doubbel bass help

sbowman128675 · Growing Lion Joined: 16 Dec 2006 Posts: 890

so the time has come for me to finaly get into some pwer metal doubble bass. i jsut got my new pearl eliminators and im doing okaye...i guess. but i wanna get faster, ad it seems wahtever i do i cant/.

so any suggestions would be great. i need help with foot and leg technique mostly, also wondering how i should tension my pedals, also wondering if the bass drum skin has alot to do with the speed.

im looking to get into alot of metal beats (mostly a7x, and nile)
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sbowman128675 · Growing Lion Joined: 16 Dec 2006 Posts: 890

common people. im lost in a pile of *Poop* and unknowen double bass knowledge. my right foot is well on its way, but my left sucks, and i cant get a solid beat on the doubles i got, and there were 600$!
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mellodge · Tadpole Joined: 12 May 2008 Posts: 17 Location: uk

A few pointers. You are right. Peddle tension and head tension are important.

First off, its imperative that you start getting used to keeping your back straight! Which you should do anyway regardless. If you have a natural tendency to crouch forward, you must get out of this habit. The height off your stool/throne is also very very important as is the quality, So if you dont have a descent stool ...Get one!

Double bass technique can vary from drummer to drummer, but in metal most people find what is known as the 'sweet spot' ,roughly around the center of the peddle, this is were tension comes in to play; to get speed, you almost flick the peddle with your feet, so the peddle does most of the work. You need strength in you thighs and hips to maintain these rudiments. You might want to try tensioning the peddle so that you get enough power by tapping it ,and fairly loose heads;just enough to take the wrinkles out the skin. Adjust peddle and heads to taste using what I said as a guide.

This technique generally requires that you sit fairly high. The only other thing I can suggest is riding a push bike or exercise bike, to strengthen your muscles, get a metronome and play to it starting of slow and building up as you get more comfortable.

Check out 'youtube' and search for 'joey jordison'and 'raymond herrara' who use the techniques I described...and just..watch!

good luck.
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kit: vintage rock pearl export racked,16" zildjian avedis,zildjian z crash, 21"sabian aax ride,14" axx fast hats,18"zildjian china,evan g2 heads,yamaha maple custom absolute 4" snare,gretsch 5" birch snare, mapex janus double peddle,5b vator sticks.

mellodge · Tadpole Joined: 12 May 2008 Posts: 17 Location: uk

Oh...I forgot to mention. Make sure your bass drums are sitting quite low at the front. Many people have a tendency to fully extend the legs of the drum.
You want your kicks to lie almost horizontal to allow the beater to extend fully.
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kit: vintage rock pearl export racked,16" zildjian avedis,zildjian z crash, 21"sabian aax ride,14" axx fast hats,18"zildjian china,evan g2 heads,yamaha maple custom absolute 4" snare,gretsch 5" birch snare, mapex janus double peddle,5b vator sticks.

gigeoffro · Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 2:01 pm Post subject:

When I first started double bass, to improve my left foot technique I would practice single bass for an hour with JUST my left foot. that way you don't just learn to play straight eights/sixteenths, you build independance with each limb and you can play different patterns when you apply it to double bass. It also will strenghen the muscles in your left leg. There are plenty of ways to learn double bass... this was just my approach and the approach I generally teach my students. either way, it all comes back to practice.

But tension does have to with it. thats just something you have to play with and find what feels comfortable to you. Mellodge made some good points especially about the "sweet spot." I've found on most pedals it just above the middle of the pedal.

Good Luck!!!
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sbowman128675 · Growing Lion Joined: 16 Dec 2006 Posts: 890

actually the second mellodge posted. i tired his idea, and its gotten me faster and better already. ive also been to the gym this morning working on my leg muscles. ive also set up my old old OLLLDDDD kit as a left handed 1, and im using it to get my left foots technique down.
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tylerdrummer · Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 2:47 pm Post subject:

what ever happened to the new kit you were going to get

sbowman128675 · Growing Lion Joined: 16 Dec 2006 Posts: 890

sbowman128675 · Growing Lion Joined: 16 Dec 2006 Posts: 890

so....this may sound like im impatient, but i need to know.

right now i can just barley keep a constant beat at 135, doing 16th notes. how long should it actually take for me to get closer to 200. im not saying im impatient, im just asking.
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gav · Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 2:59 am Post subject:

i don't know the answer to your latest question, but i recommend 'the encyclopedia of double bass drumming', i got it recently and it has helped me not only develop independance but also speed. i can almost do devildriver stuff now. only for about a minute though, then my puny leg muscles give up... but the book is definately good, i'm just a weakling

the most important thing i learnt at the beginning was to relax and not think about it too much. if you tense right up and try to go as fast as you can, it'll sound horrible and you won't get much speed, if you just relax it's a lot easier
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