The Best Drum Sticks and Mallets for Beginning Percussion Students

Curated by Trevor Barroero — Principal Percussionist (Tucson Symphony Orchestra), Director of Percussion Studies (Pima Community College), and Private Percussion Teacher (Tucson, AZ and Zoom)

Whether you're just starting drum lessons in Tucson or looking to upgrade your gear as a developing percussionist, having the right tools from the very beginning makes all the difference.
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As a professional performer and one of the most active private drum and percussion teachers in Tucson, I’ve helped hundreds of students find the best mallets, sticks, and pads to support their growth. This guide will walk you through the must-have gear for any serious percussionist — whether you're just starting in your school band or whether we're preparing for youth orchestra, regional, or all-state auditions!

⚡️Top 10 Amazon Picks: Fast, Budget-Friendly, and Beginner-Approved

Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in this article are Amazon affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase through them. These earnings help me continue creating free educational resources for students and families. I really appreciate your support!

​Practice Pad + Stand

#1. Evans RealFeel 6” One-Sided Practice Pad

• Gum rubber & recycled rubber surfaces
• High-quality and durable
• The top choice for realistic snare drum practice
• Used by artists like Anderson .Paak and Danny Carey from Tool

👉 Buy on Amazon

#2. Evans Practice Pad Stand

• A practice pad stand is ESSENTIAL!
  • 🎯 Don’t skip this! Playing on a pad in your lap, on a coffee table, or kitchen counter creates bad habits and poor posture. This stand places the pad at belt height while standing, which is essential for proper technique.​

👉 Buy on Amazon

Sticks for Snare + Drum Set

#3. ProMark SD1 General Concert Snare Drum Sticks

• Designed for orchestral and concert use — not drum set or marching
• Balanced weight, round bead, and gentle taper for control

👉 Buy on Amazon
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#4. Vic Firth 5A Drum Set Sticks

• A great contrast to SD1s — these are lighter, faster, and perfect for drum set
• Also useful for concert band settings (bongos, cymbal ride patterns, rimshots, woodblocks, etc.)

👉 Buy on Amazon

Mallets for Keyboard Percussion

MARIMBA
​#5. Vic Firth M124 Van Sice Dual-Tone Mallets

• Ideal for students and professionals alike (these are the exact mallets I use all the time!)
• Versatile across full 5-octave range

​👉 Buy on Amazon

XYLOPHONE (rubber)
#6. ProMark SPYR Hard Rubber SU3R

• Rubber mallets are essential for daily practice to avoid damaging wooden bars!
• These will also work well on temple blocks / woodblocks

👉 Buy on Amazon

VIBRAPHONE
#7. ProMark SPYR SV3R

• These are a great contrast to the marimba mallets (M124's) listed above! 

👉 Buy on Amazon

GLOCKENSPIEL
#8. ProMark SPYR SU10R

• These mallets are a perfect softer alternative to metal mallets on glockenspiel
• These mallets are also great articulate options for xylophone

👉 Buy on Amazon

Mallets for Timpani

#9. ProMark JH3 Jonathan Haas Timpani Mallets

• Durable and articulate — great for young players
• These were one of the first pair of timpani mallets I ever owned!
• Much sturdier than the professional bamboo shafts on more expensive mallets)

​👉 Buy on Amazon

Stick Bag (protect your investment!)

#10. Vic Firth Classic Stick Bag (for small stick collections)

• This is a great, small stick bag for beginners. As your collection grows, you can upgrade to a larger option (see my other stick bag options at the bottom of this article!)

👉 Buy on Amazon

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​🏆 Pro-Level Gear: For Advancing Students / Aspiring Professionals

When you're ready to invest in implements that will last through high school, college, and even into professional work, these are the non-Amazon, professional-quality accessories I recommend.
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🚚 Note: Steve Weiss Music and Dragonfly Percussion may not have free shipping like Amazon, but both ship quickly and are used by professionals across the country — including myself! The selection is MUCH wider than the limited stock of Amazon.

​Snare Drum Sticks

There are two options here that I would recommend for students:
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#1. Vic Firth SD1

• These are the "gold standard" for a reason!
• I've had my same pair of SD1's for over two decades now, and they're still great!

👉 Buy on Steve Weiss

#2. Vic Firth SCS1 Symphonic SD1

• These have a more premium feel with the persimmon wood
• The longer taper gives the drummer a bit more finesse and control

👉 Buy on Steve Weiss

Marimba Mallets

The Vic Firth M124's in my Amazon list above are still the best, go-to option for students and professionals alike! Start there by ordering 2 pairs. Then, slowly work to complete the set of Van Sice Dual Tone mallets by purchasing them in the following order:

#1. M123 Van Sice Medium Soft
👉 Buy on Steve Weiss
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#2. M125 Van Sice Medium Hard
👉 Buy on Steve Weiss

#3. Eventually, you can add the M122, M126, and M121's.

Remember, you should ideally have two pairs of each hardness for four-mallet playing. Only owning two mallets of each hardness will allow you to mix and match pairings to make custom graduated sets, but it limits your options.

Xylophone Mallets

I own many different xylophone mallets in my collection since I will often switch mallets multiple times in the course of a piece. However, the three mallets listed below should have you covered for most situations.

#1. Dragonfly PX – Xylo Practice Mallets

• These rubber mallets are perfect for practice
• They have a near-identical feel to regular xylophone mallets (unlike most rubber mallets on the market!)
• They can be used in performance on solo xylophone, woodblocks, temple blocks, and more

​👉 Buy on Dragonfly

#2. Dragonfly SX – Ragtime Solos

• The wrapping on these allow for extreme dynamic contrast 
• Also perfect for rolls (which are difficult to execute with unwrapped xylo mallets)
• Great for solo playing and ensemble playing

​👉 Buy on Dragonfly

#3. Dragonfly EB2 – General Orchestra Xylo Mallets

• These are my go-to mallets with professional orchestras
• Unlike the two pairs listed above, these have the power to cut through an entire band/orchestra easily

👉 Buy on Dragonfly

Glockenspiel

​Dragonfly 1BL Mallets

• These are great general mallets for all dynamic levels and all types of passages
• They are articulate, while still have warmth and body to the sound
• I use these pretty much every week at work

👉 Buy on Dragonfly

Dragonfly 34A Aluminum Mallets

• These should be used sparingly, since metal on metal is a very particular sound
• I use these for very bright, articulate passages (particularly for John Williams' music!)

👉 Buy on Dragonfly

Vibraphone

Technically, marimba mallets can be used on vibraphone and will sound fine. However, it's preferred to use rattan on vibraphone. The Pro Vibes Series by Balter (Vic Firth) are the go-to option for most professionals. However, you can also check out Dragonfly's three vibraphone hardnesses if you'd prefer an even more durable option! 

Balter Pro Vibe Series:

• Blue (23R), Medium: 👉 Buy on Steve Weiss
• Green (22R), Medium Hard: 👉 Buy on Steve Weiss

Timpani

The Principal Timpanist of professional orchestras is a completely separate titled position from the general percussion section. Therefore, they tend to own lots and LOTS of different mallets to perform their job. My go-to  mallets of choice are Freer Percussion's "Cloyd Duff" timpani mallets. My teacher, Tim Adams, studied with Cloyd Duff and I teach my students in the "Cleveland Style". Therefore, these mallets work the best for the way we play. Eventually your goal should be to own every hardness, #1 through #7, from the Cloyd Duff line. But, I would recommend buying the first five pairs in this order (throwing in a pair of US2H for fantastic, hard articulate mallets)
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• Freer Cloyd Duff #3 – General
  👉 Buy on Freer Percussion
• Freer Cloyd Duff #1 – Hard
  👉 Buy on Freer Percussion
• Freer Cloyd Duff #6 – Soft-Legato
  👉 Buy on Freer Percussion
• Freer US2H – Extra Hard Staccato
  👉 Buy on Freer Percussion
• Freer Cloyd Duff #2 – Medium Hard
  👉 Buy on Freer Percussion

Professional Stick Bags

The single most important item to purchase to protect your mallet collection is a quality stick/mallet bag. The Vic Firth one listed in my Amazon guide is great, but I would strongly suggest upgrading to one of the options below as your collection grows:

​#1. For medium collections:
👉 Buy from Steve Weiss

#2. For large collections:
👉 Buy from Steve Weiss

#3. For percussionists looking for "Designer Quality" and luxurious style:
👉 Buy from Dragonfly

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📩 Need Help?

If you're unsure which mallets or sticks are best for your current setup, I’d love to help. Use the Contact Form to reach out, or get in touch to schedule a free consultation about drum or percussion lessons in Tucson.