A drummers best friend: The Practice Pad
Aug 11, 2010 Uncategorized
So you’re starting to play the drums, but you don’t have any drums? No problem, you’re actually best off playing on a practice pad first. Remember, the sharper your chops or rudiments (the fundamental strokes and patterns you know) on one drum are, the better your drumset drumming will be. So here’s a bit on practice pads..
There are basically 2 types of practice pads: gum based and head based. The gum based practicepads (HQ realfeel) are much quieter since the impact is absorbed. They are also much bouncier. The bounce is like what you would get from a marching snare. They are not adjustable and finally they generally do not have a rim.
The head-based (Remo) practice pad on the other hand is much louder since the stick bounces as if off a real head. It is adjustable in tension and it does have a rim, so it’s ideal for practicing rim shots (when you get a really loud crack as the result of hitting the sticks shoulder and the drumhead at the same time).
So it’s personal preference as to what you like. Essentially the practice pad has not changed much over the years. They’re great for focusing and getting your hands in consistant shape.
How to learn to play the drums
Aug 10, 2010 Uncategorized
I started playing the drums over 13 years ago. I wish that I had the kinds of information available to me today. Though there is no shortcut to becoming great at anything, I can say that Music practice won’t feel like work because it’s so much fun. The coolest thing about playing the drums, is that it’s all pretty much muscle memory. It may seem difficult to be moving each limb, but you take it slow and break it down and you can always get it, no matter how challenging. The amazing thing that is unique to drums is that in learning one beat, you learn how to play 1,000’s of songs. The same beat that starts Billy Jean by Micheal Jackson, is the same beat that drives Depeche Mode’s Just can’t get enough, which is the same beat behind U2’s Still haven’t found what I’m looking for… so a little goes a long way in drumming. Pick up some sticks and let’s get jamming.