How Do Anti-Vibration Drumsticks Work?

So I wrote a post earlier this week about which drumsticks are best for your child, and briefly touched on the idea of using Anti Vibration drum sticks when using an electronic drum set. While I know they are effective, I didn’t really understand how they worked, so I did some digging to learn more about the topic. There are also polyurethane stick covers, made by a company called Ahead, that can effectively reduce vibration. These are increasingly popular with professional drummers, and in many work in a similar way to dampen vibration - only from the outside. 

Anti-Vibe Drumsticks contain an inner core, most often made from a patented dense rubber type material, that effectively reduces key vibrations. By reducing the amount of vibration present in the struck stick, these “anti-vibe” drumsticks are easier to play and more comfortable for many players, than standard sticks, especially on electronic drum kits. If you are into baseball, anti-vibration drumsticks actually work in a similar way to dampened bats, in that the inner core simply slows oscillations at a certain frequency. 

Human hands are sensitive to vibration frequencies between 200 Hz and 700 Hz. When a drummer hits a snare with their drumstick the resulting vibration frequencies can fall within that higher range. On an electronic drum kit, however, nearly every strike results in a high frequency vibration, which over time can result in discomfort or even repetitive injuries. The absorption of shock in these sticks also has a noticeable effect on the sound produced from acoustic drum kits, so it is entirely up to the player as to whether or not they would adopt these for live performances. For electronic kits, however, there is a general consensus amongst drummers - across reddit and other forums - that anti vibration drumsticks are worth the extra money.

John holding anti-vibration sticks