Finding The Fulcrum Point Of Your Drumsticks

If you have been a drummer for some time, you may have heard of the Fulcrum point. If you haven’t heard of the fulcrum point , you are missing out on the most important part of getting the most out of your drumsticks. If you haven’t already, check out my article on how to hold your drumsticks. This will give you new insight on all the different ways to properly hold your sticks. In any grip you choose (traditional, matched, and french grip), the first step to holding your drum sticks is finding the Fulcrum point. The fulcrum point is also known as the balancing point. This is the point in where you will get the most natural bounce back from your sticks. Generally speaking, this is where you should pinch your stick.

When you drum, you want to make sure your drum sticks do most of the work. When this is achieved, you will find you save a lot of energy and pain. So how do we find that balancing point? Your stick is not a uniform shape; it has a lighter tip then the bottom of the stick. For this reason, the balancing point is not right in the middle. Before I go on I want to stress the point that every drum stick is different. So if you found the Fulcrum point on one stick, it may be different on others. At first, it is a good idea to look for this point every time you start to drum; however once you get more experienced, you will be able to feel it out and find it more quickly.

To find the fulcrum point, I will use Mike Michalkow's method, from the Moeller Method DVD. Take your hand, and make a gun with it by holding your index finger out. Then, place your finger, (palm up) over the snare. Take your stick, and place it right in the pocket of the joint on your index finger. Start by putting your stick where ever you think the balancing point is. Once you have this done, pick up the tip of your stick, raise it a few inches, and drop it. Count how many bounces you get. Now move your stick forwards and backwards, trying to get the most bounces from your stick. Once you have found the maximum bounce, pinch the stick there – that is the Fulcrum point!

Finding this point will help your drumming drastically. You will find it a lot easier to swing your stick, and move around the drum set. Watch out though, from time to time you may notice your stick climbing up, or falling down your hand. This will change your fulcrum point, making it more inefficient. The same method can be used for all methods of stick grip!

By: Dave Atkinson

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