Double bass drumming contribution thread

Saurencaerthai · King Kong Joined: 24 Sep 2002 Posts: 2609

So, I think it's about time (and I'm sure that other members will agree) that an official stickied thread on double bass technique is needed, as people seem to be arriving here and asking the same questions over and over again. What I would like to do this time around is sticky this thread for a period to accumulate your own exercises, tips, techniques, and other pieces of advice in relation to double bass drumming. What I will do is create a stickied thread in the Technique forum and add the edited contributed material. I will do my best to credit everyone.

For the sake of making everyone's life easier (or more specifically, mine,) please, please, PLEASE make your best effort to use resonable grammar, capitalization, and punctuation. The clearer you are, the less work I have to do, the more likely your piece gets up on the sticky.
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styles2281 · Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2005 11:51 am Post subject:

Alright, guys. Not that humor isn't appreciated, but let's try and, at least, ATTEMPT to put serious posts in here.
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One day I feel I'm ahead of the wheel
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jamison · Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2005 1:09 pm Post subject:

Ok for problems such as sucking one day and being great the next. On the day you're not doing so well, slow down. Get a metrenome and just do slow singles as evenley and smooth as you can....speed is not an issue that will come with time. It's all about practice, set your pedals so they feel the best to YOU... what your friends pedals are at doesn't have any bearing on this.

Foot position on the pedal is iffy for some people, I like just below the center but that's just me, test around to find the area that seems to give the smoothest flow and rebound.

Heel-Toe, does not actually involve your hee. The name refers to the rocking motion going on, it is actualy ball of your foot-toe.

As for which pedal is better than another. GO TRY IT our opinion is just that, an opinion. You have to test it out yourself in order to find which one suits your personal needs.

blu_kobra · Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2005 1:28 pm Post subject:

I use heel toe for hi hats only. As for bass, heel up for faster punchier bass, and heel down for smoother warmer bass.
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blu_kobra · Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2005 12:48 pm Post subject:

What is smoother, chain drive or strap? With all the new technology these days, I dont know whats smoother.
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Exzilibus · Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2005 4:42 pm Post subject:

Here's my descriptions of the Heel-Toe & Slide Techniques.

Useful tip: PRACTICE BOTH IN SOCKS ONLY!!

HEEL-TOE TECHNIQUE: The heel-toe-technique is a method that gives you TWO hits for every SINGLE leg movement...therefore DOUBLING your speed.

First, practice making a regular kick strike with ONLY your heel on the very bottom of the footboard. Get comfortable with the right amount of tension needed to make a regular strike. Once you're good with that...try the whole motion. When pushing your leg down, you must tilt your foot at a 45 degree angle so that the heel makes the 1st strike at the bottom of the footboard. Gravity will then bring your toes down at the top for the 2nd strike. Still 1 movement though.

That's the concept but the ONLY way to fully understand it is to do it. At first I couldn't figure out the right angle of my foot to cause 2 strikes or at least 2 CLEAN strikes. It took me about an hour of trying on my kit until I ACCIDENTALLY got it. Then the more I practiced and experimented, the less accidental it got.

If you have a double pedal, then teach this to your other foot - By alternating feet with this method, you will be able to produce more kick notes then you would want to ever actually use in a song.

DRAWBACKS: I would recommend using heel-toe for certain parts and not all the time because it never seems as powerful as the regular way. You must get really good with it to be consistent...otherwise it just sounds sloppy

SLIDE TECHNIQUE: Rest the ball of your foot on the "sweet spot" of the pedal (usually just above the middle of the pedal). The actual TRICK to Slide is memorizing the tension needed to do it correctly but the next step is to do a "lightning tap" with the ball of your foot on the sweet spot. What I mean by lightning tap is using JUST enough pressure to make a normal kick strike but NOT more than that. Your foot should not leave the pedal during this technique. After the lightning tap strike, slide your foot up about an inch or two to cause the second strike. With the right tension, the pedal/beater kind of bounce between your foot and the bass drum to cause this double hit. Learn this with your stronger foot and then teach it to the other. It IS possible that your leg muscles aren't strong or flexible enough to do this easily so keep practicing until that changes.

LATER ON: To achieve 3 or 4 hits at a time: Just slide your foot up another inch.

hcantu84 · Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 1:33 pm Post subject:

Exzilibus · Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 1:53 pm Post subject:

http://www.pearldrummersforum.com/showthread.php?t=100222&page=2&pp=12

This link has a series of videos about Heel-Toe & Slide Techniques that are EXTREMELY helpful. If the link doesn't work, go to Pearldrummersforum.com - Then go to the General Drum Set Discussions section and look for a topic called "Double Bass (Specifically heel-toe) as requested..."

Very helpful info in that entire thread so read the whole thing!

Exzilibus · Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 2:08 pm Post subject:

MODERN DRUMMER - March 2002:

"CHAIN VS STRAP DRIVE"
"Q. Several models of bass drum pedals give you the option of chain or strap drive. On some brands the chain drive hooks into a sprocket, while the strap drive lays in a felt-lined channel. But on other brands, both drive systems use the channel. If the pedal does not have a sprocket for the chain to hook onto, what would be the benefits of the chain over the strap??

A. All other factors being equal, a chain linkage is generally accepted to be stronger than a strap, and thus less likely to break under hard use. Also, it cannot stretch, so its action will always be the same. These factors don't change, whether the chain engages a sprocket or lays in a track.
A nylon or other strap is generally a little more flexible than a chain, providing a lighter, faster response. However, some straps can stretch under hard use, thus affecting the stroke lenght and overall feel of the pedal. Also, under extreme circumstances, even a nylon web strap can break. In a recent Ask a Pro response, Mike Bordin mentioned that he prefers the feel of a strap-drive pedal, so he doubles the strap to increase durability."

hcantu84 · Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2005 12:01 pm Post subject:

Thanks man.
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MitsosVibe · Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 1:43 pm Post subject:

Double bass pedal:I like to have my left foot ready for anything that may jump in mind in the middle of a song...So in some songs where there is double bass playing as well as hi hat tricks,I keep the back of my foot on the hi-hat pedal and with the heel I do some simple fill-ins wherever it is needed.Yet,when the time comes for 16th or 32nd note double kicking,I place it in the natural position and ... here comes the pain. Smile

After that I may place the foot solely on the hi-hat pedal if there's more soft stuff going on or even when a there's a song break where I just need to keep the rythm with the hi-hat and maybe some rimshots.So what is necessary to do before you incorpotate this thing in your playing is to find a sweetspot where you can place your hi-hat so that it is comfortable to play on while having its pedal as near as possible to the double bass pedal.Practice songs with many changes between double bass and non-double bass parts,where you will practice changing your foot's position every time that it's needed.Practice using half of your foot on each piece of hardware.To come to an end,all this is quite necessary in some cases where you want to play double bass while playing on the hi hat but in the same time don't want to have the hi hats open-in which case there would be loudness and you would ruin the sound:burry the singers voice or the guitar solo..

1)Sorry for the big post
2)Hope you understand what I 'm trying to say here-I believe it is quite important.Thanks Wink

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malaphor · Labrador Joined: 08 Aug 2005 Posts: 302 Location: England

heres another one for you lot my secondary pedal on my double bass pedal keeps slipping aroud the floor do it makes it very diffucult to play. is there anyway of stopping the moving around or reduceing it? thanks all

jamison · Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 11:24 am Post subject:

MitsosVibe · Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 12:31 pm Post subject:

Yeah the best way to avoid this is to have a carpet under the whole drumset.This improves the overall condition as well as the sound projected towards the room you play in.
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lilblakdak · Labrador Joined: 21 Sep 2005 Posts: 313