Practise Without a Kit: Mastering the Drums on the Move
3,9 / 5,0 | 
Drummers love playing and practising, but the people they live with don’t. Unless you have an electric kit to go with your precision snares and cymbals, it can get loud. But did you know that you can still practise without a kit? Let’s see how…
Practise Without a Kit: Mastering the Drums on the Move
Learning the drums is a huge commitment. You’ll need a lot of hardware before you even make your first beat. Moreover, even if you play already, you can’t exactly take your kit with you for a quick jam session.
However, we’re now in the 21st century. Gone are the days of vandalising pots and pans and stealing all of the pillows and cushions you can get your hands on. There are readily available drum pads on the market that are an effective and affordable way to practise without a kit.
Millenium MD-90 Mobile Drum
Our first pick of gear for ways to practise without a kit is this mobile drum set from Millenium.
What makes this so great? Firstly, it’s very budget-friendly. Secondly, you get 100 stored presets with one demo song.
Additionally, it comes with 7-velocity-sensitive drum pads, meaning you’re not limited to basic beats. You also get a MIDI IN / OUT and a headphone port for even quieter rehearsing.
Yamaha FGDP-30 Finger Drum Pad
Well, check out this little thing. Here we have a finger drum pad from Yamaha. Being less than 30cm in size, this will fit in your backpack no questions asked.
With this example, you don’t even need drumsticks! You get some ultra-sensitive touch buttons allowing for precision when practising without a kit. Furthermore, there are over 1000 instrument voices!
Not just for practising, you also get 39 preset kits along with an AUX-in. All are kept in check with a rechargeable battery.
Roland SPD:: ONE Electro
Next up, we have one of the most prestigious names in percussion. A rubber sampling pad that can be played with your hands, feet or drumsticks.
Not only do you get 22 electric drum sounds and a micro-USB port for importing samples, but you can control:
- Pitch
- Reverb
- Delay
Making this a handy addition to any drummer’s collection, it weighs in at less than 1kg and is powered via x4 AA batteries. Perfect for when you have to practise without a kit.
Clavia Nord Drum 3P – Practise Without a Kit
Penultametley, we have something a little more expensive. Don’t worry though, it’s worth it!
This retro-inspired drum pad from Clavia really looks the business doesn’t it? Killer visuals are accompanied by some individual sound libraries for kicks, snares and toms.
Make use of reverb and other digital effects, all customisable across 6 different channels. Moreover, each channel also benefits from drive, crush and EQ. Therefore, you’ll be able to really refine those drumming skills.
Roland HPD-20 Handsonic Pad
Finally, we have another entry from Roland. Getting into the big leagues, this drum pad has a lot to offer.
You get a memory capable of importing 500 different sounds and loops, ideal for going with 850 SuperNatural integrated drum sounds. There’s also a quick record function which will export your sick beat as a WAV audio file.
Unlike the others on this list, we have silicon pads, which means you can choke, tune and dampen, just like on a real kit. Additional pad and hi-hat inputs are also available.
Practise Without a Kit: Should You Invest in a Drum Pad?
As you have seen, there are plenty of different alternatives out there for drummers. All of these vary in price, but you’re guaranteed to find something that works for you. Furthermore, these drum pads are perfect for beginners who don’t have a kit outside of their lessons.
Check these out! You may just need a new pair of sticks and a power supply for your shiny new drum pad:
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