Gig Grips for Drumsticks

There have been many accessories invented over the years to assist in controlling the drumsticks in your hands when playing. Gig Grips consist of thick rubber bands with holes on each end that you push the stick through until it is in the location on your stick where your fulcrum finger would be when holding the stick. They can be used in traditional or matched grip and are a very useful addition to any drummer’s kit, but also, they would be a good teaching accessory for beginning drummers learning how to control stick movement.

Getting the Gig Grip onto the drumstick is not easy, because the holes are small and stretch tightely around the stick. The problem is solved by using an alcohol wipe (used to clean your hands) to wet the stick. First, push the tip of the drumstick through both holes in the Gig Grip. Then slide the alcohol wipe down the stick and immediately slide the Gig Grip down to the position that you want.

The first photo shows my left hand in traditional grip, with my thumb placed through the Gig Grip. When playing, slightly less tension is required to hold the stick in the fulcrum, so fatigue is lessened.

The second photo shows my right hand with my thumb raised so you can see where the Gig Grip is attached to my index finger (the fulcrum for stick movement). Of course, you can place the Gig Grip on any finger you choose, depending on which one you wish to use as the fulcrum when playing. If you were playing matched grip, the Gig Grip would be on this same finger of my left hand. I have very large hands, so the two ends of the Gig Grip are shown about an inch apart, but if your fingers are smaller, the attachments of the Gig Grip to the stick would be closer together.

Obviously, from the photo, if I put my thumb down and held the same position, this would be the French grip. However, rotating the hand into the German or American grip does not seem to interfere with the movement of the stick in the Gig Grip, so they work for all styles of grip. For the German or American grip, I would suggest having the ends of the Gig Grip about an inch apart, as shown in the photo, since the fulcrum is at a slightly different angle.

Gig Grips are available for direct purchase on-line, at $12.99/pair.

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