doubles on single pedal???

Jorge89

Member
Ive been trying to practice my single pedal playing...but i cant seem to find a comfortable zone for my dw9000's...What do you guys recommend for technique, pedal tension, pedal board height, and beater height?
 
For technique I would suggest learning heel-toe, constant release, and the slide technique, all of them can help you achieve good solid doubles, and if you master them all you can combine them for increased effectiveness (for instance doing a constant release double then a slide to get an even powerful triple).
 
I mostly use heel toe for doubles. As far as the footboard and stuff goes, I like my footboard fairly high but that's all just preferance, try everything out and see what works best for you.
 
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yesh im just having problems with my pedal board height, and my tension i havent found something comfortable enough for me yet.
 
heel toe is not what i think would be best i wanna do stuff like tony royster, mike johnston, and aaron spears, basically gospel drummign stuff, im nto sure if they use the swivel or slide, but its perfect.
 
i play heel-toe cause its easier than slide/swivel cause i play barefeet.
 
heel toe is not what i think would be best i wanna do stuff like tony royster, mike johnston, and aaron spears, basically gospel drummign stuff, im nto sure if they use the swivel or slide, but its perfect.

Develop the heel-toe action enough and your foot will be strong enough, whatever the height or tension of the footplate.
 
Ive been trying to practice my single pedal playing...but i cant seem to find a comfortable zone for my dw9000's...What do you guys recommend for technique, pedal tension, pedal board height, and beater height?

Hello,

I currently use a DW9000 pedal myself.

I keep the cam set to "Turbo" mode (as opposed to "Accelerator" mode). According to DW, "Turbo" means there is a "direct relationship between the sprocket and the footboard."

To find the spring tension, I make sure it is loose enough that it feels pretty easy to make a stroke. I don't want to be fighting the pedal. However, it needs to be tight enough that it responds quickly when I do fast double strokes.

I find the beater angle by placing my foot on the pedal and completely relaxing. With my foot at rest like this, I want to see the beater hovering in the air at least a couple of inches from the drumhead (preferably 3-4 inches). If it's hovering too close to the head, I change the angle to get the desired clearance.

For double stroke technique, I use a movement that is almost like a reverse heel/toe stroke. In other words, my toe stroke goes first. Most times, when people do the toe stroke second, they end with their heel in the air. That greatly increases the odds of jamming the beater into the head and killing the resonance of the drum. Furthermore, I don't find that to be a comfortable position to finish in. I prefer ending in a relaxed position with my heel on the ground.

I hope this info helps. Best of luck!

Matt Ritter
Bass Drum Techniques For Today's Drummer
www.UnBuryingTheBeater.com
 
also make sure you beater hits the head evenly and not on the edge. it needs to make contact on the front ( part that is flat and smooth) and you want the beater rod to be parallel to the drum itself ( the head).
 
Thanks for the help guys, yeah the dw9000's are really good, im just having problems with the beater coming back fast.
 
heel toe is not what i think would be best i wanna do stuff like tony royster, mike johnston, and aaron spears, basically gospel drummign stuff, im nto sure if they use the swivel or slide, but its perfect.
It does not matter if youn use heel toe or slide or swivel doubles whatever works for you.

Tony Royster uses slide i think Mike does too.
practice heel down so you can feel the notes you playing as well
i use slide till I cant go any faster than I just tap the toes or use heel toe and swivel as well.
keep us posted on your progress
Tim
 
Hello,

I currently use a DW9000 pedal myself.

I keep the cam set to "Turbo" mode (as opposed to "Accelerator" mode). According to DW, "Turbo" means there is a "direct relationship between the sprocket and the footboard."

To find the spring tension, I make sure it is loose enough that it feels pretty easy to make a stroke. I don't want to be fighting the pedal. However, it needs to be tight enough that it responds quickly when I do fast double strokes.

I find the beater angle by placing my foot on the pedal and completely relaxing. With my foot at rest like this, I want to see the beater hovering in the air at least a couple of inches from the drumhead (preferably 3-4 inches). If it's hovering too close to the head, I change the angle to get the desired clearance.

For double stroke technique, I use a movement that is almost like a reverse heel/toe stroke. In other words, my toe stroke goes first. Most times, when people do the toe stroke second, they end with their heel in the air. That greatly increases the odds of jamming the beater into the head and killing the resonance of the drum. Furthermore, I don't find that to be a comfortable position to finish in. I prefer ending in a relaxed position with my heel on the ground.

I hope this info helps. Best of luck!

Matt Ritter
Bass Drum Techniques For Today's Drummer
www.UnBuryingTheBeater.com

thats what I do!! wow, your the first person ever that uses the same thing i do... i thought i was the only one, so i thought i was doing it "wrong" for a while. but it worked so well for me i never bothered to stop. i also called the "reverse" of heel-toe. and i also find the heeltoe a little uncomfortable. but i do have some problems...i rely on it too much, my strokes arnt perfectly even at times, and i kind of lag behind when it comes to faster parts. but isnt this technique basically constant release?
 
thats what I do!! wow, your the first person ever that uses the same thing i do... i thought i was the only one, so i thought i was doing it "wrong" for a while. but it worked so well for me i never bothered to stop. i also called the "reverse" of heel-toe. and i also find the heeltoe a little uncomfortable. but i do have some problems...i rely on it too much, my strokes arnt perfectly even at times, and i kind of lag behind when it comes to faster parts. but isnt this technique basically constant release?

yes Feddie Gruber told me this is what he has been teaching drummers since the early 50's as constant release because you are constantly releasing the pedal from the head.
You should not rely on any technique too much just use whatever you need to get the job done.
Mr.Vuk does heel toe on his right foot and toe heel on the left for smoother rolls
Tim
 
thats what I do!! wow, your the first person ever that uses the same thing i do... i thought i was the only one, so i thought i was doing it "wrong" for a while. but it worked so well for me i never bothered to stop. i also called the "reverse" of heel-toe. and i also find the heeltoe a little uncomfortable. but i do have some problems...i rely on it too much, my strokes arnt perfectly even at times, and i kind of lag behind when it comes to faster parts. but isnt this technique basically constant release?

Hey, Groceryman!

Glad my post struck a chord with you. To smooth out the rough edges you described, the answer is simply to practice, practice, practice!

Yes, the technique I use is very similar to "constant release" as demonstrated by Steve Smith in Drumset Technique/History Of The US Beat. I mention in my DVD that I was influenced by Steve's DVD, and Steve also gave me a testimonial for my DVD. So, you've definitely hit on a valid connection there. As Tim mentioned, these techniques are not new. Guys like Freddy Gruber have apparently known about them for decades.

However...I will say this: These techniques are still far from the norm. I've watched countless drummers over the years, and most of them have a very elementary ability on the bass drum...nothing like the sophisticated techniques we're discussing in this thread. The internet seems to be changing this in recent years. With online forums and videos, drum techniques of every sort are spreading around the world very quickly and becoming commonplace. It's exciting to think that the internet is elevating our entire art form at a pace that wasn't previously possible.

Best of luck with your drumming!
 
get the slide technique down
but learning different techniques will enhance your playing, different methods for different situations
 
I've never really liked the heeltoe. There's a tap dancing move called the "flap." Watch some videos demonstrating it and do that motion on your pedal. It works better than any other technique I've tried.
 
I've never really liked the heeltoe. There's a tap dancing move called the "flap." Watch some videos demonstrating it and do that motion on your pedal. It works better than any other technique I've tried.
That's the "slide" technique that gets mentioned so much on this thread.
 
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