bass pedal techniques

[jererocker]

how can u get ur bass pedal faster cause im having a hard time?

[Monica McCoy]

I rescued a few circus monkeys from a refuge in Florida and trained them to operate my kick pedals. They groom themselves and like peanuts. You also need a permit to keep them as pets.

Hope that helps. Good luck.

[TurboThom]

Your speed can only improve through many, many repetitions.....practice. Practice the basic motions slowly for a while every day, giving all your focus to proper execution of the stroke. Use a metronome. Playing as fast as you can will just give you poor form, impeding your progress.

As far as pedal setup...find the fulcrum on the beaters. They're no different than sticks in this way....if you have the beater too high, it feels laggy and heavy. Too low and it will feel weak. I like to keep my springs tightened just past the point where they flop around....nice and loose, so it takes very little effort to execute the stroke. I used to play with very tight springs...some people like that. It's all personal preference.

There are some techniques for playing fast...heel toe and sliding come to mind...but it still breaks down to performing the motion thousands of times for muscle memory.

[Unevil]

Basically comes down to what Thom said, but regarding the 'fast as you can' part, I believe he means as fast as you can like going crazy. To build speed with hands OR feet, just start at a slow tempo that is easy for you to play with a metronome running. Bump the tempo up a little bit, 4-5 BPM is good. Play at each tempo for probably 20-50 measures of eighth notes, (or quarter notes if just 1 pedal) (some instructors suggest doing it for 100 measures, I find myself getting bored and tired with this though, as I end up getting a little fatigued from the repetition before I can even get to high tempos, but it is your choice) until you reach the highest tempo you can play WITH GOOD TECHNIQUE. That last part is very important, because it doesn't matter how fast you can slam out double bass, it is how fast and EVEN you can slam out double bass ^^. or single ^^. Anyways, if you keep doing this every day, you should notice after a bit that your max tempos get higher. It may take a while, but if you keep it up, I can guarantee you will improve speeds. (with the technique fitting in there, of course)

[jererocker]

thanks guys i'll try it :)

[Deathmetalconga]

Doing double stroke rolls and other rudiments with the feet is another good approach.

I just noticed it is rare to see a question here about pedal technique that isn't about double pedals.

[TurboThom]

Basically comes down to what Thom said, but regarding the 'fast as you can' part, I believe he means as fast as you can like going crazy.

Yes, I mean the point where your legs just lock up and you are just convulsing. The point where the ability to do clean, defined strokes start to suffer. Rudiments are a good idea. Just like when using your hands, increase the tempo a little bit. When you reach the point where you cannot play any faster while using perfect technique, slow it down at the same rate you had increased the tempo, until you are at the same tempo you'd started at.

I do a few exercises every day. I do them with my left foot on the hats or on the left bass drum pedal.

Here's one:
RF 2 bars of 8ths
LF 2 bars of 8ths
RF + LF 2 bars together 8ths, watch out for unintentional flams
RF + LF 2 bars alternating 16ths

Double strokes, using full strokes, then heel-toe, then sliding.
RF: 1e 2e 3e 4e (1) +a (2) +a (3) +a (4) +a
LF: 1e 2e 3e 4e (1) +a (2) +a (3) +a (4) +a
RF + LF: 1e 2e 3e 4e (1) +a (2) +a (3) +a (4) +a
Then LF + RF alternating to make 1e+a 2e+a 3e+a 4e+a 1e+a 2e+a 3e+a 4e+a

For really fast single pedal triplets, I use Heel, Toe, Slide, Heel, Toe, Slide. You will want to start out doing this motion very, very slowly and a bit exaggerated. Keep doing it very slowly for a month before moving up in tempo.

RF
_3_ _3_ _3_ _3_
HTSHTSHTSHTS

LF
_3_ _3_ _3_ _3_
HTSHTSHTSHTS

Then: RF 1-trip-let 2-trip-let LF 3-trip-let 4-trip-let
Reversed, LF 2 counts then RF 2 counts

Finally, RF 1-trip-let LF 2-trip-let RF 3-trip-let LF 4-trip-let
and the reverse, LF RF LF RF

I hope some of this helps.
-Thom

[jererocker]

thnx man ur the best

[drumdoc5645]

It can't be said enough that you want to start SLOW to get FAST. Be patient and don't rush the process. remember that you already can hear what you want to play, the trick is training your body to do what you're thinking. That simply comes down to muscle training. Repetative work outs are the only way to get better. Make sure you can play evenly and with different dynamics slowly and then move up a little in speed. This is just like body building, you can't go to the gym for a week and walk out looking like Arnold. It takes months of constant training so be patient and you'll be flying before you know it

[Davo-London]

Also make sure your pedal is adjusted properly to your style of play.

Davo

[Toza]

start very slowly with metronom - 100 heal up, 100 heal down and then 100 heal toe- then make 10 squats and increase metronom speed by 5 bpm;)

[austin412]

ive also been workn on my speed and it is a pretty hard thing to build one thing i found is that i keep adjusting my pedals the faster u go the more precise your pedal needs to be adjusted i have been doing alot of work with a metronome as well

that book encyclopedia of double bass drumming is a big help and i fully recomend it to everyone

another thing i do is i play to my deathklok cd I know this may sound random but that cd has alot of fast and simple double bass patterns and is alot of fun when im tired of playing with a metronome

the only other thing i do is i dont stop playing until my legs cant move any longer and i cant walk for the rest of the day

all in all its alot of work that is a slow processes but also dont forget to stretch and warmup and hope this helps
good luck

[JPendo]

there is also another trick and that is to have your bass drum head(the one you hit) tight. make sure your drum is got a nice big quilt and then have your bass pedal loose, this will give you great rebound and make it easier to get into a faster groove

[JT1]

I rescued a few circus monkeys from a refuge in Florida and trained them to operate my kick pedals. They groom themselves and like peanuts. You also need a permit to keep them as pets.

Hope that helps. Good luck.

As much as this post made me laugh it really gives no helpful advice so what's the point? I read about some of the senior members being funny towards junior members and stuff like this just proves the point.

We have all been there and all had a hard time, if it is single pedal you are on about, really nailing the basics is the key, start with steady rock beats, some AC/DC, ZZ Top (off the Eliminator album mainly) once you have got the slower songs down, switch it up a gear. Go for some Greenday for something a bit faster Tre's drumming is relatively straight forward but will get your single pedal foot speed up no problem. His hand endurance is also really good for faster songs. Also try difficult patterns but SLOWLY, it might take a while but a few excellent patterns to practice perhaps, Limp Bizkit (My Generation) Arctic Monkeys (Scummy Man).

A beat that will open up a lot of doors for you when you have it down is Run DMC vs Aerosmith (Walk this way). It teaches the oh so famous fast double then single.

Hope i have helped in some way. Best of luck.

[10105547]

i personally think that practising slow at very slow bpm will not increase speed as much as other methods. i play double bass, and have had my pedals for 8 months. i was able to reach 180bpm 16ths in less than 2 months. what i did was practice single foot starting at 165 bpm 8th notes. it doesnt matter if it isnt physically possible at first, just keep playing and try to follow as long as possible. take a break, and keep going at it. before u know it, u will already be comfortable at that bpm, and at that point u can raise the bpm by, say, to 170. right now my double kick is at 220 bpm 16ths and i can do 225 bpm 8th notes with my right foot if i blast single foot. always playing at my physical limit has improved my speed extremely fast, but i guess every1s different. just my 2 cents

[Bernhard]

I read about some of the senior members being funny towards junior members and stuff like this just proves the point.


not sure

Bernhard

[LinearDrummer]

As much as this post made me laugh it really gives no helpful advice so what's the point? .

.
Cause sometimes a lil' humor is needed with these same threads that are constantly started every week.

[schist]

As much as this post made me laugh it really gives no helpful advice so what's the point?

I agree. Where in Florida can this animal refuge be found? Where can one obtain the permit to keep the monkeys as pets, and what details are involved?

Shame on you, Ms McCoy.