Ok last year I got pushed over to cymbals. This year I was Bass 4, but the thing I really joined the line for was the tenors. This upcoming year we're adding a second tenor to the line. So I was wondering what some good ways to practice for the tenors since I don't physically have some at home? Our current tenor told me he practiced using five pillows in the layout of them. I've been doing this playing various exercises, and I plan on practicing for next year's show when we get the music, so that I can beat out the other dude trying out too. So I was wondering if anyone had any better ideas then what my dude had? or any good exercises u know w/e..help?

If you're serious about it, get a tenor practice pad and music to practice. Bill Bachman's "Quad Logic" book at the accompanying "Reefed Beats" DVD are great resources. Pillows don't simulate the surface of a drum well enough. If you want to be good on the drums, you'll need to practice on something that feels like the drums so you'll be able to transfer what you've worked on.

If you don't have the dough to spend on a tenor pad (they are fairly expensive), here's one way to rig up a cheap alternative: Draw an accurately-sized tenor layout on a piece of plywood. Put latex surgical tubing or IP practice tips on the beads of a pair of sticks. Voilá! You've got a practice pad, but with the rubber on the sticks instead of the pad.

In the meantime, don't let the lack of a tenor pad keep you from practicing. If you practice on a single pad or drum, the technique you're learning and reinforcing applies to tenors, too.

Pillows are a nice way to learn your way around the drums but I don't think I would recommend it at this point. It might do more harm than good for someone new to the drums. Seems to me your best option would be to see if you can borrow a set of tenors from the school and practice on those. If you can't do that then do what SkyDog suggested and use a little ingenuity. I think the tenor practice pads start around $100 but you could easily go to the local hardware store from some boards and not spend nearly that kind of money. I have a lot of students who have purchased the IP rubber tips but you could also pick those up at the hardware store just as easy.

Get the HQ tenor practice pad with the paying areas. Just using pillows doesn't really teach playing areas or sweeping or things like that. Get on a tenor as often as you can, and then use a bad all other times.

ok yea thanx for those who have responded so far and thanx to those in the future. I've played on the schools practice pad during class as much as I can and in the occasional absence of our band director I go to the marching drum room and get the real ones out and play. I have this upcoming year's cadence down. Now that school has started back Im gonna try and make trips to the band room during spare time in my other classes if I can.

Also, Instead of making your own tips, you can just get one of Vic Firth's Scot Johnson Sco Jo Sticks. Sorry If I spelled it worng, I use mine so much I have worn off the label and such on the stick.

Make sure you can play on one drum very well before you worry about tenor technique. If your technique/chops are good enough on one drum I'm sure your instructor would be thrilled to put you on tenors, learning to move around the drums once you have excellent playing technique is relatively simple.

definitely see if you can borrow the schools pad
i dont suggest using pillows right now; theyre more for chop building, which you can worry about later
also see if you can get lessons from someone who has tenor experience?
i was in the exact same situation as you last year (cymbals => bass 4 => tenors) and i got lessons from one of our tenors who was graduating
theyll definitely be able to give tips/exercises to help you get better

good luck

yea our band director is hiring a instructor for the line so we found out today so that'll help a lil bit woo, but yea im going to try to borrow the school's pad.