Product Reviews

Modern DRUMMER | July 2001

The folks over at Educational Music Accessories have come up with a practice pad that will change the way you shed your rudiments. They start with a beautiful piece of oak, put a nice-feeling, perfect-rebound rubber pad (7" in diameter and 3/8" thick) on top of it, and finally—ready for this?—add a built-in metronome. Cool, huh? Now, as you practice, you have a tempo reference in BPM (beats per minute). You can easily adjust to faster or slower tempos by pressing the arrow keys up or down. The MetroPad metronome also allows you to select a desired type of accent for 2/4, 3/4, or 4/4 timing. A small viewing window displays BPM and accent.

And if that's not enough, the MetroPad also features an adjustable-bounce cymbal-stand mounting bracket. As you tighten the wing nut on the cymbal tilter, the cymbal felt acts like a spring, giving you more bounce. This comes in handy when you're practicing double-stroke rolls. Plus, it's great having a metronome right at your drumkit for practicing your time. Teachers will love it. Students will love it. Everyone from beginners to professionals will find it to be an important practice tool. This is one cool practice pad. List price is $49.95.  (949) 481-5873,  www.educationalmusicaccessories.com.