Helpout Concept: Left foot hi-hat - time keeping

[h3r3tic]

I used to ignore the concept of the left foot hitting tha hats to keep time for some years. But know I find it very beneficial and very musical - ofcourse I don't ALWAYS keep time with my left foot because I do use double bass a lot... but everytime I have the oportunity to use it, I do...

So... Is it normal when we begain to introduce this concept of left-foot keeping time on the hats a bit sloppy at the beggining? Yes! very normal thing...

So how do I practise my left foot to keep time on the hats?

Here it goes:

1st -> Frist thing's first! Imagine that you couldn't hit the hats with your hand when you groove, how could you resolve this problem using the hats without your hand? With your left foot ofcourse :D

2nd -> Start hitting quarter-notes with your left foot on the hats with a click track (START SLOW, But not too slow) do this until you feel confortable with it ;)

3rd -> While playing quarter-notes with your left foot on the hats, play a ver simple groove... let's try a simple rock groove (Bass drum on the 1 and 3 and Snare drum on the 2 and 4) with the left foot still on the hats... DON'T ADD the right hand on the ride cymbal for now... just keep playing the hats with your left foot on the quarter-notes (1, 2, 3, 4; Right foot playing the Bass drum on the 1, 3; left hand playing the Snare drum on the 2, 4... Kepp playing this way for a while until you feel confortable

4th -> Once, you feel ok with the 3rd step I explained, try to add the right-hand playing Quarter-notes. Once you feel confortable playing this way try and change the ride cymbal pattern to 8th-notes and then 16th-notes or ANY other ride pattern.

5th -> Feeling good now with your left foot adding to the simple rock groove? COOL! then change the left foot patterns from quarter-notes to 8th notes but still keep the rock groove...

Once, you feel ok with the five steps I gave you, try and experiment with other grooves with your right foot on the bass drum and left hand on snare drum while keeping time on the hats with your left foot..

Well, This concept is helping me A LOT! and will help you too!I garantie you!
I'm not 100% on this because I just started practise this concept on my practise routine, but belive me, It is helping so much!

Give it try and let me know what you think :D
Thanks!

[jayp]

Awesome post. great exercise I will be working my hi-hat grooves out this way from now on.

[oops]

Good stuff. I love putting the hi-hat on the ands of every beat.

Fills out quarter note rock beats a whole ton.

Another exercise my teacher showed me is where you do fast 8th notes with the hi-hat. If you do an 8th note groove with the right hand on hats as well, it should line up perfectly and sound really crip.

Now throw in occasional off-beat 16ths with your left on the hi-hat, it'll catch the hi-hat when its open. Or go to an all out 16th hi-hat feel, and it's an open-close-open-close type disco feel.

Also heaps cool to put into fills.

[GrooveSlave]

As this capability develops, you can start to just use the HH on 2 and 4 or on the offbeats in an 8th note groove. I've been working on developing this lately. Since I could use a little more time on the kit than my life permits, I have been working my legs while off the kit. I suggest this:

Whenever you're sitting, do the heel toe thing with your left foot (HH foot). Heel on the 1 and 3, toe on the 2 and 4. I also do this in the car when listening to music. Add right foot quarter notes and work on hitting at EXACTLY the same time with both feet.

I'm working on getting the left foot to move completely independently of anything else my body is doing. After about a year of this, it's almost second nature.

[Deathmetalconga]

I've been using my left foot consistently for 25 years of playing and h3r3tic's tips are useful and I'll be putting them to work. I learn new stuff here all the time!

Another fun thing is to add foot percussion and play 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. patterns by moving your foot between the pedals. Your left foot is still playing the pulse, but you might hit the foot percussion twice in a row, move to one beat on the hihat, then back to two beats on the twice, and so on.

[sssssssss]

Great!
I'd also add that a nice thing to practice is splashing the hi-hats with the left foot instead of just "chicking":)) them, because it does 2 things a drummer might like: 1- it provides a looser, more relaxed feel that is a bit easier to adapt to without so many stool balance problems (because for me this is the greatest challenge when keeping time with the hats, even if I do it heel down) and 2- it sounds more complex, it adds a bit of a background sound (especially to a solo) that makes you sound fuller - I always think about Weckl's post-2000 solos when doing this - it sounds like he's having more limbs than necessary...