SILICON + PLYWOOD + TOOL DRAWER LINER = PRACTICE PAD

What I didn't say in my post about practice pads was my concern about one particular student. She has been playing less than a year and doing quite well even during the Skype lessons because of the Covid-19 isolation. Her problem is making the transition from a concert (buzz) roll to an open (rudimental) roll.

 

I start my students on rolls with the concert roll because it's easier to achieve positive results quickly. 

My philosophy is: " If you don't teach you student how to play a roll within the first 2 months of lessons, then they will just learn it on the streets."  However, playing the open roll is a necessity to not only play different styles but also to gain more stick control.

A practice pad gives more 'bounce' to the rebound of a stroke than an actual snare drum, which means the player must 'control' that added rebound. By now she has learned to react to the rebound from the drum but needs to develop more control that only a stronger rebound can provide.

Once again I turned to my 'silicon experiments' to see if I could make a practice pad for her. 

I squeezed about 1/2 tube of clear silicon caulking on a sheet of paper, placed another sheet of paper on top. I then placed this between 2 boards and flattened it to a thickness of 1/4". The silicon/paper was put on a screen for 3 days to cure.

After it cured I placed it in a tub of water for 6 hrs. to soften the paper, and then used a steel brush to remove the paper from the silicon. After measuring the diameter of the silicon (7 1/4") I cut a 7" circle from 3/8" plywood. I sprayed the pad and plywood with adhesive, clamped them with the boards over night. After the adhesive set, I trimmed the pad even with the edges of the board. I then cut an 8" square of tool drawer liner and applied it to the bottom of the board and trimmed.

Finished pad

I ended up with a 7" pad that gives more bounce than any of the commercial pads that I presently have.

I used a magic marker to color the plywood black.

FULL TRANSPARENCY:

              I used 5 tubes of caulking before I got this procedure correct.

Once again proving that I can make something for more than it costs to purchase a commercially made practice pad. With the added advantage of making my house smell like a vinegar factory. 

My wife is very understanding.