Pillow with rebound

[resohead]

Since I'm finally practicing on a pillow to improve my hopeless left hand, I'm looking for one with roughly the rebound of a trampoline. I know you folks here can guide me to a snare sized trampoline pillow. Maybe this is counter productive but my confidence also needs a boost.

While y'all are pondering that, I must mention that I saw my shrink yesterday(bipolar guy, right)and since the drums are making me well, weller, less unwell, he is reducing the amount of medication that I have to take. That's great news and a lot of my help has come from this forum. It keeps me hopeful...or distraught, depending on the poster.

So, I asked my doc, do you know what a paradiddle is?
'A what?'
A paradiddle, you know, it's like a paradiddle, let me show you.
I tap it out on my legs and say, RLRRLRLL.
(He sets his paperwork aside. I've got him now.)
'So it's RR?'
NO DOC!!! RLRRLRLL.
He taps away and says RLRRLRLL.
Great job, doc. He caught on quick and if I may add, he's a great doctor and human being. And for once, I had him looking like a patient.

That's all for now but I need feedback on the pillow.

[Drummertist]

I thought no rebound was the reason drummers would practice on a pillow. Why not just use a practice pad if you need rebound.

[resohead]

I thought no rebound was the reason drummers would practice on a pillow. Why not just use a practice pad if you need rebound.

Poor, very poor attempt at a joke. Sorry.

[AndyMC]

Yeah the whole idea of the pillow is to strengthen your muscles by making them do all the work of moving the stick and not getting help from rebound. This can really help your double strokes and weak hand, though personally I use my leg, makes you practice dynamics so you don't hurt yourself.

[Arky]

Practice pads have various rebound feel, depending on the material/manufacturer. I have the HQ RealFeel pads and they have more rebound than my snare but not to an annoying degree. Try them, might be enough rebound for your need. Sometimes I'm putting a towel on top of them to reduce rebound (more workout).

Look around in your household, you might find suitable materials to practice on, with more rebound that regular pads. But I think you don't really need this, stick to normal practice (with some focus on your weak hand) and there will be progress. I think it's even better to practice with less rebound in order to improve the weak hand. Now if you're going for less rebound - Moongel pads are great (simulating tom feel). They show me the weakness of my left hand like a microscope!

[AndyMC]

Lol internet strikes again

[resohead]

I've been on the practice pad two hours this morning and I like it, it's a Vic Firth. I actually enjoy practice and I'm doing the pillow thing now. I just need to be patient. It's getting there. And, evidently, my stabs at humor need maybe even more work.

[AndyMC]

No, its good humor just add some italics or something to make it more apparent you are joking, however the real joke is on all of us trying to reply. lolol

[wsabol]

I practice on my mattress sometimes. The feel is inbetween a pillow and practice pad.

[Drummertist]

Poor, very poor attempt at a joke. Sorry.

It wasn't a joke. Just common knowledge. Did I miss something?

[Fuo]

This thread is a good test to see who read the OP then replies immediately, and who reads the OP and all other replies before replying :)

[Mad About Drums]

...depending on the poster.

Nice to hear the good news Reso, you're amongst friends here :)

What about this poster then? ...any good?

http://www.cymbag.com/images/productos/galeria/wallpaper/177.jpg

[resohead]

It wasn't a joke. Just common knowledge.

No, what I originally posted was a joke! What a cluster f*** this has turned into. Damn. Never again.

[Drummertist]

I feel like an ass.

*Hangs head. Leaves forums*

EDIT: AndyMC and Arky also qualify...

[resohead]

http://www.cymbag.com/images/product...lpaper/177.jpg

Yikes!! Gracias. She is working on three new video's to be out soon.

[resohead]

I feel like an ass.

*Hangs head. Leaves forums*

Nooooo. LOL. I re-read my post and it didn't come out right. Writing humor must be practiced like doubles so I have a lot of work to do. I love you guys!

[Arky]

I - am - reluctant - to - feel - guilty. [*hough*] ;-)

[Witterings]

I use Floor Tom as it's much less bounce and the sticks on HiHat but the edge of the stick on the edge of the hats not the tip on the top, they both get your fingers working.

That said the things I think have helped most are a teacher told me I wasn't bouncing my left hand properly which made me aware of a problem (he didn't tell me the cure).

I bought Tommy Igoe's - Great Hands for a Lifetime ... excellent for sorting out grip / technique ....... and Benny Greb's the language of drumming and started playing HiHat open handed a lot. I've done all of this in the last year and my left hand has inproved 15 fold compared to it being stagnant for the previous 7 years.

The Benny Greb DVD, moving the accents from right to left hand immediately made a huge improvement on it's own and the one that really forces you to hold the sticks properly and control them with your fingers is the flams excercise (The biggest inprovement by far was my left hand).

I now believe it's as much about technique and practacing the right excercises as it is the surface you parctice on !!!!!

[Witterings]

http://www.cymbag.com/images/product...lpaper/177.jpg


The webpage cannot be found

[resohead]

I use Floor Tom as it's much less bounce and the sticks on HiHat but the edge of the stick on the edge of the hats not the tip on the top, they both get your fingers working.

That said the things I think have helped most are a teacher told me I wasn't bouncing my left hand properly which made me aware of a problem (he didn't tell me the cure).

I bought Tommy Igoe's - Great Hands for a Lifetime ... excellent for sorting out grip / technique ....... and Benny Greb's the language of drumming and started playing HiHat open handed a lot. I've done all of this in the last year and my left hand has inproved 15 fold compared to it being stagnant for the previous 7 years.

The Benny Greb DVD, moving the accents from right to left hand immediately made a huge improvement on it's own and the one that really forces you to hold the sticks properly and control them with your fingers is the flams excercise (The biggest inprovement by far was my left hand).

I now believe it's as much about technique as it is the surface you parctice on !!!!!


I'm going to do pretty much everything you've suggested. I keep hearing about those DVD's so I'll see if Amazon has them. I'm sure they do. Thanks.

[Mad About Drums]

I practice on my mattress sometimes. The feel is inbetween a pillow and practice pad.

Mmmmh... I did it on the mattress... on the pillow... but I have never tried the practice pad yet. it's a bit too small, isn't it? ...mmmh, maybe when it's really cold, it could work?

[resohead]

The webpage cannot be found

The original link is in Mads post..#12. It works.

[Mad About Drums]

The webpage cannot be found

use my link, it's the same poster... :)

[resohead]

I - am - reluctant - to - feel - guilty.

Those new age types tell me guilt's a wasted emotion. So I try to feel good about myself while stealing ladies purses downtown. (uh-oh)

[Witterings]

I'm going to do pretty much everything you've suggested. I keep hearing about those DVD's so I'll see if Amazon has them. I'm sure they do. Thanks.

I've bought loads of other DVD's where it's just drummers having a bit of self gratification in front of a camera and no real learning content at all so I wouldn't recommend unless I genuinely thought they'd be useful and between them would give you literally months of practice to perfect.

[Mad About Drums]

I've bought loads of other DVD's where it's just drummers having a bit of self gratification in front of a camera and no real learning content at all so I wouldn't recommend unless I genuinely thought they'd be useful and between them would give you literally months of practice to perfect.

Benny Greb's DVD's is a gold mine of very good advices, metaphores, exercises and examples IMO :)

[Witterings]

Benny Greb's DVD's is a gold mine of very good advices, metaphores, exercises and examples IMO :)

Not sure from that if I hadn't made myslef clear with what I was trying to say ????
The Benny Greb and the Jimmy Igoe DVD's are excellent with shed loads of useful things to learn ........ there are a load of others out there that are complete rubbish though

[resohead]

I'll put it on the list. My doctor, I wasn't listening, I think he said we lose fast twitch muscles as we age but doing what I'm doing can help regain them.

Taking lessons and practicing more than I ever have is really, to me, an experiment in the aging process. It makes things interesting.

Anyway, I'm veering off topic.

[Drummertist]

Oh, about that pillow, you should get THIS ONE (http://www.jumpingpillowsusa.com/about.html)! Then we can all have fun with it!!!

[kettles]

I use a hot water bottle, filled up about 3/4's with any air squeezed out. If I lay it on a hard surface (desk) it has a little rebound. But when laid on a couch/pillow/bed it's like playing on a bowl of peanut butter. Try it!

[resohead]

OK, one real big pillow and a hot water bottle I think there's a pretty good chance the big time's calling my name. LOL

I stopped by GC today and I had the drum section to myself. Some guy walking with a cane comes up behind me and says, hey you're older than me('scuse me?) Who's the father of the drums, you know like Les Paul with the guitar? I give him a vacant stare. He walks off and see's a friend and gets his info and turns to me and says Gene Krupa.

I'm thinking, why me? Am I a nut magnet?

The salesman, or dept mgr, was really knowledgeable and fun to talk to. His name was Jason. Since I did retail sales for so long I thought I would give him a plug.

[Mad About Drums]

Hey man, maybe you'll like this video, it's about pillow... :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5VUsh6HooE&feature=related

[resohead]

Hey man, maybe you'll like this video, it's about pillow... :)

I saw that earlier today and almost posted it. Thanks! My pillow isn't going to sound that way. :)

[Arky]

BTW, that's Mike Michalkow in the video.
Being a member of the Drumming System Online (by Railroad Media), I watch Mike do every 1 out of 3-4 weekly online lessons (the other ones are held by Jared Falk and Dave Atkinson). Mike is a cool guy. The last online lesson was on introducing percussion/conga hand technique. He has some versatility to offer.