Lately I have started having this horrible ache in my right index finger. It doesn't hurt when I'm writing or anything, it only hurts when I am playing snare. I'm guessing this is because of having a really tight fulcrum, even though I try as often as possible to keep my fulcrum relatively loose.

So my question is, is this really from my fulcrum being too tight? Also how do I get rid of this pain? And finally, how do I prevent this from happening again?

Have you been drumming a lot more than usual lately?

From my personal experience, I know that when I play a lot more than I'm generally used to, I will notice a little bit of soreness in areas of my grip, for example, I'm prone to have the area between my thumb and index finger on my left hand get a little sore if I play an intensive amount.

If you haven't been playing an extensive amount, make sure you're not allowing the stick to move too much within your fulcrum on your right hand. If it's too open, you may be causing a needless amount of friction that can cause the tenderness, or you may be holding the stick too tightly, causing a bit of bruising. Finding that balance definitely comes with time, and we all learn a bit more about every day.

Sticks should fit within the natural curve of your hand. While you do obviously have to close the grip, you shouldn't have to do much contorting to make the stick fit naturally. Allow your hands to relax and fit around the stick, then while you're practicing, give yourself a little mental checklist to make sure you're as relaxed as possible.

Hope that helped a little!
Happy drumming!
B

I've had some students in the drumlines I teach have this problem. I generally notice 2 common factors: too much tension in the fulcrum, and "throwing" the stick at the head too hard. Stopping the stick down is as simple as closing your fingers but a lot of people get carried away and throw or whip the stick causing tension and an uncomfortable shock through you hand and muscles. Hope this helps.

make sure you're drumming smart. drumming should be relaxed... a big misconception is that rudimental drumming should be tense and full of pressure points. let the stick breathe