foot control

[tonys protege]

hi, this isnt another "i want to play fast thread", iv'e been drumming for some time and am working on my grade 8 but just find i cant get the control on my bass drum that i need for my exam, iv'e been working on it for ages and just wondered if anyone had any good ideas? i have size 14 feet (UK) and i think this might be part of the problem.
any response is welcome ben

[Paradiddle my snizzle]

Well, you could learn how to play with your heel down.

[tonys protege]

um thanks, but how would that help? usually people say heel up has more control...

[Martal]

You're right,heel up does have more control although it needs more endurance (IMO)

[Stu_Strib]

I think you got it backwards. Heel down gives you way more control, but lacks the volume needed for louder drumming. Also, footsize is a common misconception about having a hard time playing.

[rockitman]

hi, this isnt another "i want to play fast thread", iv'e been drumming for some time and am working on my grade 8 but just find i cant get the control on my bass drum that i need for my exam, iv'e been working on it for ages and just wondered if anyone had any good ideas? i have size 14 feet (UK) and i think this might be part of the problem.
any response is welcome ben

TP,
The most effective way I have found to gain foot control on your bass drum pedal is to simply play as often as you can.
Drill yourself for longer periods of time than you have been.
I like to warm up by using a foot control excercise that is simply playing 16th notes, heel down, with a metronome at a slow tempo. 60-75 bpm.
Focus on keeping time and dynamic symmetry. All the notes should be played at the same velocity without any accent whatsoever. This will also show how far you are moving the the beater and the pedal and what your foot does naturally when you play each note.
The actual foot mechanics are vital when it comes to control. So observe your natural movement. When it sounds and feels right, repeat it over and again.
Boring and tedious but fundementals always are.
Oh, it does not really matter what notes you are playing. 1/4s 8ths trips 16ths all apply the same technique with little variation in motion or mechanics.
Again, repetition is the key.
The size of your feet has little to do with any of it. Get that out of your head, it is reckless overthought.

[Paradiddle my snizzle]

Well, i've had heel down all my life, and i have total control. I often hear guys saying; "yeah i use heel down when i play jazz, but heel up when i play anything louder" The problem is that these guys rarely play jazz, so they've actually never practised to play loud with heel down. I don't know if Stu has practised it?? But i can play so loud that the bass drum and the 12" and 13" toms shake - and i think that's loud enough, otherwise i will use microphones, but then it's so loud i need microphones on everything...

[theduke86]

A great way to develop BD control is to go through the Ted Reed book, any page will work. Play RLRLRLRL in eighth notes with your hands continously, play the notes on the solo line with your feet and accent your hands. This gets your hands and feet working together, and forces your feet to catch up to your hands.

[wolfp]

This one is interesting:
http://www.drummerworld.com/Videos/Zoroexpmd2005.html

In the middle of this vid Zoro explains that he uses some kind of bounce technique to produce quick doubles on the BD. It is also visible that for very short time the petal leaves his foot when doing so.

Does anyone of you know some more resources about this technique and how to develope it? (It always looks so easy...)

Regards,
Wolf

[Stu_Strib]

I don't know if Stu has practised it?? But i can play so loud that the bass drum and the 12" and 13" toms shake - and i think that's loud enough, otherwise i will use microphones, but then it's so loud i need microphones on everything...

I play about 60/40 heel up/down. I'm not making up the volume issue though, as it is covered in most jazz fundamental dvds. It is like a full stroke vs. a medium stroke. Check out the Ed Soph dvd for a better explanation. I agree with your assesment though, that you can play loudly with heel down too.

It isn't volume per se, it is how much power is behind the stroke. I can play faster and more precise heel down, but I can't sustain more than maybe 10 seconds of repetitive heel down double bass notes, for example. I can play all day heel up and doubles, but it isn't as precise and solid time wise as heel down.

[syaoran05]

This one is interesting:
http://www.drummerworld.com/Videos/Zoroexpmd2005.html

In the middle of this vid Zoro explains that he uses some kind of bounce technique to produce quick doubles on the BD. It is also visible that for very short time the petal leaves his foot when doing so.

Does anyone of you know some more resources about this technique and how to develope it? (It always looks so easy...)

Regards,
Wolf

i saw this too... i wanted to try it out, but i cant make the beater bounce... >.<

[DillingerEscp]

play with a metronome very slowly. when you go really slow it forces you to find the beat, then (its not a matter of endurance) its all about controlling exactly when you want to hit.

Set the metronome at like. 40 or 50, then hit each click.

[wolfp]

i saw this too... i wanted to try it out, but i cant make the beater bounce... >.<

Yes, me too :/ ... so I'm looking for more to approach this... it seems a little different from double stroke with the sticks, because it's hard to practice it slowly (the spring makes the petal moving fast all the time)

Maybe someone else knows something about that stuff...(?!)

[syaoran05]

Yes, me too :/ ... so I'm looking for more to approach this... it seems a little different from double stroke with the sticks, because it's hard to practice it slowly (the spring makes the petal moving fast all the time)

Maybe someone else knows something about that stuff...(?!)


in my case i try bouncing the beater but it wont.. i play it heel down like on the video but if feels heavy after i hit the batter head. i tried lifting my foot up [still heel down] but it puts too much strain on my muscles. i tried it also heel up but my foot felt so heavy so i cant continue the momentum of the strokes. i heard its supposed to feel like a wave motion [prolly something like the pedal on an old school sewing machine... maybe its coz the beater i used that time is a felt beater. well, i cant make my friend change it to a power beater, its his kit... :P

[incubotic]

Learn the heel-toe technique. It is quite easy. Make sure you're applying gladstone methods to your foot technique as well. allow the beater to bounce back after the inital hit. Check out the sticky with Derrick's vids at the top.

[beatsMcGee]

go to vicfirth.com and then click on the second video under tony royster jr.. they give a AWESOME close up of him doing really fast doubles on single pedal... you can slow it down frame by frame and see EXACTLY how he does it... this is a great reference.. check it out.. has nothing to do with foot size,

good luck

[Paradiddle my snizzle]

I play about 60/40 heel up/down. I'm not making up the volume issue though, as it is covered in most jazz fundamental dvds. It is like a full stroke vs. a medium stroke. Check out the Ed Soph dvd for a better explanation. I agree with your assesment though, that you can play loudly with heel down too.

It isn't volume per se, it is how much power is behind the stroke. I can play faster and more precise heel down, but I can't sustain more than maybe 10 seconds of repetitive heel down double bass notes, for example. I can play all day heel up and doubles, but it isn't as precise and solid time wise as heel down.

And i agree with you to - Heel up will always have the ability to be louder.
I just wanted to make a point so people wont get discouraged, because of so many who claims "you cant play loud with heel down".

[wolfp]

Make sure you're applying gladstone methods to your foot technique as well. allow the beater to bounce back after the inital hit.

That was a pretty good hint, I must say! I found out that I actually were going a litttle back at first, before each stroke to cach some "sweep", getting the beater going, but this holds you back in matter of speed. So right now I practice keeping the foot relaxed and then doing a "straight" hit without the initial back motion, and that really improoves my speed on the pedal (I always had problems with that)

Thanks,
Wolf

[torben]

um thanks, but how would that help? usually people say heel up has more control...


Not in my opinion at least heel down i play for precision, heel up for power and speed...

[emmerson]

the best foot control in my opinion is to use both hell up and heel down but in the right places heel down if you dont need to be loud and are playing for long period of time heel up if you need to accent and or play louder and so on

[ILikeMacs]

practice slowly to a mtroneome man. and use more ankle at faster and more leg as you get slower. this helped me.

[jazzin']

A great way to develop BD control is to go through the Ted Reed book, any page will work. Play RLRLRLRL in eighth notes with your hands continously, play the notes on the solo line with your feet and accent your hands. This gets your hands and feet working together, and forces your feet to catch up to your hands.

This is a cool exercise to do. As an extra little extension on this once you have it down, do exactly the same thing then take the hand that plays the accent with the foot away so your playing the BD in between. Both of these are really great practical exercises.

Another one you could do as a warm up to this is to set your metronome on maybe 60-80bpm, hands play eighth notes, BD quarter notes for two or four bars then eighth notes for 2 or 4 then triplets, sixteenths and go back to quarter notes (or backwards down to quarter notes). Repeat. Many times.