One Drummer Chopping: Offworld Percussion Shuttle pad

Offworld Percussion has in many ways become the n'est plus ultra of marching practice pads, simply by dint of their consistency, quality control and overall lack of drama. They just make a good, reliable product and that's why so many drummers -- including me -- own an Offworld pad.

I recently scored one of the first generation Shuttle pads from Offworld's warehouse. They had five of them still in the bag and blew them out on Instagram. Right place at the right time, basically.

The "Dark Matter" playing surface is thinner than what's used on the flagship Invader series pads, and it feels harder and brighter as a result.
Still, I can see why this little pad was so popular. It feels and plays well (especially if you play on Kevlar), and it travels well. If I had to choose between this and my Invader for longer workouts, I'd stick with the Invader as the thicker rubber is more forgiving and less fatiguing. But on the fly, the Shuttle is a nice pad to take to the park or on a road trip. The thick rubber bottom gives it a non-skid surface for tabletop playing, or even a short stint on your lap.

I think they discontinued it in favor of their Outlander series, which uses the same thickness of rubber in a circular design.

I might end up keeping this for the collection. I kind of like it.

UPDATE: Offworld is currently producing prototypes for a second generation shuttle pad; one will be made with a rubber surface only, and the other will be made to take their snare drum cartridge insert (like the Aurora and BYOSphere pads).
I think I'll hang onto my 1st gen Shuttle and call it good, as I was unimpressed with the Aurora pad and cartridge and sold them. Offworld needs to utilize much stronger magnets so the snare cartridges doesn't pop out on an accented note before I'll consider buying one again.

Well, THAT was quick.

Curfew was extended only two nights, and then ended when subsequent protests turned out to be peaceful. Considering that the park was filled with more people the second night I went there, it's jsut as well. Tonight we got news of a spike in COVID-19 cases here in Oregon that are likely the result of all the vacationing and partying over Memorial Day weekend (two weeks ago).
We're told to expect another spike in a couple weeks from all the protests.
This may be how it goes for awhile.
..::sigh::..
So for the time being, I'm home and drumming.
This time, a return to a song I wrote for my most recent album, The Watchman's Chair.
On the album I played it with brushes; but today I wanted to see how it would feel with sticks and a Xymox pad. So here you go. Enjoy.
(Lyrics can be found at www.beth-hamon-music.com. Click on "Stuff I Make", then in the drop down click on "Words" and then on "The Watchman's Chair" and that will take you to all the lyrics for the album.)

Vintage corner: the best leg rest ever made

When I marched in my high school band in the fall of 1977, I was first introduced to this leg rest when I was assigned to carry a single tenor drum. The drum came outfitted with a pair of hard felt beaters, a cotton webbed sling, and a leg rest which allowed you to carry the drum more comfortably. The best part of the design was that included a heavy elstic band so you could strap the leg rest to your thigh for a more stable connection while you marched with the drum.

I learned to quickly love this leg rest. When the section leader tried to take it off my tenor so he could have it on his snare drum, I quickly moved to put the drum on so he couldn't take it. He had to settle for the narrower -- and less comfortable -- bolt-on leg rest that didn't come with a strap.
Fearing that he might try and swap them between rehearsals, I took to removing the leg rest and hiding it in my locker, reattaching it before each rehearsal. He stopped paying attention to me and "my" leg rest when the cymbal player began flirting with him.

I kept that leg rest in my locker for three years, until I was promoted to tritoms my senior ywear and didn't need it anymore.

Since then I've tried to find another like it. They've very occasionally turned up on eBay for more money than I could afford -- until last week I came into a couple of them through a drum corps alum network on Facebook. I need to find a heavy elastic band and some rectangular rings to complete it, but between the two I purchased I was able to build up a very fine, usable leg rest for my new-to-me 15-inch snare drum.

I found the original patent from 1961 online. Curiously, the original patent expired around the time I began high school. Likely because the first mass-produced rigid harnesses ("vests") were just coming into use by then, the patent was not renewed. But it's still a great design, and remains the most comfortable leg rest ever.

As I said, these are harder to find, perhaps because their years of production were more limited than the standard bolt-on design that can still be bought new today.

But the designer knew what he wanted, and he figure out how to make it more comfortable by expanding the platform that sat against the thigh, and using spring steel to allow for easy attachment and removal.

One note: if you find one of these today, you may discover (as I did) that the thigh cup is a little narrow. (I fit me perfect when I was fourteen!)
It's a simple fix to place one side wrapped in shop rags in a bench vise and gently pull the other side wider, a little at a time so you don't crack the metal. Keep trying it on until it fits. (If your legs are too wide for this one, get the other kind instead, as it tends to fit winder legs.)

As soon as I find the heavy elastic band I'm looking for, I'll set this up on my Ludwig and start walking around with it.
I can't wait. It' going to be basically perfect for the kind of drumming I want to do.

Vintage corner: In praise of flat pads

A number of practice pads have been made over the decades that were designed to lay on top of a snare drum. Playing the pad this way would bring out a little of the snare sound while reducing the overall volume, making them an ideal practice aid for home and travel use.

I currently own three of these "flat" pads:

1. Ludwig "Gladstone" style pad, circa 1950s. Stage and studio drummer Billy Gladstone originally designed this practice pad in the 1940s while working with Gretsch Drums as an endorsee. The rubber pad was molded in one piece of rubber with two different thicknesses, giving the player a thicker, solid rubber playing surface in the center and a much thinner, more flexible rubber surface around the outside that helped to dampen the drum.When the patent ran out on this design, many other companies copied it and sold it under their brand. The pad is still manufactured today, though modern versions don't seem to feel as flexible; my guess is that more nylon was added to the rubber mixture and that has altered the feel and sound.

2. Camco practice pad circa 1960s. Similar in design to the Gladstone pad, but with a solid rubber disc glued to the center of a thin, wooden fiber platform. This more rigid design blocked out much more of the snare drum sound and further dampened the drum.

3. A. Stubbs Percussion drum mute, circa 1980s (?). This was a product designed and made in small batches by Amy Stubbs, who is currently on faculty at the University of Pittsburgh and performs with orchestras and small ensembles around the country. Stubbs designed this pad for concert use, less as a practice tool and more as a snare drum mute. Due to the specialized nature of the pad and its marketing limited primarily to college and professional percussionists, my guess is that there are likely no more than a couple hundred of these out there now. This is of similar construction as the Camco pad, but the hard platform is made of a fiberglass/plastic composition and the underside is covered with a layer of fake lamb's wool.


Here's a little demonstration of each pad, beginning with the newest and progressing to the oldest.

The finished really big drum: a video

As promised, here's a short video of the finished drum.
This was quick and dirty, shot in a hurry and played at mezzo-forte so I wouldn't disturb the neighbors too much. Just for fun, I grabbed an old pair of 3S sticks from my high school days (re-taped many years later) to play this video. Not my best playing, but you get an idea of this drum's potential.

I hope to take it to the park later this week, so I can explore more volume levels playing into the huge Mylar head, the way we all used to play before the advent of Kevlar.

I didn't plan on being here but here I am

In the wake of the shutdown, I lost all of my singer-songwriter gigs through at least July, and likely farther out than that. Since trying to hustle for those coffeehouse and synagogue gigs on the other side of the shutdown feels tasteless and wrong to me, I am taking a break from that space to focus on making some money in there present, in whatever limited way I can.

That has meant taking in bicycles for repairs, which has actually been nice.

And, a little to my surprise, it has meant taking on a few drum students periodically.
I've been working with a Honk! drummer from Austin one-on-one, for 30-minute lessons focusing on technique and rudiments.
And today I confirmed an online workshop for a Honk! band drum line based in Seattle, this will also focus on technique through warmups, a couple of DIY grooves the drum line can build however they like, and an approach to ensemble playing that focuses on groove and ensemble unity.

 So here I am, teaching marching drumming online, which honestly I never thought I'd be invited to do at this point in my life. In the current atmosphere I am grateful for the work, and for the opportunity to be of use musically.

I still have openings for a couple more beginner adult students. Hit me up on Facebook if you're interested.

the monstercorps thing

A couple of years ago, the rudimental show drummer SDJ Malik posted a video on how to make a shell-less drum from the top assembly of a free-floating marching snare drum.

To be clear, he wasn't calling this a practice pad -- likely because it's simply too loud for that -- he was calling it a personal snare drum. His video shows how to construct one of these without snares. For what it is, it's effective -- and quite loud, even without a shell.
I recently acquired the top assembly of a marching snare as part of a swap, and wanted to give it a try.

I liked the feel, but found the lack of snares meant a lack of dynamic possibilities.
I wondered how one might attach snares to such a thing. Adding snares might diffuse some of the overtones and allow for playing at slightly softer volumes.

And then I remembered Remo's Rhythm Lid kit -- a kit that lets you convert a five-gallon plastic bucket into a functional, fun-to-play drum.
The snare unit is sold separately, so I bought one. I removed the top rim and head from my setup, installed the snare unit by simply laying it over the edge of the bottom rim (which would have been the edge of the plastic bucket as in the video); reinstalled the head and top rim, tuned it up and voila! I had a strange but funky thing, not quite a practice pad and not quite a drum, but something in between.
Bending the metal snare holder slightly allowed me to adjust the sound of the snares to make them respond more crisply and with less buzz. (Remo encourages this in their instructions for use with the plastic bucket.)

Below: The installed snare unit from the underside.






























After I installed and adjusted the snare unit, I set it on a stand and played. It made a huge difference, both in the overall sound quality and in my ability to play with more dynamic nuance. Adding snares meant I no longer had to overplay to get optimal sound.

While this currently has a dedicated Kevlar head installed, swapping in a standard coated head might allow me to experiment with brushes, rutes and other sounds. I'm not ready to make that change yet -- I'm having too much fun with this as it is -- but at some point down the road I''ll consider it.
Meanwhile I'm having a lot of fun with what I've come to call my MonsterCorps Unit.

I may even experiment with a way to mount this on a carrier. Stay tuned.