As background, for some reason I struggle with transferring something I’ve practiced on a pad to a real drum. Something about feel and rebound throws me off in the transition.
So with that foible confessed, I’m looking for some advice on the best way to approach improving myself just using a practice pad kit. The kit I’ve cobbled together (pictured) is DW pads profiled to match a one up/one down kit with a pad positioned for a ride cymbal, a dual sided/bullseye Prologix practice pad for a snare, and an actual hi-hat with a muffler in between the cymbals and an oven mitt to quiet where I strike. Bass pedal below.
Please bear in mind, I have no studio and like many of you I’ve been sequestered in the Great Lockdown of 2020. I have not played live drums with any of my bands since mid-March. And before that, literally, due to work/commute/family schedule and no place to practice, the only times I was physically hitting drums and cymbals was at a rehearsal or club date.
I want to use this continuing downtime to maintain my playing level and hopefully improve my chops, flow, timing, and musicality. (The last three being the most important to me, but I’d love to resurface with some panache.)
With some upcoming loss of income, I can’t invest in an electronic kit, or a laptop, or online lessons, or a lockout studio. I regularly pick up pointers from YouTube teachers like Rob Brown, but never watch shredders. I have a metronome and a LiveBPM app. I play by ear and have limited reading skills. My sessions are between 5 minutes to 15 minutes, stolen in between work calls and dealing with a demanding preschooler. Evenings and weekends are 100% for family time. My musical taste is wide, but my bands play rock/pop covers or originals that are a blend of rock, hip hop, blues and country. I’m an intermediate player who’s been off and on the throne for about 30 years. I know my limits and don’t scrape much guardrail.
So far I’ve been working on hi-hat off beat foot chups in straight 8 patterns and shuffles, parallel snare/cymbal patterns (a la the groove on Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll) and foot/hand triplet patterns. These are all areas of weakness for me. Progress is being made, and I can keep on doing what I’m doing, but I am wondering if any of you have advice specifically tailored to using and progressing on a fake kit. It really is a different instrument.
So with that foible confessed, I’m looking for some advice on the best way to approach improving myself just using a practice pad kit. The kit I’ve cobbled together (pictured) is DW pads profiled to match a one up/one down kit with a pad positioned for a ride cymbal, a dual sided/bullseye Prologix practice pad for a snare, and an actual hi-hat with a muffler in between the cymbals and an oven mitt to quiet where I strike. Bass pedal below.
Please bear in mind, I have no studio and like many of you I’ve been sequestered in the Great Lockdown of 2020. I have not played live drums with any of my bands since mid-March. And before that, literally, due to work/commute/family schedule and no place to practice, the only times I was physically hitting drums and cymbals was at a rehearsal or club date.
I want to use this continuing downtime to maintain my playing level and hopefully improve my chops, flow, timing, and musicality. (The last three being the most important to me, but I’d love to resurface with some panache.)
With some upcoming loss of income, I can’t invest in an electronic kit, or a laptop, or online lessons, or a lockout studio. I regularly pick up pointers from YouTube teachers like Rob Brown, but never watch shredders. I have a metronome and a LiveBPM app. I play by ear and have limited reading skills. My sessions are between 5 minutes to 15 minutes, stolen in between work calls and dealing with a demanding preschooler. Evenings and weekends are 100% for family time. My musical taste is wide, but my bands play rock/pop covers or originals that are a blend of rock, hip hop, blues and country. I’m an intermediate player who’s been off and on the throne for about 30 years. I know my limits and don’t scrape much guardrail.
So far I’ve been working on hi-hat off beat foot chups in straight 8 patterns and shuffles, parallel snare/cymbal patterns (a la the groove on Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll) and foot/hand triplet patterns. These are all areas of weakness for me. Progress is being made, and I can keep on doing what I’m doing, but I am wondering if any of you have advice specifically tailored to using and progressing on a fake kit. It really is a different instrument.