Practice Pads

Bad Drummer

Senior Member
Hey guys,

I have started to teach, and I'm beginning to get some students (this is for community service of course). Because its for community service, I don't have any income from it, so I don't want to have to buy practice pads for my students, but I don't want to have my students shell out the money for a practice pad (it's hard enough to keep students!). What are some ideas for cheap practice pads that I can just make by myself?

Happy Thanksgiving by the way.
 
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Re: Cheap Practice Pads

somedrummer said:
Mousepads and plywood. And maybe some glue.
I don't understand peoople that recommend no-rebound surfaces. Then why not just ask everybody to bring their own pillow or let them play on their jeans?

If you are not going to teach the kids about rebound, I wonder what you will teach them? The rebound is one of the truly thrilling elements of drum technique, fundamental to all drumset technique, so my advice would be to get some good rubber and glue it to wood. It would surprise me if you don't get a pad on par vith RealFeel's or Vic's. DPS
 
Re: Practice Pads?

Depends on your budget I guess. I started off with a Big Dog pad (about 8" I think) which I still have in my kit bag just in case and can say that it's as good as any others I've played and only about £12.

I recently shelled out for a 12" reel feel to stick on my snare (it hexagonal and fits a treat) or just to put in my snare basket as the 8"er didn't fit so well on its own and would move around on my snare if I laid into it a bit.

I'm very happy with my reel feel but it cost me about £38 and I only got it cos I was a bit flush. Otherwise I probably would have got one of the bigger Big Dog pads.

Hope that helps.
 
Practice pads...Real feel???

I have been looking for a new practice pad after busting my old homemade one, and I finally purchased a HQ "real feel" pad.
I hope I am not repeating anyone here, but do anyone out there know of anything a little more "real feel". Sometimes it feels like an absolute waiste of time practicing on the practice pad, as I will have to do it all over on my snare anyway. It may be because of the way I have tuned my snare (I am a complete idiot at tuning drums), but the bounce of the pad is just way too much. I have been thinking about a moongel pad, but before I do anything, I'd like to hear what you guys thing....
 
Re: Practice pads...Real feel???

i usually use a pad that cost quite cheap (no idea what it cost since i bought it about 5 years ago!) and it has much less bounce than my snare which I find good as it prepares you more for rudiments, and if you can play at a certain speed on a less bouncy pad then ur sure to play faster on a more bouncy snare.

Anyway more to the point...it shouldnt make that much difference but u may want 2 try out some different pads to c one that suites you. IMO less bouncier ones do the job.
 
Re: Practice pads...Real feel???

Hi Guys,I love Remo tunable pads,they feel like a snare drum and you can adjust tuning.As you get older,there is too much vibration with rubber pads.Bad for your hands!They dont feel anything like a drum,and there is no rim,I hate rubber!!!!
 
Re: Practice pads...Real feel???

Yeah I use a realfeel for practicing when it needs to be quiet, but any other chance I get I have one of the Remo pads with an actual head on it. And I imagine the vibration from the rubber pads can eventually have a negative effect on your joints.
 
Re: Practice pads...Real feel???

I have been drumming since the age of 7 and have also plenty of schooling in the bag. Fall 2004 I had an accident and had a hairline fracture in my left hand (I play traditional grip). I was in a cast for 6 weeks and after the cast was removed my left hand and muscles were extremely weak. Rehab was not an easy road either. I was determined to make a come back and as soon my left hand was strong enough I started to practice my technique again. This is what I have done and it has worked wonders for me. Practice rudiments, finger control, mueller technique, etc. on a moongel pad. Get the heaviest sticks you can find, e.g. oak corps drumming sticks and then put stick weights on the sticks. It WILL feel awkward and difficult at first but I promise, the results, if you are patient, will be amazing. My hands are stronger than ever now and I can do things with much more ease on the drums that I couldn't do before. The moongel pad is amazing and your technique will benefit tremendously.

After practicing on the moongel pad with heavy sticks and stickweights, I feel like my hands go on auto pilot when putting a pair of 5As in them. It's incredible.

Very important! As with any kind of weight training, if you feel pain, stop or slow down.

Good luck!
 
Re: Practice pads...Real feel???

glen gratto said:
As you get older,there is too much vibration with rubber pads.QUOTE]
I am sorry, but this is nonsense. There is nothing bad about practicing on rubber. If you want an example, look at Jim Chapin. 85 and playing all day, every day on a HQ pad in his lap. He can hardly walk but he has hands like a 20 year old.

To the original question about the use of practicing on a bouncy surface: this is extremely important to do. In fact, for even more rebound, use a light stick such as Dom Famularo's Pad Stick. The idea is to learn to use rebound effectively, not replicate the feel of a drum. The drum has what rebound it has, but if you learn ON a drum only, you might pick up the bad habit of pulling up needlessly. The pad teaches the rebound, and as I see it, that is THE most important technique lesson. Everything else you can practice on a drum.

In extension of my above pooint I strongle warn against using weights, pillows, and any other tool that will teach you to pull up, rebound or no rebound. It will develop the opposite of graceful technique.

As for which pad to use, I like Vic Firth's pad. The rubber is better than HQ's.

Happy shedding! DPS
 
Re: Practice pads...Real feel???

Yes that was exactly what i wanted to say too.The pad teaches you the rebound.It should be better for you to use a little heavier stick (for example a 5b in pad if you play 5a in drums) and you'll gradually excel the art of rebound!This will affect your drumming tremendously because you wont have to make extra lifting moves on the stick.You'll just feel the drum's rebound so perfectly that you will almost instantly adjust the right movements of your hands!

I hope i helped
 
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