Attaching the strings

Before you can start with tenor drumming you have to prepare your sticks. In this tutorial we will explain how to make your own set of strings. Also we discuss the different materials you can use to make your strings.

For this example we use shoelaces. This is a commonly used material for tenor drummers around the world.

Below we have made a list of eight steps for making the “perfect” strings.

Step 01

Necessaries: a pair of scissors, a shoelace and of course the stick you want to use.

Step 02

Determine the right length by wrapping the shoelace around your hand. Make sure you keep some length left for the stick and to correct your mistakes when making your string.

Step 03

The next step is to wrap the shoelace around the stick through a loop. For both sticks you best use a mirror image approach.

Step 04

Pull the ends of the shoelace through the loop.

Step 05

Make sure the shoelace has a solid grip to the stick.

Step 06

Now knot the ends of the shoelace together. Do this as follows:

First make sure your pinkie is inside the loop. Then go along the top of your ring finger, underneath your middle finger and along the top of your index finger. And hold the stick in a downward position.

Now the shoelace is wrapped around your hand we are going to tie the knot. This is done with the square knot (right over left and left over right).

Step 07

To verify the string is correctly made you can make a flat hand with the stick in a downward position. Now spread your hand. If you done it correctly the stick will come up and you will be able to catch the stick with your hand.

Step 08

Finally you have to cut off the unnecessary pieces of shoelace. Make sure to leave a bit of shoelace after the knot to avoid fray.

Instead of the shoelace you can use lots of other materials like nylon cord. We like to use panty hoses for making our strings. To our experience other materials can cause irritations after a while.