How to Grip Brushes for Drumming

Learning how to play the drums can be an exciting time for any fledgling musician. There are often many beats and sounds that need to happen at once when you are a drummer, but once you have mastered how to play the drums, your creativity can be unleashed. Learning how to grip the brushes is part of this process.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Understand the differences between drum brushes and drum sticks. The obvious difference is the physical construction; beyond that there is also a difference in the sounds they can each produce and with the different styles, a difference in the way the utensils are held.
2. Grip the drum brushes in the same way you would grip a drum stick, only the fulcrum will be different.
3. Play an open hi hat on the cymbal with a brush for a soft sound. The brushes are not good for playing closed hi hats, as they will likely not produce enough sound to make a difference while play, or for the audience to hear. Test this to see the difference.
4. Practice the grips and playing drum brushes to get familiar with them. Remember, they are made for a softer sound than drum sticks, and this will remind you how to hold and play them in a softer way.

Tips & Warnings

• The center of balance will actually be easier to find on a drum brush because of their construction. If you desire, hold on brush in the matched grip and the other in the traditional grip--whatever is most comfortable for you.