Using Stick Control For Feet Single Pedal

I've so often seen comments about using Stick Control for your feet to improve them, how would you do that with a single pedal?
I'm guessing if you use a double pedal you'd just use right / left foot instead of right / left hand, do I use the Hihat for the lefts ???? If I do and as I try and pick up speed surely the Hihats will massively limit it as tehre's no rebound like a kick drum ????
Any pointers greatly appreciated !!!!

Yes. Do it, do anything, everything helps lol.

Try the patterns from any page with any two limbs over an ostinato of the other two limbs. Or just the patterns with your bass and hat, then add limbs to challenge your 4-way. Unlocking the independence in your left foot is a real challenge, but very rewarding, don't let a lack of rebound scare you. You can try the same lines with a splash of the hats instead of a click and see your hi-hat vocabulary skyrocket.

I usually assign either the R's or L's to my right foot, and leave the other to one of my hands. It's a great way to strengthen the interaction between your foot and hands.

So take page 5, and say that all "R"'s will instead be your left hand on the snare.. and all "L"'s will be your right foot. Then put different left foot/hi hat patterns over it (ie. quarter notes, 8th notes, upbeats, etc).. you can also add the right hand on the ride or something, and assign different rhythms to that.

Start very slow, especially if you plan to do one pattern straight into the next, cause you'll end up running into some parts where you do 4 kick drums in a row and what not.

I think, before going off on all kinds of tangents with this limb here, and that limb there - just put your feet flat on the floor and go through the book, heel down. You can do it without pedals, just on the floor. Then you can move on to heel up, but do heel down first. It's also really great if you have a double pedal - again, heel down first, letting the beater come off of the head. Your left hi-hat foot will benefit, even though your playing a double pedal.

Practice each exercise for one minute, a page a week (upping the tempo each day...). Stick Control is a great calisthenic book - use it that way first - then you can try mixing up limbs, etc. Combinations are endless with this book...

Witterings said:

I've so often seen comments about using Stick Control for your feet to improve them, how would you do that with a single pedal?
I'm guessing if you use a double pedal you'd just use right / left foot instead of right / left hand, do I use the Hihat for the lefts ???? If I do and as I try and pick up speed surely the Hihats will massively limit it as tehre's no rebound like a kick drum ????
Any pointers greatly appreciated !!!!

Click to expand...

If you want to go through ANY good stick exercise it can be applied to the feet
hi hat or bass drum pedal just means different sound sources you'll have to listen MORE
watch my Sabian video and tell me where the hi hat limits the speed of the feet?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbpA6svz7Xg
Hope this helps
Tim

Thanks to everyone for all the, have had a load of fun experimenting with this over the weekend, mixing it up and trying all the variations suggested any way I can and already feel it's opening doors and helping to improve technique, made me realise just how weak my left foot is in comparison and really getting muscle burn my left shin !!!!

Tim,
Have been meaning to get a copy of your DVD for the last few weeks as I've been really struggling to get my right foot to do what I want it to for a few years now, do you know if it's stocked on the shelf in the UK at all or is it only available mail order from abroad ??