Abstract:
The present invention provides drumsticks for training percussionists to use proper form, which may increase learning speed and enable faster and more efficient drum strokes. Each drumstick includes a tip or bead with a wing extending therefrom. The wing extends beyond the width of the shaft of the drumstick so that the percussionist must strike the drum head with wing extending parallel to the drum head surface to achieve a proper and acceptable sound. A grip is also provided to properly orient the user&#39;s hands for the matched grip variation desired.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/124,446, filed Apr. 17, 2008, entitled Training Drumsticks. 

   FIELD 
   The present invention relates to drumsticks and, more particularly, to a drumstick for training percussionists to use proper form, which will increase learning speed and enable faster and more efficient drum strokes. 
   BACKGROUND 
   Drumsticks for percussionists are generally known in the art. A drumstick is typically made from wood. The drumstick includes a tip or bead which strikes the drum head. Tips may come in many shapes such as acorn, barrel, oval and round. Immediately below the tip is the shoulder of the drumstick which tapers out to the shaft and ends with the butt of the opposite end to the tip. The shaft is typically an elongated, smooth cylinder with no features. Drumsticks vary in length from approximately 15 inches to 17 inches with a shaft diameter of approximately 0.5 inches to 0.6 inches. 
   The musician may hold the drumsticks in a variety of different manners. One being the overhand matched grip. There are three variations of the overhand matched grip—the French grip, the German grip and the American grip. With the French grip, the musician&#39;s palms face each other and control of the drumsticks is mainly accomplished using the fingers. With the German grip the musician holds the drumsticks with the palms parallel to the drum head, providing a more forceful strike. The musician&#39;s palms are at a 45 degree angle with an American grip which provides a compromise between the finesse of the French grip and the strength of the German grip. 
   It is important when learning to play the drums to properly hold the drumsticks and keep the proper hand orientation with respect to the drum head. While playing the drum it is important to keep the proper hand orientation with respect to the drum head depending on the particular grip. A typical drum stick does not provide any indication to the musician what is his or her orientation or if the drumstick is being properly held. Further, as the musician plays, his or her hand orientation may change without any indication or feedback to the musician. Without consistent practice, bad habits form which may prove difficult to correct or overcome. 
   SUMMARY 
   The present invention provides drumsticks for training percussionists to use proper form, which may increase learning speed and enable faster and more efficient drum strokes. Each drumstick includes a tip or bead with a wing extending therefrom. The wing extends beyond the width of the shaft of the drumstick so that the percussionist must strike the drum head with wing extending parallel to the drum head surface to achieve a proper and acceptable sound. 
   The shaft may include a grip or handle to help the percussionist properly hold the drumstick and resist twisting the drumstick in the user&#39;s hands. The grips may be formed for a specific hand (i.e., a left hand stick and a right hand stick) or may be ambidextrous in nature. 
   The wing may be shaped to encourage the user to position the sticks at the proper angle to each other (i.e., at a 90 degree angle to one another). This also allows the user to visually check to see if the sticks are properly aligned and positioned. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a top plan view of a pair of drumsticks of the present invention shown at a 90 degree angle to one another. 
       FIG. 2  is an enlarged top view of the right drumstick of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a bottom plan view of the drumstick of  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the drumstick of  FIG. 2  viewed in the direction of line  4 - 4 . 
       FIG. 5  is an end view of the drumstick of  FIG. 2  viewed in the direction of line  5 - 5 . 
       FIG. 6  is an enlarged side view of the top and wing of the drumstick of  FIG. 4  at line  6 - 6 . 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective side view of the drumsticks of  FIG. 2  viewed in the direction of line  7 - 7 . 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the drumsticks shown with respect to a drum head. 
       FIG. 9  is a drumstick of  FIG. 5  shown rotated to the right with respect to a drum head. 
       FIG. 10  is the drumstick of  FIG. 5  shown rotated to the left with respect to the drum head. 
       FIG. 11  is the drumstick of  FIG. 5  shown properly aligned with respect to the drum head. 
       FIG. 12  is a partial view of the drumsticks of  FIG. 1  shown rotated outwardly. 
       FIG. 13  is a partial view of the drumsticks of  FIG. 1  shown rotated inwardly. 
       FIG. 14  is a partial view of the drumsticks of  FIG. 1  shown properly positioned. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Referring initially to  FIGS. 1-8 , drumsticks (individually or as a pair) are generally indicated by reference numeral  20 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 8 , drumsticks  20  are arranged as right and left drumsticks, which are mirror images of each other. Because the features of each drumstick individually in the preferred embodiment are identical, the drumsticks will generally be described below with respect to only one of the drumsticks, namely, the right drumstick. 
   Drumstick  20  includes a tip or bead  22 , a shoulder  24 , a shaft  26 , a grip or handle  28  and a butt  30 . A wing or tab  32  is secured to the tip  22 . The wing  32  is generally trapezoidally shaped with an elongated inside edge  34 . The wing  32  is secured to the tip  22  near the elongated inside edge  34 , and includes a leading edge  35  and a trailing edge  36  which are generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis  42  of the shaft  26 . The elongated inside edge  34  is generally oriented at a 45-degree angle to the longitudinal axis  42  of the shaft  26 . The elongated inside edge extends to an inner tip or corner  40 . The trailing edge  36  extends from the tip  22  to an outer tip  38 . 
   The wing  32  is mounted at a slight angle to the longitudinal axis  42  so that when the tip  22  of drumstick  20  is resting on or striking the surface  46  of the drum head  48 , the plane of the wing  32  may be parallel to the drum head surface  46 . This parallel orientation of the wing  32  with respect to the surface  46  also aids in properly adjusting the height of the drum head  48  for the user. If the drum head  48  is too low, the leading edge  35  of the wing  32  may strike the surface  46  and the wing  32  will not be parallel to the surface  46 . In the preferred embodiment, the wing  32  is mounted at an angle of six degrees. The wing  32  may be integrally formed with the drumstick  20  as shown in the figure or may be removably or permanently attached to the tip  22 . 
   The handle or grip  28  is formed with the shaft  26  and positioned at approximately the center of mass of the drumstick  20  so that when gripped the drumstick  20  is balanced in the user&#39;s hand. The handle  28  includes a ridge  50  separating an index finger indentation  52  and a thumb indentation  54 . The handle  28  provides a natural positioning of the user&#39;s hand, which is also the proper grip for the drumstick  20 . The handle  28  provides an ergonomic conformance to the user&#39;s hand. As shown, the handle  28  is positioned to correspond to the American grip. It should be understood that the handle  28  may be positioned to correspond to the French or German grips. In a preferred embodiment, the handle  28  is molded with the shaft  26  resulting in a set of drumsticks  20  configured to correspond to a particular grip. However, a separate grip may be adapted to be attached or releasably positioned on the shaft  26  of the drumstick  20  allowing the user to add a handle  28  to a standard drumstick, for example. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 9-11 , when striking the surface  46  of drum head  48 , it is desirable for the user to position his or her hands properly not only as to the location gripped along the shaft  26 , but also with respect to the orientation of the user&#39;s hands. If rotated too far outwardly, striking the drum head surface  46  lacks power. When the user&#39;s hands are rotated outwardly, the outer tip  38  of the wing  32  may strike the surface  46  at the same time or before the tip  22  of the drumstick  20  (see  FIG. 9 ). Not only is the sound produced not clear or as crisp as it would be if only the tip  22  strikes the surface  46  ( FIG. 11 ), the user may feel a slight twist or torque about the longitudinal axis  42  of the shaft  26  urging the user to rotate his or her hand to the proper orientation. 
   Likewise, if the user rotates his or her hands inwardly, striking the drum head surface  46  lacks the precision and finesse. When the user&#39;s hands are rotated inwardly, the inner tip  40  of wing  32  may strike the drumhead surface  46  at the same time or before the tip  22  (see  FIG. 10 ). Not only is the sound produced not clear or as crisp as it would be if only the tip  22  strikes the surface  46  ( FIG. 11 ), the user may feel a slight twist or torque about the longitudinal axis  42  of the shaft  26  urging the user to rotate his or her hand to the proper orientation. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 12-14 , the wings  32  of the drumsticks  20  also help the user maintain the proper 90-degree angle to one another (see  FIG. 14 ). If the user has his or her elbows positioned too far from his or her sides, which may result in fatigue and inability to quickly and accurately strike other drums or cymbals (not shown), the elongated inside edges  34  will not be parallel providing a visual indication to the user and/or instructor (see  FIG. 12 ). Likewise, if the user has his or her elbows positioned too close to his or her sides, which may result in interference and not being able to strike the drum surface quickly and accurately, the elongated inside edges  34  will not be parallel, again providing a visual indication to the user and/or instructor ( FIG. 13 ). 
   It should be understood that the advantages of the wing  32  and grip  28  may be gained individually or in combination. For example, drumsticks  20  with wings  32  attached to the tips  22  may be used to teach the user the proper positioning of his or her hands, wrists and arms with respect to the drum or other surface. The grips  28  attached to the shafts  26  of the drumsticks  20  may be used to teach the user the proper location to hold the drumsticks  20  and the proper hand and finger orientation. The grip  28  may be rotatable or adjustable to accommodate the different matched grips. For a fixed grip  28 , the wing  32  attached to the tip  22  may be rotatable to also accommodate the different matched grips. Other configurations of wing  32  may be contemplated which provide auditory, tactile and/or visual indications to the user and/or instructor within the scope of this invention. Other orientations and configurations of the wing  32  may also be used to address specific rotation and orientation issues of a particular student. 
   Accordingly, it should be understood that while certain forms of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims.