The fact is that I didn't own my first drumkit until I was sixteen, and I never fell in love with driving or owning a car. So when I went car-free in 1990, I knew it would change my approach to drumming.
I kept my drumkit for a few years but eventually I lost interest in staying up playing till 2am, and sold it. After that, I mostly taught marching drum lines until 1997, when my bike crash changed my hand and my musical life forever.
Since returning to drumming on a daily basis, I've found that it's all I can manage to play on a rubber pad most mornings. My partner appreciates the muted, quiet sound of rubber; and I don't really have room for a full-sized drumkit where I live anymore.
So mostly, it's just me, some sticks and a pad.
In the mornings, I start with some eights and sixteens, slowly and with a metronome. After awhile, I open up my dog-eared copy of Stick Control (the book every single drummer should own) and play my way slowly through a page, or maybe two. The opening pages of eighth notes are great for morning meditation and also for warming up my arthritic hands and wrists very gently.
Finally, I'll switch to some easy corps-style warmups and street beats, and then if I have time I'll cool down with a few eights and sixteens again.
My regular tools for this:
Sticks -- Vic Firth Jeff Queen model -- my go-to stick most of the time. If I'm preparing for an indoor gig I'll switch to a 2B or maybe even a 5B on a muted snare drum.
Pad -- My primary pad is an Offworld Invader. On days when the arthritis gets too intense I'll switch to a homemade pad with 1/4"-thick gum rubber; or a Real Feel rubber pad.
Books -- I don't have a ton of these that I use often (though my rudimental drum library is pretty extensive). Here are my favorites:
-- Stick Control for the Snare Drummer (G. L. Stone)
-- Accents and Rebounds (G. L. Stone)
-- Syncopation for the Modern Drummer
-- America's NARD Solos (ed. W. Ludwig)
-- 128 Rudimental Street Beats (John S. Pratt)
I also like the warmups from Donka Drums. Kevin Donka is a world champion rudimental drummer who marched with the Blue Stars, currently marches each summer with Pacific Alliance, and went on to create an online resource of snare drum music for students at all levels. He also offers online coaching.
Metronome -- this is an absolute necessity for any drummer. Regular practice with a metronome improves timing and forces you to slow down when learning a new skill (drummers are notorious for rushing the beat, especially as they grow more confident with a musical passage. That's not necessarily a good thing.)
There are so many kinds of metronomes on the market that there is no one "best" model. Modern metronomes in use by marching drum lines utilize complex patterns of multiple pitches, and most drum lines swear by them. I continue to use the simple, reliable Seiko metronome I've had since college. It gives a single pitch at a variety of tempi, gives a concert "A" tuning pitch, and offers a light-only option for those who want to try keeping time visually.
Various versions of this type are available used on eBay starting at less than ten bucks. They take a 9V battery, can be used with a earbud, and they work just fine.
Even if you are blessed with room to store and play a full drumkit, it's good to get back to basics and woodshed on a pad regularly. Happy drumming!
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