I need double bass help

I have an issue I could really use help with. Recently I severely strained the muscles in my lower back somehow (I'm not even sure how I did it). I still deal with some pain as is and that was about 3 weeks ago.

Enter my problem. When I play double bass I do so by running on the pedals from the legs (for all speeds). Now when I do this it makes my back hurt because of the strained muscles (when I'm playing fast. But also a bit when I'm playing slow). I never had this problem before I hurt my back.

I have experimented with different techniques to remedy this. But here are the issues I"m having with each one: Heels down makes my achilles tendon on my right foot really hurt (I think I've developed tendonitis in my right achilles tendon. I really believe drumming didn't cause this, but sadly drumming heels down now effects it). Holding my heels just a little off the pedals and just using my ankles kills my lower back (always has even before I hurt my back recently). Using the swivel technique makes my left foot feel uncomfortable. Heel toe (done like this: heel, heel, toe, toe) seems to feel pretty good to my body, but the sound seems to be very inconsistent (it's like I get a weird combination of accents and un-accents. I assume this could be fixed to where all the notes are equally loud?).

So my question is, considering all that I've told you, which technique should I use for double bass? This is really stressing me out and worrying me because I don't know what to do. Any thoughts?

I've been having some problems with my back against the position and posture. Do not play the double bass but play a hardcore fast. I've been seeing in many forums and places much of the problem may be the quality of the throne and height, I'm going to a physical therapist because I'm got a column detour because of this, this is a serious problem and has to be careful.

In relation to the pain you're experiencing... I would recommend having manual therapy such a massage on your hamstrings, your ITB(illio-tibial band)/TFL(tensior fascia latae), quads and your hip flexors at least.

These are the muscles that are predominately involved with the movements of double bass. If they aren't in a healthy state then you will experience pain, often in the lower back region.

In combination with this, strengthen your core muscles. This solid core is essential when dealing with back pain and helps a lot with drumming too. Should help quite a bit.

I know very little about physical therapy. But common sense tells me to consult a chiropractor or physical therapist. They may even recommend various exercises to remedy the condition. My wife works for a chiropractic office and some offer inexpensive "first visits". Even how you sleep (body/spine position) can affect how you feel the next day.

Common sense also suggests using a technique that does not inflame the injury. Enter HEEL TOE (or the interlaced version: H-H-T-T).

After a long (25 years) absence, I accidentally stumbled upon this technique. It is a very natural movement for the shins, ankles and ball of foot - as if you are walking. So now instead of "running" on your pedals, try "walking". The interlaced version (H-H-T-T) can be developed to sound more natural than HTHT. Yes, it is going to take some practice. When I picked up double pedals 6 months ago, they were longboard - direct drives. I had used a single DW9000 pedal, so it was a very new learning experience.

For about 2 months, I was getting that ugly uneven volume and accents. The only way for me was to go slowly at first, to a metronome and gradually increase each time. If you're crazy like me, you can even record practice to analyze the strokes. It's not going to happen overnight, but it is an extremely effecient "2 for 1" method.

Don't get a 90 degree posture on your legs, make it more like 100-120 degrees so your body will get more balanced when doing some fast double-bass rolls or whatever. It will get you more power when using heel-up and maybe it will help you with your muscles that are being hurt. I learned about this new positioning in "Extreme Metal Drumming 101 with Flo Mounier".

BigDinSD said:

I know very little about physical therapy. But common sense tells me to consult a chiropractor or physical therapist. They may even recommend various exercises to remedy the condition. My wife works for a chiropractic office and some offer inexpensive "first visits". Even how you sleep (body/spine position) can affect how you feel the next day.

Common sense also suggests using a technique that does not inflame the injury. Enter HEEL TOE (or the interlaced version: H-H-T-T).

After a long (25 years) absence, I accidentally stumbled upon this technique. It is a very natural movement for the shins, ankles and ball of foot - as if you are walking. So now instead of "running" on your pedals, try "walking". The interlaced version (H-H-T-T) can be developed to sound more natural than HTHT. Yes, it is going to take some practice. When I picked up double pedals 6 months ago, they were longboard - direct drives. I had used a single DW9000 pedal, so it was a very new learning experience.

For about 2 months, I was getting that ugly uneven volume and accents. The only way for me was to go slowly at first, to a metronome and gradually increase each time. If you're crazy like me, you can even record practice to analyze the strokes. It's not going to happen overnight, but it is an extremely effecient "2 for 1" method.

Click to expand...

I agree with you that I should go with the H-H-T-T for fast double bass (I can do the slow running double bass without any pain. It;s the fast running that hurts my back).

Now I just have to get the H-H-T-T to sound strong and even.