HQ RealFeel Practice Pad
Drumming is not a hobby that one can simply dabble in and expect to become proficient at. The difference between a hobbyist drummer and a lifestyle drummer all boils down to one thing, practice habits. The best way to become a better drummer is to commit to setting aside time in your busy life to work on your technique alone. If you’ve got musician friends and enjoy jamming alongside a band, that’s great. Likely your skill level will improve through that activity. However, I can’t stress enough the importance of spending some alone time with your kit, or with a practice pad.
The landscape of independent drum practice is dominated by the rubber practice pad. It’s a great solution for those of us who want to really drill specific rhythms repeatedly. Because the rubber pad absorbs sound so well, neighbors, roommates, and girlfriends can still inhabit the same space while you drill the same rudiment over and over and over again. The action of getting out from behind the kit and sitting down in front of a single practice pad can be liberating and foster creativity, as well as improve playing speed. For those of you who have never experimented with practice pads, I would suggest picking one up and working your way through Vic Firth’s 40 Essential Snare Drum Rudiments. Once you’ve mastered these rudiments on the pad, they can be fairly easily translated to the kit.
HQ RealFeel Practice Pad
Rubber pads are not your only option for a focused practice session however. I’ve recently fallen in love with a somewhat newer piece of drum practice technology, the “Corpsmaster Chop Out” sticks by Vic Firth. These sticks are absolutely amazing when you’re on the road and don’t want to carry around a bulky practice pad, or when you’re just board in front of the television. They are available in a variety of different stick sizes from very light 5A twigs to the beefy Corpsmaster or Ralph Hardimon Signature marching logs. To create these padded sticks Vic Firth has applied the same principle of shock absorbent rubber that practice pads have been using for years, and combined it with their famous corps master marching sticks. The rubber tip allows you the freedom to play on just about any surface you can imagine without damaging it. With these babies in hand you can chop out on the coffee table, cement walls of the venue, dashboard of the van, you name it these sticks can play on it. The larger size and heavier weight of the wood make for a very satisfying workout too.
Vic Firth Corpsmaster Chop Out Practice Sticks
If fancy practice gear just really isn’t your thing or you don’t have the funds to invest in a quality practice pad, there is of course the tried and true method of working out your speed off the kit. The good ol’ fashioned pillow practice pad. All you need is a pillow of any shape or size and a pair of sticks. Because a pillow offers zero rebound, this method can help build muscle and improve speed.
Today, there are a variety of pads, sticks, putty’s, gels, and electronic pads available at reasonable prices. Each one of these quiet practice options offers a unique benefit. However, I can’t stress enough that it really isn’t the gear that produces results. The only way to get the results you’re after is to create a disciplined practice routine, set goals for your practice sessions, and most importantly have a good attitude. Always remember to have fun and keep pushing yourself.
Here are few of my favorite practice pad set-ups including the HQ RealFeel pad I currently use and the Corpsmaster Chop Outs.
HQ (Evans) Realfeel Double Sided Practice Pad
Vic Firth Ralph Hardimon Signature- Chop Out Practice Sticks
Remo Putty Pad (I can not personally vouch for the quality of this product)
Back-Stick Beat 