Are drum practice pads worth having for beginners? Absolutely! Practice pads encourage beginners to refine the fundamental skills of timekeeping and stick control in a quiet, mobile package, resulting not only in technical development but also in greater confidence playing in just about any rhythmic situation. But before you get the first one that catches your eye, it’s important to consider the many types of practice pads available and understand how to effectively implement one into your musical regimen. Sweetwater addresses all the details below and includes some top picks — let’s get rolling!
- What Is a Practice Pad?
- How Practical Is a Practice Pad?
- What Type of Practice Pad Should I Consider?
What Is a Practice Pad?
Simply put, a practice pad is a soft, quiet surface used by drummers and percussionists to rehearse and refine their rudimentary skills. These skills include striking patterns, metronomic timekeeping, palm and thumb control, rolls, and other such techniques. Many percussionists in marching and orchestral ensembles employ practice pads regularly, but really, drummers of any musical realm can reap the benefits of a practice pad. An excellent example of a tried-and-true practice pad is the Evans RealFeel two-sided practice drum pad, offering plenty of surface area and two playing surfaces. Pair it with a TAMA RW200 Rhythm Watch drummer’s metronome, and you’ll master your time before you know it!
Practice pads differ from regular drums in many ways, such as rhythmic practice being the entire focus as opposed to producing sound. Practice pads are much quieter than regular drums and are usually designed to only mimic the the rebound of a drumhead — not much else. Sometimes, you’ll find practice pads that bridge the gap a little more, such as models that offer adjustable tension with a drum key, just like a regular drum.
In other ways, practice pads that are larger and laid out with multiple striking zones, such as the Vic Firth Heavy Hitter Quadropad, can simulate extended tom setups of drum sets and increase spatial precision to make pad playing more lifelike. Looking for the same practice potential for your kick drum foot? The Evans RealFeel folding bass pedal practice pad is specifically designed to help you master rhythmic accuracy with your feet!
While every practice pad that Sweetwater carries is the right fit for someone, there are certain brands and models that are top performers among practicing timekeepers. Some trusted brands include Evans, DW, TAMA, RTOM, and Zildjian. Shopping for affordable gifts for a drummer in your life in addition to a practice pad? Check out our guide below!
How Practical Is a Practice Pad?
One of the many benefits to using a practice pad is the volume reduction. Compared to rehearsing with a full acoustic kit, practice pads emit a mere fraction of the sound, proving exceptional for quiet practice without disturbing roommates and neighbors.
However, it’s important to note that you can’t learn to play drums entirely from using a practice pad. Physical familiarity, spatial interaction, and sonic understanding that develop alongside the acoustic instrument are part of what makes drumming so special to each player. If you don’t want to sacrifice the feel of your kit setup but still want to achieve pad-like volume reduction, then a set of mesh drumheads such as the RTOM Black Hole mesh practice set goes over your current drumheads quite easily.
Finding a practice pad configuration that sets up more like an acoustic kit can make the transition from practice to performance incredibly smooth. For instance, the DW DWCPPADTS5 Go Anywhere practice pad set supplies the feel of a 5-piece kit without sacrificing the convenience of practice pads. The same can be said about the TAMA True Touch 5-piece training kit, which comes with thicker, shell-like pads and a snappy, tunable snare pad to boot. Practice pads are easy to mount, too, with many options, including the RTOM Moongel Workout Pad, supplying an 8mm threaded mount for easy integration with cymbal stands and percussion rods in your setup.
Aside from sampling stations and trigger pads designed for use with specific electronic drum sets, there are a few options for electronic practice pads that can integrate sonic variety into your rehearsals. Pads such as the Muse Kinetics BopPad and the KAT Percussion KTMP1 provide four-zone freedom in a circular practice pad while the Meinl Percussion Compact Percussion Pad brings five pre-programmed, selectable sounds to the table in one playing surface. Seeking even more versatility? The Yamaha DD-75 portable digital drums introduce eight pads and a pair of footpedals into the electronic-practice-pad equation!
Maybe a fully equipped electronic drum set is more what you’re after. Sweetwater presents our best budget electronic drum kits in this article — check it out below!
What Type of Practice Pad Should I Consider?
There are many variables that contribute to the way a practice pad performs, which in turn will either work for or against your drumming style. So, before you choose a practice pad, knowing what you can expect in terms of size, shape, and construction will keep you focused on what will help you in practice.
First of all, practice pads come in a wide range of diameters. Some measure only a few inches across while other hybrid drumhead pads can fit a 24-inch bass drum! However, for rudimentary practice, you’ll typically find circular and octagonal pads work well. They approximate the diameters of snare drums, such as this 10-inch Zildjian Reflexx Workout Pad. This size maintains some shell realism and provides plenty of room for your sticks without being too bulky to easily position, store, or travel.
The other primary consideration besides size is the surface material, and there are many to choose from! The most common practice-pad materials you’ll encounter are hard and soft rubber, natural gum, silicone, foam, cork, and recycled materials. Often, practice pads are designed to be double sided to conveniently provide alternate materials to work with and, consequently, a variety of resistance and rebound in one unit — such as the Evans ReelFeel double-sided practice drum pad!
Additionally, many manufacturers infuse their pad surfaces with proprietary materials, such as the signature polymer DarkMatter surface on the OffWorld Percussion Invader V3 practice pad. Variations like this allow manufacturers to create practice tools that almost perfectly simulate the response of high-tension drums including snares and marching drums.
Is all this talk of rebound giving you second thoughts about your snare’s performance? Have a look at our “Snare Drum Buying Guide” to make sure your acoustic kit is responding exactly the way that you want it to.
Find Your First Practice Pad at Sweetwater!
Whether your percussive journey has just begun or you’re an advancing player looking for a more efficient way to improve your skills, picking up a practice pad is a fantastic step toward better drumming. With so many options to choose from, it can take effort to figure out just where your money is best spent. For expert guidance in finding the perfect practice pad for your purposes and playing style, give your dedicated Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call today at (800) 222-4700. You’ll be well on your way toward tighter timekeeping in no time!
