How much does the rebound of a practice pad matter in your opinion?

J

Joffry

Active Member
I've been thinking about increasing the time I spend on my practice pad just to focus on technique, but this question came to me when I realized that my Evans "RealFeel" practice pad has much more rebound than most of the surfaces on my drum set.

How important do you think it is for the surface rebound of a practice pad to mimic those of a drum set? I feel like the real feel is too bouncy for my technique on it to transfer to the drum set. On the other hand, Tommy Igoe uses a real feel and he's a fantastic drummer on the set so I'm not really sure what to think.
 
Joffry said:
I've been thinking about increasing the time I spend on my practice pad just to focus on technique, but this question came to me when I realized that my Evans "RealFeel" practice pad has much more rebound than most of the surfaces on my drum set.

How important do you think it is for the surface rebound of a practice pad to mimic those of a drum set? I feel like the real feel is too bouncy for my technique on it to transfer to the drum set. On the other hand, Tommy Igoe uses a real feel and he's a fantastic drummer on the set so I'm not really sure what to think.
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When I do pad work, I keep a pillow next to it, and go back and forth a lot. I find it helpful.
 
I've read pillows would strengthen your wrists. I have a pad i don't even know the brand. It has the grey rubber. I want to say vic firth.

Never paid any mind to its bounce as I use it for warming up and keeping my wrists in shape. I'm terrible at practicing on a pad though because I just don't set aside time for it, ever.
 
Joffry said:
. On the other hand, Tommy Igoe uses a real feel and he's a fantastic drummer on the set so I'm not really sure what to think.
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You’ve answered your own question. But there’s only one way to find out for yourself: get the GHFAL advanced routine down, and then play it on the snare. If there’s not enough rebound, try playing more lightly.

If anything, you want your practice pad to rebound well, since controlling rebound is usually *the* skill that requires development. Ultimately, pad practice, when done correctly, translates very well to the kit. If your hand technique is solid, you’ll acclimate to the different feel in a matter of seconds. It’s nothing to worry about. What you should worry about is why you didn’t spend 15 minutes on the pad every day this month! :)
 
brentcn said:
If anything, you want your practice pad to rebound well, since controlling rebound is usually *the* skill that requires development.
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I want a bouncy pad for this exact reason. I also use a ReelFeel, but only the grey side, never the black. I feel like if the stick is rebounding to the point of ridiculousness and I can control it, my control and precision on the kit is even better.

I'm a firm believer in using rebound. The quicker I can get the stick back up, the sooner I can put it back down. The ReelFeel helps me with this.

I also like the octagonal shape. I use the top 3 sides as additional targets when playing patterns.
 
Joffry said:
I've been thinking about increasing the time I spend on my practice pad just to focus on technique, but this question came to me when I realized that my Evans "RealFeel" practice pad has much more rebound than most of the surfaces on my drum set.

How important do you think it is for the surface rebound of a practice pad to mimic those of a drum set? I feel like the real feel is too bouncy for my technique on it to transfer to the drum set. On the other hand, Tommy Igoe uses a real feel and he's a fantastic drummer on the set so I'm not really sure what to think.
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overlay the pad with a tea towel. You could fold it over once or twice to progressively dampen rebound. Voila - problem fixed.
 
Not just the bounce issues, I don't want to play a totally silent pad-- or that just gives you a whiff or tic sound. With the Remo pads you can actually judge the kind of tone you'd be getting out of a real drum. But I'm not in favor of bounce-based techniques, and don't want a super bouncy pad either.
 
Depends what you're after.

It's not just the amount of bounce as there are a lot of different ones, but pure rubber pads feel weird to me.

Personally, I want something with a laminate or some sort of double layer for my main pad.

I obviously have all my pads still, but if it makes it feel wrong when I go to my real kit, I generally won't use it.
 
b
Joffry said:
I've been thinking about increasing the time I spend on my practice pad just to focus on technique, but this question came to me when I realized that my Evans "RealFeel" practice pad has much more rebound than most of the surfaces on my drum set.

How important do you think it is for the surface rebound of a practice pad to mimic those of a drum set? I feel like the real feel is too bouncy for my technique on it to transfer to the drum set. On the other hand, Tommy Igoe uses a real feel and he's a fantastic drummer on the set so I'm not really sure what to think.
Click to expand...
been using a rubber pad , i agree with the rebound pad but i believe that its much better to be able to play on all surfaces and even strengthen other techniques via the pad other than wrist so im in the middle.
 
i use a Vic Firth Slimpad. It gives a very high and quick rebound, as is common in marching percussion. When I want to soften it up, I do the towel thing...I just lay a medium thin hand towel across it - not folded - to replicate more of the "drum set tuning" feel.

I also pretty much use the same technique for drum set and marching band when it comes to fills and sustained hand stuff on set. My set snare is tuned pretty tight b/c I like Stewart Coplands snare sound, so I can apply marching to it.

Obviously I adjust for quieter playing, and styles/situation that don't need rigid speed or volume. That is when I use softer, more orchestral or tympani style hands on set
 
Push pull stroke said:
I’m telling you guys again, having a really bouncy pad right next to a pillow has been incredibly good for my hand technique.
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Yes, practicing on multiple surfaces with multiple bounciness factors is a great idea. There was a time, in the beginning, when I wanted a bouncy surface, because I was working on getting and controlling bounce. Then, there was a time when I wanted a bounceless surface, because I was working on playing without relying on any bounce at all. Different surfaces for different purposes, and making sure you can play on all of them, to me, is the key.
 
I like the Prologix small black/green pad. It basically mimics what @Push pull stroke is doing with pad/pillow.
 
Push pull stroke said:
I’m telling you guys again, having a really bouncy pad right next to a pillow has been incredibly good for my hand technique.
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Do you hit the pad, or the pillow?;)
 
I have the stop sign real feel pad. I've tried practicing double strokes wanting to achieve Dave Weckls speed but something is just f'ing wrong. I'll do some practicing daily but two weeks later when I'm experiencing little if any progress I just get pissed and walk away. I've watched Dave..Jojo..and Tommy but it's like I need some kind of pill or something..two weeks with nothing?. I'm reading all of the responses hoping for a glimpse into SOMETHING.
 
I spend a lot of time using my small Moongel pad. Makes me concentrate on my upstrokes, is super-quiet, and there is no rebound.
For more standard pads I use the larger Vic Firth. I love using my Quiet Tone mute on a snare drum with the snares engaged.
Ever try using a Quiet Tone mute on top of a bed pillow?
 
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