Well, I was surfing around on the internet yesterday and read that if you’re drumming on an electronic kit, you should never use wood tipped drumsticks as they could splinter and severely damage the drumheads. This seems to make sense so I went out and got some nylon tipped sticks. Previously I was using Vic Firth, hickory 5A woodtips…now I’ve got Zildjian Hickory 5A’s with a nylon tip. They’ve also got sort of a black coating on the bottom part where you grip the stick which should help me hang onto them better (not that I’ve been having any trouble with that anyway). Previous to this I was also gripping the lefthand (snare stick) in reverse (holding the tip, in other words) because I had heard that’s how Mike Portnoy holds his and it seemed like that grip gave me a more powerful snare sound. With the nylon tips though, I seem to be able to get that sound holding the stick the proper way which is cool. On the playing front, I’m still working on the first two rudiments, My Friend Of Misery, Don’t Tread On Me, and nursing my recovering shoulder. Will keep you updated on my progress.