Bass drum practice pads

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Jelle
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Bass drum practice pads

Postby Jelle » Fri Oct 15, 2010 4:28 pm

A lot of us drummers regularly work out the hands by playing on a practicepad.
The post of the old Jojo Mayer Clinic clinic video about foot technique made me wonder about possible solutions for quietly practicing with a bass drum pedal.
I remember seeing Keith Carlock on the Modern Drummer 2005 DVD play a practice kit with a pedal

Do any of you maybe own one of these:
Pearl BD10
Yamaha KP65
Roland KD-7
Roland KD-8
or is there maybe something else that works great for this purpose?
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Matus
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Re: Bass drum practice pads

Postby Matus » Sat Oct 16, 2010 2:55 am

Well, the Yamaha and Roland units you linked are actually electronic pads. If you're looking for something that's only a practice pad, then the Pearl one is your way to go, since they sell it separately. I use the DW Go-Anywhere kit, which actually feels nice on the feet and is very easy to set up once you get a hold of the hardware.
The kit used on the MD interviews is the Remo Thomas Lang kit:
http://www.remo.com/portal/products/2/5 ... 0_kit.html
It's very cool but expensive as hell, that's why I got the DW.
If you're looking also for an electronic unit, both the KP65 and the KD-8 are great and have a similar feel.
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Jelle
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Re: Bass drum practice pads

Postby Jelle » Sat Oct 16, 2010 5:00 am

Thanks Carlos!
That Thomas Lang practice kit bass drum part looks solid!

I also have a DW Go-Anywhere kit! :)
Working on your feet using that is still pretty noisy though.
I'm curious about other solutions like a "stand alone" bass drum practice pad without the cymbal stand like hardware.

I did some more searching and found some others like the Pearl BD10:
Gibraltar GBDP
Sound Percussion SPA08
Pro Mark BDP

Derek, do you remember the short clip of you practicing on a kit with muted drumheads? It was posted a long time ago on the old forum called "Aww Yeah. Derek's on wank.". May I ask what you were using there to muffle the bass drum?
YamahaPlayer
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Re: Bass drum practice pads

Postby YamahaPlayer » Sat Oct 16, 2010 7:06 am

I've used a few over the years, the Gibraltar is probably the best feel wise. I'd put the volume at about a louder practice pad. They also make mesh heads, which are really cool for practice but require a full size drum.
Edit: A mic stand weight bag really helps the stability issues on the stand alone pads I found. Feels a bit more like a kick when it's not wobbling about.
Last edited by YamahaPlayer on Sun Oct 17, 2010 7:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Paul Rivet
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Re: Bass drum practice pads

Postby Paul Rivet » Sat Oct 16, 2010 12:05 pm

I just bought a Dixon bass drum practice pad a couple of days ago ironically enough!
It's pretty good, inexpensive and fairly quiet too.
I'm a wolf in cheap clothing
Phil T.
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Re: Bass drum practice pads

Postby Phil T. » Mon Oct 18, 2010 11:10 am

I have the Gibraltar pad and think it's good. A bit too bouncy and noisy so sometimes I drape a bath mat over it. Both problems reduced.
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Mike Meyers
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Re: Bass drum practice pads

Postby Mike Meyers » Mon Oct 18, 2010 12:39 pm

I have the Pearl one. It's okay, not as loud as the Gibralter (I used to have that one), but it is a little too bouncy for me. I might have to try the weight idea. I would also rather have a trigger, so I could use my Yamaha DTX. My Stealth double trigger disintegrated.

Mike
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ChrAlex
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Re: Bass drum practice pads

Postby ChrAlex » Mon Oct 18, 2010 10:42 pm

I have the Roland KD-8 as a part of the TD9-KX. I sometimes use it away from the kit, and I find it a bit too bouncy. But as Phil T. suggests, a blanket or towel eliminates that.
Depending on the surface you put it on it can be noisy, so I have mine on a thick carpet, and that reduces it enough for my use. It's a combination between the pedal movement and the sound from the pad. I'd be careful in an apartment on a wooden floor with neighbors around.

Other than that, it's great to have a pad for the feet.

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