Bookbinding experimentation

I want to figure out how to bind paper together so I can make my own zines/books for my outcome. I've done Japanese stab-binding before, for my "Show me the Story" project, and I really liked it, but I'd like to explore some other options. I researched some bookbinding techniques and had a go.

The first technique I tried is called piano hinge, and it involves making tiny slits in the folded edge of a page, then threading a stick through alternating tabs. My first few attempts didn't work very well at all, as it was very fiddly and the paper kept tearing. After a good night's sleep, I realised that I was doing it wrong, so I had another go. This was miles better, and it allowed the pages to move like a book. I really like the pattern created on the spine, and I think if I take this further then I could do something cool with this, either making a pattern with them or creating text. The page/stick ratio seemed off to me though, so I think if I did this again I would use different shaped sticks, thicker paper, or try alternatives to sticks and paper, such as fabric, ribbon, card, etc. I'd also like to try this on a much larger scale, but all I had available at the time was cocktail sticks and printer paper, so that's what I used.