Hansenfutz Practice Pedal
Let's face it. Drums are loud. When you live in a townhouse like I do, it can be hard to find a time to practice that won't get the neighbors ready to form an angry mob. While it is important to get in good practice time on your drum set, sometimes you simply need to work out some coordination issues on a particular groove or exercise. This is where practice pads come in handy. Until recently, they were only available for you to work on stick technique. Enter the Hansenfutz practice pedal.
I like to practice with a practice pad while I'm watching TV or talking to my wife. It gives me a chance to work on techniques while I'm working on other things but I (like most drummers) either just worked on hand technique or pounded my foot on the floor. Although helpful for keeping time, it doesn't really do much to help your foot technique. This is one of those products that is so simple and obvious that I'm kicking myself for not thinking of it before these guys. The concept is simple: a compact, quiet, portable pedal to practice bass drum technique.
I've been using two Hanzenfutz pedals (for double bass or bass drum/hi hat combos) along with my P4 practice pad for almost two months now. I can tell a noticeable difference in my foot technique when I get on the drum set, especially with double bass patterns. It has been great to work on foot independence. For example, keeping quarter notes on the hihat while playing other beats. Best of all, it's super quiet.
It's got an adjustable tension control, although you essentially have to disassemble the pedal to adjust. The good news is that I found the tension to be great right out of the package. There are two pads on the underside of the pedal that are interchangeable to give a different sound and feel to your practicing. The first is a hard plastic pad that gives a solid click sound and a little more rebound. The second is a soft rubber pad that gives an almost silent sound with slightly less rebound. The difference in rebound between the two is almost unnoticeable, but there is a big difference in sound. I normally use the hard plastic pads as it blends in well with the practice pad that I use for my hand workouts.
Another great feature is the versatility. It is definitely a GREAT workout for foot technique...but there's more. If you add a drum trigger and module you can use it to control additional sounds within your electric drum kit or even add some cool e-drum sounds to your acoustic kit. It can also act as a percussion pedal to play cowbell, woodblock, tambourine, etc., if you buy the steel beater attachment. I haven't been able to try either of these options yet, but I'm sure they would be great additions to your kit.
With artists like Carmine Appice, Thomas Lang, Pat Patrillo, and Johnny Rabb standing behind the product you know that there must be something to this pedal. At about $35, I think that every drummer needs to have one of these for practice. You can check them out here.
I like to practice with a practice pad while I'm watching TV or talking to my wife. It gives me a chance to work on techniques while I'm working on other things but I (like most drummers) either just worked on hand technique or pounded my foot on the floor. Although helpful for keeping time, it doesn't really do much to help your foot technique. This is one of those products that is so simple and obvious that I'm kicking myself for not thinking of it before these guys. The concept is simple: a compact, quiet, portable pedal to practice bass drum technique.
I've been using two Hanzenfutz pedals (for double bass or bass drum/hi hat combos) along with my P4 practice pad for almost two months now. I can tell a noticeable difference in my foot technique when I get on the drum set, especially with double bass patterns. It has been great to work on foot independence. For example, keeping quarter notes on the hihat while playing other beats. Best of all, it's super quiet.
It's got an adjustable tension control, although you essentially have to disassemble the pedal to adjust. The good news is that I found the tension to be great right out of the package. There are two pads on the underside of the pedal that are interchangeable to give a different sound and feel to your practicing. The first is a hard plastic pad that gives a solid click sound and a little more rebound. The second is a soft rubber pad that gives an almost silent sound with slightly less rebound. The difference in rebound between the two is almost unnoticeable, but there is a big difference in sound. I normally use the hard plastic pads as it blends in well with the practice pad that I use for my hand workouts.
Another great feature is the versatility. It is definitely a GREAT workout for foot technique...but there's more. If you add a drum trigger and module you can use it to control additional sounds within your electric drum kit or even add some cool e-drum sounds to your acoustic kit. It can also act as a percussion pedal to play cowbell, woodblock, tambourine, etc., if you buy the steel beater attachment. I haven't been able to try either of these options yet, but I'm sure they would be great additions to your kit.
With artists like Carmine Appice, Thomas Lang, Pat Patrillo, and Johnny Rabb standing behind the product you know that there must be something to this pedal. At about $35, I think that every drummer needs to have one of these for practice. You can check them out here.