Procession above.

In the 7^th Regiment Drummer and “John Clarke as a Boy”, we see the acorn-shape tips, but also a rounded butt.

Here in “Trepanning a Recruit” we also see the rounded butt. The tips of the drumsticks are harder to make out and look almost like small beads.

Want to learn more about 18th C. British / American drumming?

18th C. British / American Drumming

Performing the Double Stroke Roll

Drum Rudiments & Their History

Shape and Tapper of French Sticks – 18th Century

French drumsticks are referred to as Battons or Bâton in some French resources, but more often as La Baguette.

Thus far, I have not been able to find many images of French drumsticks. But the few resources I have suggest that they had a similar taper as seen in the British drumsticks.

In the image by Jean-Antoine Watteau below, you can see the same thicker, rounded butt as in the English images.

Throughout the plates in the series “de Infanterie et Gardes françaises vers 1721”, we see drumsticks with a thicker, rounded butt and a slight taper to the head.

The drumsticks in the series “de Infanterie et Gardes françaises vers 1721”, like the one above, suggest that the French preferred more of an olive-shaped head.

You can see this again in the Henry and Watteau paintings below.

Want to learn more about 18th C. French drumming?

18th C. French Drumming

Performing French Duty Calls

Drum Rudiments & Their History

French Saute Rudiments

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Do you have more images that clearly depict drum sticks?

Do you have resources that describe period drums sticks for any army or time period?

If so, please contact me or comment below with where we can find that information.

If you’re interested in learning more about Rope Tension Drums, read more about:

• History of the Snare Drum
• names of their parts / construction
• materials
• animal hide drum heads

If you found this interesting, you might also be interested in checking out:

• “Drum Rudiments & Their History”
• “18th C. British / American Drumming”
• “18th C. French Drumming”