Drum Practice Pads & Practice Pad Sets

If you are an observant and curious drummer, you'll be aware of the many drumming and percussion accessories and tools there are to choose from today. One tool which is currently in common usage by drummers is the practice pad or practice pad set.

What are drum practice pads for, drumming practice? Do beginner/advanced drummers use practice pads?

The practice pad is a conveniently sized practice tool which is basically a rubber, gel-like or foam-like head that is fitted to a wooden or plastic base. These may come in differing shapes and sizes.

What are the advantages of using drum practice pads in warm-ups or drumming practice?

These are especially suited to low or minimal noise when practicing, developing better bounce control, and mimicking the feel of a drum. Yet they remain soft on the hands, in terms of decreasing the impact of a rebound on the wrist, fingers, and hands.

Practice pads, in this regard, help in developing accurate strokes in playing drum rudiments or practicing drum parts for a song more accurately. Many drummers use their practice pads to warm up before a show.

Practice pads are portable in the sense that you can easily carry them around in order to capitalize on some well-needed extra practice or warm-up sessions. Practice pads are available for most preferences and sensibilities.

Sometimes it's better to have a drum practice pad set, with more pads than a single practice pad

The practice pad set combines several practice pads into a replica of a five piece or larger drum set. It's the ultimate practicing tool. I personally have the DW go anywhere set, which is a five piece set. It even comes with a pad on which you kick with your bass drum pedal.

Practice pad sets make for a more holistic practice and warm-up experience. One lovely advantage of using it is that it can be disassembled and reassembled at will, and can be easily carried around once disassembled.

What do veteran professional drummers say about qualities of various drum practice pads?

The different qualities of rubber, used in the manufacturing of the various brands of practice pads, create increased options for many drummers.

As Randall Beach, a veteran drummer, says, 'the type, thickness and quality of the rubber is the most important factor when selecting practice pads.'

Differences between the Vic Firth Heavy Hitter Pad models: the slim pad and the stock pad

Beach shares his opinion on several types of practice pads which he has used. He compares the Vic Firth Heavy Hitter pad models: the stock pad and the slim pad, which he claims to have used extensively.

He identifies thickness of the rubber as the only difference between the two. However, he indicates his preference for the stock pad, in that, the response is better, meaning that it feels more like when he's playing a drum, and he mentions how it is less noisier than the thinner, slim pad, which he describes as being louder, annoying after long practice hours, and having a table-top bounce feeling.

What is the difference between HQ real feel pads and Vic Firth Heavy Hitter drum practice pads?

Beach also mentions the HQ Real Feel pads, in that, they're more foam-like, and less dense than Vic Firth pads. He talks about the softer playing feel that the HQ pads give.

Though he personally prefers the denser rubber pads, he notes that it's quietest of all the pads he's mentioned and that some drummers he knows are attracted to the medium tensioned snare feel that it offers.

What about the ID pad by Xymox, is it a good drum practice pad?

Additionally, beach identifies the ID pad by Xymox, which he touts as his all time favourite practice pad. He states that there are many options to choose from. He mentions the small metal box which is affixed to the bottom of the practice pad, which allows it to give off a very realistic snare sound.

This snare sound, according to Beach, helps you to hear and develop the precision of your strokes more clearly. He also mentions the fact that you can customize many parts of the practice pad in terms of rubber thickness and also colour, and that, 'Xymox has the largest array of practice tools he's seen'.

Ultimately, practice pads come highly recommended by professional drummers and experts from drumming fraternities around the world.