Question about Playing Heel Up

[sciomako]

Hi,

I've just started my drum lessons. I used to play heel down. The teacher showed me how to do heel up. Basically this is way he executes it:

- Instead of putting the entire foot on the pedal, put the toe at approx. the centre of pedal
- Heel off the ground/pedal when idle
- Beater off the drum when idle
- When preparation for the kick, start with lifting the entire leg.
- He explained it's like moeller, the whipping motion

I'm in the process of practicing this. So far so good.

But I watched Igoe's Groove Essential last night and noticed Tommy's heel up is slightly different. When idle, his heel is on the ground/pedal.

I know there isn't a single best way. But I'm wondering how other drummers do it. I find that with my teacher's approach, I can't relax my leg because i need to leave the beater off the drum. The spring takes some of the weight of my leg, but not all.

[TheGroceryman]

Yea i dont understand this "burying the beater" thing. A lot of guys say you should never play a bass stroke and keep the beater on the drum. It "ruins" the tone. But i try it and i have no idea how they can possibly do that without being EXTREMELY uncomfortable all the time. Keeping your leg up in the air throughout an entire song? that seems painful.

Plus, i've never seen 1 drummer EVER play like this. I recently saw Steve Gadd, Gavin Harrison, and Todd Suchermann, all of them "buried the beater."

If someone could clear this up, i would be grateful.

[ermghoti]

- Instead of putting the entire foot on the pedal, put the toe at approx. the centre of pedal

Should be farther towards the chain, like 2/3-3/4. I can see the "Iron" in "Iron Cpbra" on my pedals.

- Heel off the ground/pedal when idle

Counter-productive, energy-wasting, unless it's momentary, during a series of closely-spaced strokes. He might be suggesting as an exercise, or point of emphasis. Rest your heel by pulling your toes up, slide back if you're going to rest for a while.

- Beater off the drum when idle

I'll go with that. See above.

- When preparation for the kick, start with lifting the entire leg- He explained it's like moeller, the whipping motion

Sounds right. Make sure you bring your foot up "cocked, and don't push off against the beater, or you'll get an unintentional ghost stroke.

[MattRitter]

Yikes! I know I'm biased, but I would recommend that you get a copy of my DVD as quickly as humanly possible. Start out by loaning it to your teacher. The two of you can work through the exercises together. What you're doing right now sounds extremely hard on the hip muscles, not to mention the issue of balance. How on Earth are you balancing with one leg held in the air the whole time? It sounds like your teacher has heard some things about "Unburying The Beater" and has run with his ideas on it before getting the full story.

When done correctly, "Unburying The Beater" will not threaten your balance and comfort. In fact, just the opposite. I recently got a note from David Garibaldi telling me that he was having some balance problems at the drumset, and he found my DVD to be helpful. Again, I recommend that you order the DVD immediately or sooner, before you end up with a muscle strain or some other injury. Put all bass drum practicing on hold until you receive it!

In the meantime, browse through my previous Drummer World posts. I have nearly 300 posts, and a large percentage of them are about bass drum technique. You can also contact Modern Drummer magazine to get a copy of my December 2004 article entitled "Unburying The Beater." All of that should help a bit. The DVD is definitely your best bet since it's over 2 hours long, and could not possibly be encapsulated in writing. Once you get the DVD, feel free to email me through my website with any follow-up questions you might have about the material. Same goes for your teacher.

Best of luck to you!

[dairyairman]

yeah man, i agree with everything your drum teacher says except leaving your heel up all the time. that's too tiring! i always set my heel down during idle times.

[Drummertist]

I play heel up and don't bury the beater at all. It's not difficult, and I don't feel like I'm having to float my leg the whole time. THAT WOULD BE TERRIBLE. I find that my spring tension and my throne and leg/foot position will keep the beater off the drum 1" to 2" after every stroke with my leg fully relaxed.

It's not hard, just have to learn what YOU like and what works for you (most comfortable ect.) Try moving your throne around a little and see if that makes it easier.

EDIT: Also, when I'm not playing my bass, I leave my heel up. It's just what I'm used to doing.

[sciomako]

Plus, i've never seen 1 drummer EVER play like this. I recently saw Steve Gadd, Gavin Harrison, and Todd Suchermann, all of them "buried the beater."

Steve Gadd leaves the beater off the drum in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py0FdS-e960

Did he modify his techniques since the early days?

[sciomako]

Thanks for everyone's input.

Matt, your infommercial sold me. Darn it. I'm getting a copy.

[MattRitter]

Thanks for everyone's input.

Matt, your infommercial sold me. Darn it. I'm getting a copy.

hahaha

Have fun with it, and touch base with me a bit down the road to let me know how it's going. I'm not always on the forum, so email me through my website. Good luck!