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The short answer: The sticks we link on the gear guide are 2Bs: a thicker, heavier pair, and the pair we practice with. Heavier sticks hit harder, so a 2B plays louder. If you need to keep things quiet, or the 2B feels like too much stick after a week, a 5A is the standard middle size and much easier to play softly. A 7A is lighter still. For practice on a pad or a pillow, almost any normal pair works fine.
Walk into a music store for your first pair of drumsticks and you'll meet a wall of codes: 5A, 7A, 5B, 2B, SD1. Nobody explains them, so we'll try. (And if you'd rather skip sticks altogether, every Beatwired session works with your hands on a pillow or your thighs.)
Which drumstick size should you buy?
The pair on our gear guide is a 2B, and it's the pair we practice with. A 2B sits at the thicker, heavier end of the wall. That weight is easy to feel in the hand, which is most of what pad practice asks of a stick.
The trade-off is volume. A heavier stick hits harder, so a 2B is louder on a pad, a table or a drum. If you're practicing in an apartment, next to someone sleeping, or in a shared office, get a 5A instead. It's the middle of the range, what music stores hand to beginners without being asked, and much easier to play quietly. Lighter still is the 7A.
Start with one pair, use it for a week, and you'll know. And don't overthink it. At a kit, drummers choose sticks by the music they play: lighter sticks for jazz and quieter styles, heavier ones for rock, and over hours of playing those differences add up. On a practice pad or a pillow, playing patterns for ten minutes, they shrink to almost nothing. A 2B won't ruin a session. A 7A won't either. You can't really get this wrong.
The rest of this post is for the curious.
Drumstick size chart
| Size | Thickness | Length | Feels | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7A | thinner than a 5A | about the same as a 5A | light, quick | quiet practice, small hands, jazz |
| 5A | 0.565" | 16" | balanced, easy to forget | beginners, playing softly |
| 5B | 0.595" | 16" | a little more stick than a 5A | some weight without a 2B |
| 2B | 0.630" (the Promark TX2BW we link) | 16" | substantial, easy to feel | feel on a pad, rock drumming; plays louder |
| Kids' sticks | 0.520" (Vic Firth Kidsticks) | 13" | short and light | young kids, roughly ages 3 to 8 |
Measurements are one maker's numbers (Vic Firth for 5A, 5B and Kidsticks; Promark for the 2B). Other brands land close but not exact, which is normal; 7A sizes vary enough by brand that we've left the number off.
What do the numbers and letters actually mean?
The number tracks thickness, and it runs backwards: a higher number means a thinner stick. A 7A is thinner than a 5A. A 2B is thicker than a 5B. Nobody defends this system. It's just old, and everyone kept using it.
The letters have a story attached. The version drummers pass around says it comes from the early 1900s: A stood for orchestra, B for band, and S for street, meaning marching bands. Orchestra players wanted thin, quiet sticks. Bands wanted more. Street drummers wanted something heavy enough to be heard outdoors.
Treat that story as folklore, because that's what it is. It gets repeated in every guide, but the paper trail is thin, and stick makers today mostly use the codes as part numbers. Two 5As from two brands won't measure exactly the same. Close enough is the standard, and close enough is fine.
What if you need to play quietly?
Go lighter. A heavier stick hits harder almost without trying, so it's louder on any surface. A 5A or a 7A makes soft playing easy, and pairs well with the softer side of a two-sided pad (why pads have two sides). If quiet matters more than anything, play on a pillow. Sticks on a pillow are nearly silent, whatever the size, and so are your hands on your thighs.
What size drumsticks for kids or small hands?
For young kids, roughly ages 3 to 8, makers sell shorter junior sticks (about 13 inches). They fit small hands and a practice pad well. Older kids and adults with smaller hands usually do well with a 7A or a 5A. A heavy 2B in a small hand is a lot of stick to hold for ten minutes.
Wood, tips and taper
Wood. Hickory is the default because it holds up well and soaks up the shock of each hit instead of sending it into your hands. It's what most sticks are made of. Maple and oak sticks exist too, but hickory is a good place to start.
Tips. Wood tip is fine. Nylon tips exist because they sound brighter on cymbals; on a pad or a pillow the tip makes no difference. Tips also come in different shapes (round, barrel, acorn, teardrop), which changes the sound on cymbals and barely matters on a pad.
Taper. This is how quickly the stick narrows toward the tip. A long, gradual taper feels lighter at the front and a little bouncier; a short taper puts more wood up front. It's why one brand's 5A can feel different from another's.
For pad practice, none of these need a decision.
When should you replace your drumsticks?
When they stop feeling right. On a pad, a pair can last a long time. Replace them if the tip is chipped or cracked, if splinters start catching your hand, or if one stick has bent. To check for a bend, roll it across a flat table: a straight stick rolls smoothly, a warped one wobbles. If one stick breaks, you don't need a new pair: any stick of the same size will do.
What should you not buy?
Skip marching sticks. They're built for outdoor volume, far thicker and heavier than a quiet practice calls for, and they'll wear your hands out.
Skip variety bundles. Some shops sell packs of mismatched sizes so you can "find your fit." A single pair answers that question for less money.
Quick answers
Are heavier sticks better for beginners? Not necessarily. They're easier to feel, but they're louder and tire small hands faster. A 5A is a safe starting point; we use 2Bs because we like the feel.
Do I need different sticks for a practice pad? No. Any normal pair works on a pad. You don't need special pad sticks.
What size do drummers use? It usually depends on the music they play. Lighter sticks like a 7A suit jazz and quieter styles; heavier ones like a 2B suit rock.
Do I need sticks at all for Beatwired? No. Every pattern works with your hands on your thighs, a tabletop or a pillow. Sticks and a pad are optional.
Where to go from here
Beatwired calls sticks and a pad Tier 1 gear: about $55 total, recommended but never required. The specific pad and sticks we like are listed on the gear guide, so you can skip the wall entirely. And if you're wondering whether tapping patterns on a pad counts as real drumming, the short version is on the FAQ, and the longer one is on the science page.
One line to keep: start with the 2B we link if you want weight and feel, a 5A if you want quiet, and enjoy playing.