5 Easy Drumstick Tricks [With Videos]

When you watch great drummers perform stick tricks it almost feels like it’s a kind of magic. However, tricks are essentially just a lot of practice made perfect. You can start with some of the easier tricks that are not at all that hard to do but will give great flair to your performance.

Easier stick tricks involve flips, twirls, and spins that will help you show off and interact with the audience. Each requires some time to get down but it’s very much learnable.

We put up this list of five easy drumstick tricks which you can play and practice, so without further ado, here we go:

1. Fake spin

Difficulty: Beginner.

This is one of the oldest and easiest tricks there is, but that doesn’t mean it will ever be boring or look bad.

With practice, it can become a reliable move to use when the music leaves room for it.

To do this trick properly you need to place your drumstick between your index finger and middle finger. When you have placed your stick in position, at about a half of the stick, you start moving your finger up and down, making the stick move in circles.

That circular motion will have a visual effect as if you are spinning the stick between your finger, even though essentially you are just twirling the stick around without any movement between the fingers.

You should practice this trick until you can do it smoothly and perfectly as it’s a base of other tricks and you can use it together with many other tricks. Once it feels smooth, try it between strokes and check that the beat stays steady.

You can also do this trick in different hand positions, making it appear as if you’re spinning the stick around your hand when you’re essentially doing the same trick with the hand positioned differently.

Safety note: Keep the movement small at first. If your fingers have to squeeze the stick hard, slow down.

2. Fake spin 2

Difficulty: Beginner to intermediate.

As in the original fake spin, you take your sticks, but this time you place them in between your index finger and your thumb, and voila! You got yourself a brand new trick that looks awesome.

This trick is essentially the same as the previous fake spin, but it looks as if you’re doing two completely different amazing tricks and gives you another visual move to use.

For this trick, you take the stick in between your index finger and your thumb and you twirl it so the stick top makes circular motions in the air. And that’s it.

Of course, you can add more bling to it if you practice enough so you can confidently do this trick with your hand high in the air, in a gap where it will not interrupt your playing.

Safety note: Leave space for both ends of the stick so they do not hit a cymbal or another player.

3. The Toss

Difficulty: Intermediate.

The toss looks simple: you turn one stick low in the air and catch it again. It takes practice to make the catch reliable.

It can add a fun moment during a break in the song, as long as you can keep the time and recover from a missed catch.

To successfully do this trick, you should take your stick as you would properly hold it, towards the end of the stick, and push its bottom with your little finger over your index finger, essentially making the stick make a full circle in the air, and grabbing it again when it completes the circle.

Keep the toss low and close to your hand at first. Let the stick turn end over end once, then catch it near its balance point.

This is a really easy trick to do, but it does need a little bit of practice to be done properly. Once you’ve mastered it, you can try it in a suitable musical gap, combined with other tricks.

Safety note: Practise a low toss over a soft surface. Do not throw a stick toward another person or over your equipment.

4. The Twirl

Difficulty: Intermediate.

This trick takes time to get right. Once it is reliable, it can look impressive during a suitable gap in the music.

With the twirl, we are getting to the more complex tricks you can get to do. In this trick, you will essentially shuffle the stick through all your fingers successively, making it appear as if the sticks are twirling around your hand.

To do this trick properly, you need to hold the stick in your hand and start slowly without playing a beat. Then, you should rotate the stick around its axis around your fingers successively, so that the stick goes in between your index and middle finger, then over the middle finger to the third finger, and so on.

When you get to the little finger you continue the motion to naturally bring the stick back to your index finger and thumb where you take it and it’s back in your hand.

It does sound complex, but with the help of this video, you will get to the point of what needs to be done.

Once it is comfortable, you can combine it with another trick when there is space in the music.

Safety note: Work on one finger transfer at a time, and take a break if your hand or wrist tenses up.

5. The palm spin

Difficulty: intermediate to advanced. The earlier video here showed a twirl, not the move described. This tutorial demonstrates the palm spin.

• Turn your palm upward and hold the stick near its balance point between thumb and index finger.
• Give it a small sideways turn, then open your hand enough for the stick to spin across the palm.
• Close your fingers around it as the rotation slows. Start with a single turn before trying a longer spin.

Safety note: practise over a soft surface and keep your hand low. A loose stick can bounce much farther than you expect.

Make Sure to Practice Before Using These

As you’ve probably seen by now practice is not only for doing tricks but for mastering every aspect possible on the drums. As with any instrument, practice is key!

Regardless of whether you’re just practicing these little tricks or practicing for hours daily to further progress your skill level, you can keep improving if you continue to do so.

Learning these tricks will not only impress people and look good on stage, but it will also allow you to perfect the more complicated tricks. Everything is unlocked with further practice and patience.

The Importance of Proper Form

Proper form playing is not only good for your playing but also your physical condition. It helps you play more accurately and for an extended period.

Lacking proper form due to these tricks and making it more interesting for the crowd can only cost you more stamina while playing if you go overboard. It’s okay to show off every once in a while but do not go overboard and cost your performance.

You’ve seen how many drummers perform these tricks while managing to keep on time and play the entire song but it can take more effort than it appears. While these tricks are cute, nothing beats good old-fashioned high-quality drumming!

Make the trick fit the music

Once a move is reliable on its own, try it while counting four bars aloud. Put it in a rest or between phrases, and record yourself to check whether the beat stays steady. If it distracts from the song, leave it out. Good playing is more memorable than a dropped stick.

Conclusion

Admittedly, these tricks are mainly for show, and that is part of the fun. A memorable stage moment can be fun, but the song and your playing still come first.

Tricks that are on this list start with accessible movements, but each takes practice to perform reliably. Practise them regularly if you want to use them during your performances!