The drumsticks always spin the same way initially.

Once I am warmed up, I can ge t quite a bit fancier, but the initial spins are always clockwise for my right h and and counter-clockwise for my left. With the drumstick pointing straight up a nd your fingers pointing out, so the stick and fingers form a cross with each ot her, hold the drumstick between the middle and ring finger at the last joint. Th e middle and ring finger should be crossed, the stick in between them, the ring finger the closest to the palm. Mr Spock from Star Trek has a Vulcan "peace be w ith you" kind of symbol he does with his hands where he spreads his fingers apar t into a V shape. Do the opposite for this and stick a drumstick in between. The movement of flipping the stick is move the ring finger down and back, away from the palm, pushing the drumstick back as well. The trick of the stick twirl isn' t so much the muscular action of the fingers as it is the physics of the stick's weight mulitplied by a bit of rocking momentum. In other words, rock the stick back and forth like a pendulum and, when the stick is at the right point, flip i t up the outside of the middle finger 180 degrees using the ring finger and catc h it there with the pointer. If this is properly executed and the stick is caugh t, it should be resting on the outside of the middle finger, held there with the inside of the pointer and ring finger (even the pinky, if you like). From there , you can let the stick drop down the inside of the middle finger by moving the ring finger away and rotating the pointer slightly towards the palm, then catchi ng the stick again with the ring finger. This time, the stick should be resting on the outside of the pointer and ring finger, and the inside of the middle fing er. Keep repeating these two simple actions and the feel of the stick's own kine tics will become apparent. You can then move your wrist into a more twirl-like p osition, instead of the flip and catch of this lesson. It's all a matter of movi ng your fingers out of the way fast enough during the spin. This is probably not the best technique to learn to make a quick impression at an upcoming gig. Give it time, though, and you will, quite literally, be able to make the sticks danc e in your fingers between beats. Have fun, and don't take an eye out. Brian K. Trepanier 09/19/00