Postby patdrums » Fri Dec 24, 2010 4:34 pm
I see both sides of the coin but for me personally, pitch matching isn't really something I care much about. It's just not practical for me. We buy several hundred pairs of sticks at the first of each touring year. I'm a VF endorser and they are all shipped pitch paired in those little paper sleeves and bundled into bricks. The first thing I do is pull the sleeves off and toss a dozen or so pairs into my stickbag. Before each show I just grab two and warm up. If one feels lighter than the other, I just toss it back in the bag and grab another. They're all usually very consistent and close in weight so I don't spend much time at all searching. If I happen to drop one during the show I just grab another. If it feels too light (I prefer heavier ones all around) I can suffer through a few bars until I have a chance to grab another. After playing for so many years in clubs and not having a tech, I've gotten really good at playing one-handed while I fix something broken or tuning up a loose lug!
One trick I learned a long time ago to really hear the pitch of a particular stick is to hold it lightly in my hand and tap the middle of it against my head. It looks silly but it works! You can really hear the distinct pitch of each stick if it's resonating right by your ear. Anymore, I go by feel anyway. If it feels okay and balanced in my hand, I'm fine with it. I've had many times in the past where the pitch was near identical but the feel was WAY off so I've stopped caring so much about it.
just my .02.....
Pat