In general, for a soft sound you use fatter, softer bachi. For a sharp sound, harder, thinner bachi are used. The hardest wood is oak, and the easiest to grip is cypress. Asano bachi are carefully cut to our own specifications, and styles are available to fit both intricate and power styles of playing.

Kashi (oak)	Ectremely hard and dense.  hard to break and of a consistent, even weight.  Used for nagado-taiko.
Birch	Hard and dense, yet lightweight.  Resistant to splitting.  Often used for children's bachi.
Magnolia (hou)	Light, soft, close-grained.  Doesn't shrink, split or warp.  Tapered bachi are suitable for tsukeshime-taiko.
Cypress (hinoki)	soft, close-grained, strong and aromatic.  Often used for odaiko and Yatai bayashi bachi.
Maple	Strong and tough.  Difficult to splinter.
Take (bamboo)	strong and flexible.  Used for okedo-taiko.