Snare drum stands work great for mounting the larger sized practice pads. Using a snare stand allows you to adjust the height and tilt to better match your style of play and your positioning preferences during practice.
The Ideal Type of Snare Stand For Practice Pads
As we mentioned already, a snare stand is usually going to work better for the larger types of practice pads, ideally in the 12 inch diameter range. This is a common size for practice pads such as the Evans RealFeel pad and the Vater Chop Builder pad.
The ideal type of stand is the type with three claw arms for the basket which can be tightened and loosened up to clamp onto whatever is mounted in the stand, which is a pretty common design and easy to find. This type of stand allows you to securely clamp the pad into the claw arms so that it’s not bouncing around or moving around while playing. And you’ll be able to adjust the height and angle to better suit your playing preferences as well.
Why Use a Snare Stand for a Practice Pad?
Using a snare stand allows you to position your practice pad in a way that is comfortable while sitting down and playing. You’ll want to position the pad about the same as a snare would be positioned on a drum kit, so that’s why it works so well. Most drummers also already have a snare stand if they have a drum kit, so you don’t need to buy extra gear which is nice.
The snare stand I’m using in the photos is the Tama Roadpro stand with the Omni-ball tilter. I like this stand because it’s sturdy and has lots of tilting flexibility. The Tama Stage Master snare stand is more affordable but is also a nice quality snare stand. Either of those are good examples of snare stands that will work well with 12 inch practice pads.
Similar Types of Practice Pad Stands
There are some practice pad stands that are designed similarly to a snare stand. They employ the three claw arms for the basket, but they are able to be height-adjusted far enough that they can be used while standing. This type of stand is more ideal for smaller 8 inch or 10 inch practice pads that you want to be able to play while standing up.
The Ahead practice pad stand is taller and fits a 10 inch practice pad nicely.
Practice Pad Specific Stands
In addition to the three-claw basket style stands, there are the threaded mount types of stands that many of the 6 inch to 10 inch pads can mount onto. If your practice pad has a threaded hole centered on the bottom it is likely designed to mount on a stand such as this. In these cases, you can often check with the manufacturer to see specifically what size of threaded mount is recommended. Threading sizes can vary. For example, Remo makes a stand that is specifically designed to mount their practice pads in this way. Evans does the same. Many of these types of pads can also mount onto a cymbal stand, which is handy.
I Prefer Snare Stands for Practice Pads, But…
With all the types of stands out there, I usually prefer to go with the snare stand if I’m going to use a stand at all. It’s just easier to use since I already have one. And if I stand up and play and need more height I’m usually just putting the pad on a counter top which works fine for me. I also typically use larger practice pads like 12 inch pads, so they’re sized plenty big enough to fit onto a snare stand.
I’ve never really felt the need to get one of the threaded stands for mounting the threaded pads. One less piece of gear to have around is the way I look at it. However, if you have a smaller practice pad which might be too small to mount properly on a snare stand, the threaded stands will be the way to go. So size up your practice pad first and then pick your stand from there.
