If practice noise was never an issue....

Larry

"Uncle Larry"
Would you still use pads? In other words, if whenever you wanted to practice, you could always do so on a drum set, would you continue to use pads?

Me? No.

But I do play on my steering wheel when driving so that could be considered a pad. Obviously I can't play drumset while driving myself to a job, so I use the bottom of my steering wheel. But in my studio, I never even thought of working the pad, I have a drum set for that.

I guess the real question is, does practicing on pads as a supplement to kit practice help the kit playing? This assumes you can practice drumset anytime. Would practicing on pads and drums be better than practicing drums alone? Hmmm, not sure. My default choice is the more time spent playing a real drum, the better.
 
I'm sorry - are you DRIVING whilst practicing on your steering wheel? Please tell me you are parked somewhere o_O
 
Would you still use pads? In other words, if whenever you wanted to practice, you could always do so on a drum set, would you continue to use pads?
No. If noise was literally not a problem to others or me I'd use drums all the time. I added me to the equation because I just don't think I could stand to use earplugs or headphones all the time.

Then there's location. You just don't always have drums where you are
 
I'd still use a pad while watching TV and traveling (which I do a lot for work). But yea... I always used to start each practice session on the pad, then move to real drums, like dessert after eating my veggies, but then I realized that this was dumb because the rebound was so different. So now I only use the pad when I have to (which is still a lot).
 
I've been tapping a stick along to music on the dashboard to the right of the steering wheel while on the motorway lately.

I took that a step further. Bought some of that putty practice pad, and I stick it to the right side of my dashboard. It's perfect for busting out ride cymbal patterns!
 
I sometimes wish that I lived in England so I could work on my left hand while driving.
 
Practice noise never is a problem for me any more. But when it was, I used a practice pad kit, not just a single practice pad. It kept my chops going for those years when I couldn't play the real thing. Now I live in the country, far away from my nearest neighbor, and play my heart out.
 
I'm sorry - are you DRIVING whilst practicing on your steering wheel? Please tell me you are parked somewhere o_O

Yea, I drive with my knee and play on the inside bottom of my steering wheel. Been doing that since 2003. It's really no big deal. When there's a lot of traffic, I work one hand at a time, with the other on the wheel.
 
I'm lucky where I live that noise isn't really an issue unless the kids are in bed but I tend not to play often at that time anyway.
It depends what I'm working on but I use my e-kit an awful lot of the time without even switching it on when I could use my acoustic kit simply because it's not neccassary to be on an acoustic for everything and to avoid having to use hearing protection.
Awful lot easier when you want a 5 min break to grab a coffee as you don't half feel a wally wandering around the house with headphones on and I also use ear plugs under the headphones to further reduce sound so it becomes a bit of rigmoral to take that lot off and then back on again.
If I'm practicing rudiments or similar I often put music on quietly with the e-kit switched off and find it's quite nice to practice along to the music at a low volume and very chilled without having your head blown off all the time.
Don't get me wrong I way and above prefer my acoustic but pads or e-kit definitely has it's place in my book !!!
 
When I'm just tapping the wheel, sure. But I meant using a stick on the passenger seat.
 
I guess the real question is, does practicing on pads as a supplement to kit practice help the kit playing?

The main advantage of pads (or even mutes) for me is I can hear my click; It seems I am one of the few drummers on this or any other forum that doesn't have mics or PA at home and as such my little battery operated metronome is simply not loud enough to be heard over an acoustic kit - especially as I wear ear plugs.

If I could play my kit in a proper sound-proof studio with mics, PA, mixing desk, top quality closed headphones etc all day every day then you bet I would. As it is I can just about afford the kit alone. Having time on mutes or the pad helps me use the click and I'd say the rebound is okay: second best for sure, but not far off.
 
The main advantage of pads (or even mutes) for me is I can hear my click; It seems I am one of the few drummers on this or any other forum that doesn't have mics or PA at home and as such my little battery operated metronome is simply not loud enough to be heard over an acoustic kit - especially as I wear ear plugs.

If I could play my kit in a proper sound-proof studio with mics, PA, mixing desk, top quality closed headphones etc all day every day then you bet I would. As it is I can just about afford the kit alone. Having time on mutes or the pad helps me use the click and I'd say the rebound is okay: second best for sure, but not far off.

You don't need all that fancy stuff... Just some isolating headphones or earphones, like the Vicfirth Muffs, or Shure or Etymonic earphones. $50-100. Then just plug them into your metronome or laptop. I use the Etymonics mc5s.
 
I practice so often that it would be impossible in any situation to always be on the kit

unless I hat a trap kit on wheels that I could take in the bathroom, livingroom, hotel rooms, back of the van, dinner table, etc etc

the practice pad shouldn't only be about being quiet when you can't hit the kit

you guys know this

greatest invention ever besides the drum itself

love my practice pads
 
In my drum room, noise isn't an issue.

But I still use my practice pad plenty.

If I sit at my kit, I usually end up splaying beats. If I sit at my pad, I work on my hands.
At this point in life, my hands need work, my beat playing is fine.
 
I try not to use the practice pads as much, only if I must be quiet. I don't want to get "attached" to their bouncy rebound. Throws me off when I get back on the kit.

However, I use my Vic Firth Drum mutes to get an added workout when practicing paradiddles or double strokes. The opposite happens when I start on the drum mutes, then go to the kit. It's all of a sudden "easier" to do the doubles and diddles because they're less bouncier than drums.

So I'd stay mainly on the kit, but still practice on drum mutes for bounce technique and diddles.
 
However, I use my Vic Firth Drum mutes to get an added workout when practicing paradiddles or double strokes. The opposite happens when I start on the drum mutes, then go to the kit. It's all of a sudden "easier" to do the doubles and diddles because they're less bouncier than drums.

Floor toms, and hi-hats (shoulder of stick on edges of loose hats) are nice for that too, and realistic. Whenever I do hand exercises I always move between snare, hats, and floor toms.
 
Noise is a massive consideration for me. So I'm on the pad often and even have to use sound off mutes on the drums more than I care to. In a perfect world I'd never have a mute pad on a drum kit and I'd spend far less time on the practice pad and far more time letting my drums ring out.......but I've known for a long time now that the world ain't perfect mate. The way it is now is a damn sight better than nothing at all.
 
I would, because a full volume snare is pretty annoying while woodshedding the rudiments.
 
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