Practise Pad to Snare Drum Transition Issues

Sutor

Member
Hi all,

I've been playing drums for about 6 or 7 years now. I've always been into my technical exercises and chop building but I have never been overly obsessive about it either as I learned early on that the groove always takes precedent and if all you can do is single strokes at 230bpm you're not going to get the gig! So therefore I don't think I've made as much progress in regards to things like speed and control as I probably could have done if I dedicated more practise time to it but would still like to develop my technique nonetheless.

The biggest issue I find at the moment when building chops is the transition from the pad to the snare drum. Sometimes when I feel like I've made progress on the pad, really feeling the burn and building up speed, I then take it to the snare drum and it seems like I've made no progress at all especially with regards to single strokes.
When I can I practise rudiments on my snare and kit and I get on fine but they are never as fast and controlled as I feel on a pad which makes me think am I better off just practising more on the snare? I don't think this is to do with my general technique as I am quite a relaxed player, I naturally use Moeller but use a mixture of wrist and fingers for different situations and the only downfall being that like most drummers my left hand is weaker than my right.

Has anyone had a similar experience and can you share some wisdom?

Thanks in advance,

Andy Sutor.
 
I believe what you are experiencing is what is being discussed in the Moeller thread .

sounds like you may be relying on the surface for your stroke

if you rely on the gum rubber of a pad for your stroke instead of your hand controlling what you are playing you will always be in for a rude awakening when transferring to a surface with less bounce

always be in control of your strokes and you will never have this problem

we as drummers should be conditioned for all types of surfaces and be able to adjust our rebound accordingly

I and many of my students have found this exercise very productive

put a magazine on your floor tom and a practice pad on your snare drum

play 2 minutes of an open double stroke roll on the pad then without stopping play 2 minutes on the magazine

start at 100 bpm and work in increments of 10 all the way to 200 using a 16th note subdivision

this will expose any technique problems and get them on their way to being strengths

hope this helps
 
Thanks, this really does help. I've always been aware that pads do have a lot of rebound, I went through a stage of practising singles, doubles and paradiddles on a foam chair which was hard work but felt good! But I just assumed that I must be doing some good using the pad as well. I will try your routine and hopefully remember to give you some feedback.

Thanks again,

Andy
 
I think the pad, by virtue of it's superior rebound, tricks you into thinking that your hands are more developed than they are. In my perfect world, I wouldn't practice on pads because I don't play pads. The rebound of a drum set is not like any other surface, because of the 2 heads. I'd say if you had to practice drumming on any surface other than a drum, I would think that it's better to practice on a less rebounding surface than a drum. That way, when you do play drums, it should feel easier. Like a runner who practices in sand.

I condone practicing on a drum as much as possible, over any other surface, so your technique is tailored to the exact rebound of a drum. Of course this is not always possible, so you do the best you can. But if you get really used to pads, that's like a runner practicing with spring loaded shoes. Regular shoes don't do that, so when you put regular shoes on, it's not as easy.
 
I think the pad, by virtue of it's superior rebound, tricks you into thinking that your hands are more developed than they are. In my perfect world, I wouldn't practice on pads because I don't play pads. The rebound of a drum set is not like any other surface, because of the 2 heads. I'd say if you had to practice drumming on any surface other than a drum, I would think that it's better to practice on a less rebounding surface than a drum. That way, when you do play drums, it should feel easier. Like a runner who practices in sand.

I condone practicing on a drum as much as possible, over any other surface, so your technique is tailored to the exact rebound of a drum. Of course this is not always possible, so you do the best you can. But if you get really used to pads, that's like a runner practicing with spring loaded shoes. Regular shoes don't do that, so when you put regular shoes on, it's not as easy.

I think larryace hit it right on the "head" here! Getting used to the pad rebound really threw me off when I jumped on the kit. Throw some thick drum mutes on your kit and practice on those to develop technique (if you can't practice on the actual kit).

It's like running with heavy army boots, then throwing on the Nikes. At first I complained that the drum mutes didn't have enough bounce. Perfect for training though. You'll fly on the kit when you get back on it.
 
One thing i do when noise becomes an issue (especially at night) is practice on a 3 x 13" piccolo snare drum place on my ottoman or a cushioned chair. Yes, it's noisy for someone watching tv in the next room but it's easy on the neighbors at night even with the windows open. The ottoman mutes alot of the sound, but i still get the snare sound and realistic response because it's an actual drum and not a pad.

As i always say: "your mileage may vary, void where prohibited."
 
Thanks guys, great feedback. I think in conclusion I'm just going to practise loads more on my snare during the day, and if I have to do it at night I will just use a pillow or some form of dead surface.

Right, time to start from scratch!
 
Try a Moongel pad....or just place a towel over your existing pad. That way you can tailor the amount of rebound by how many times you fold the towel over. It's always worked for me. Remember, rebound in itself is not a bad thing provided it's a supplement to a well developed stroke. It's an over reliance on rebound and a reluctance to build strength at the same time that leads to problems.
 
Moongels are great! I love them.

Sutor,
you can always edit your previous post(s) and add more content, avoiding double posts.
 
I believe what you are experiencing is what is being discussed in the Moeller thread .

sounds like you may be relying on the surface for your stroke

if you rely on the gum rubber of a pad for your stroke instead of your hand controlling what you are playing you will always be in for a rude awakening when transferring to a surface with less bounce

always be in control of your strokes and you will never have this problem

we as drummers should be conditioned for all types of surfaces and be able to adjust our rebound accordingly

I and many of my students have found this exercise very productive

put a magazine on your floor tom and a practice pad on your snare drum

play 2 minutes of an open double stroke roll on the pad then without stopping play 2 minutes on the magazine

start at 100 bpm and work in increments of 10 all the way to 200 using a 16th note subdivision

this will expose any technique problems and get them on their way to being strengths

hope this helps

Waitttt, are you talking about double strokes as in RRLLRRLL or RLRLRLRL? I think it'd be almost impossible to get a bounce out of a magazine.
 
The magazine is to force you to lift your sticks up, because there is no rebound. It's like an exercise.
 
Waitttt, are you talking about double strokes as in RRLLRRLL or RLRLRLRL? I think it'd be almost impossible to get a bounce out of a magazine.

that's the point

to develop muscle groups in your wrists hands and fingers that will not develop on a bouncy surface
 
that's the point

to develop muscle groups in your wrists hands and fingers that will not develop on a bouncy surface

Great drill that one. I do it often. (ok, not for 2 mins at 190 or 200....but you get the point)
First time I saw it was Mike Johnston's example on youtube. Haven't been able to find the vid again for some time now....guess he took it down.

Slighty related to the OP's issues. Does anyone else just pick a piece of the kit and work out on it? I often just grab a floor tom (often also adding a magazine or even sound off mute) and just play rudiments and variations. Same goes with the hi hats. Completely isolate it away from the rest of the kit and just work my hands......can come up with some pretty cool rhythms too. They're also good excercises for getting your hands used to playing on the different surfaces of a drum kit.
 
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Great drill that one. I do it often. (ok, not for 2 mins at 190 or 200....but you get the point)
First time I saw it was Mike Johnston's example on youtube. Haven't been able to find the vid again for some time now....guess he took it down.

Slighty related to the OP's issues. Does anyone else just pick a piece of the kit and work out on it? I often just grab a floor tom (often also adding a magazine or even sound off mute) and just play rudiments and variations. Same goes with the hi hats. Completely isolate it away from the rest of the kit and just work my hands......can come up with some pretty cool rhythms too. They're also good excercises for getting your hands used to playing on the different surfaces of a drum kit.

yup

got that one from Mike myself

I purchased a lesson pack of videos from his site and that was in there....best $9 I ever spent
 
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