HingeStix Thumbs Up (French Grip) Practice Drumsticks were designed as a learning tool to enable drummers to feel the rebound, develop finger technique, understand the fulcrum, hold the stick properly, and feel the whipping motion of the Moeller technique. HingeStix simulates a loose grip, so they are also useful in countering the effects of sore muscles which is a result of holding drum sticks too tightly over a long period of time.How do you use the HingeStix?The HingeStix ® have white plastic pads on the sides of the drum sticks. Place your thumb on the flat pad and your index finger on the bumpy pad. Hold the sticks with your thumb and index finger on the sides of the stick so that, when you strike the drum, the stick moves freely up and down and your thumb and index finger do not get in the way.What are the holes on the sides of the stick for?The HingeStix ® come with three different positions so they can fit every drummer comfortably. The HingeStix ® come with the pads set in the middle position. Moving the pads forward towards the point will make the sticks feel lighter at the point and create less of a whipping motion. Moving the pads back toward the butt end will make the point feel heavier and will create more of a whipping motion.How do you move the HingeStix pads?The side plastic pads have to be unscrewed and taken off if you want to move them to a different hole location. The flat plastic pad is for the thumb and the bumpy pad is for the index finger. If you move the pads, do this for both sticks so that you can apply equal strokes for both the left and right hand.
