Critique my foot technique please.

B

Bradastronaut

Senior Member
http://youtu.be/ZHkSQylHa2g
Right, so i wanting honest feedback on my foot technique, i will be posting a video of my hands another day, when we have sun. Like should i start with my foot a bit further down the board. How even are my strokes etc. I mean i know my timing is a bit off on my hand but that was the nerves of being recorded :p
Thanks :D
 
Strokes aren't too bad. You're burying the beater into the head. It looks like you're sitting way too high, though, based on the angle of your foot.
 
Thanks a lot, i noticed my foot looked like it was at a pretty uncomfortable angle from the video, even though it doesnt feel awkward, i will give lowering my seat a try. I do feel like im sitting OVER the drums a lot of the time rather than within them. I dont know how to resolve the burying problem though..
 
I don't know what music you're interested in, I have many, but I've learned through double bass that you need to sit slightly higher than a complete 90' degree bend at your knees(obtuse)

With your thighs pointing down slightly. And it looks like your right above your pedals, I've heard from many(and it works for me) that you need a to have the lower portion of your leg also at an angle, with your knee further away from your kit than your ankle.

And yes, you are burying the beater a bit.
 
Bradastronaut said:
How can i prevent the beater burial, i understand the angles and everything...
I wish my teachers had pointed these out :p
Click to expand...

I think the throne height/posture will help with the beater burying issue. Essentially it looks as though you're "standing" on your pedals to support your weight (based on what I can see of your left foot).

I've found that having my throne just slightly higher than the point of parallel thighs is the sweet spot. When it's actually parallel, if you play heel up, you actually have to pick your leg up beyond parallel. Whereas, if you sit slightly higher than parallel, when you raise your leg, it actually comes parallel.
 
Yeah i agree with the other replies in regard to angles- complete right angles doesn't feel natural to me.
I think however it's important to "rest your leg" ,especially your heel, on the floor. This will also help prevent you burying the beater.
In other words when you aren't playing the kick your heel is entirely off the floor and the beater is buried, whereas your heel should be on the ground and as a result the pedal will be off the head.

Hope that helps :)
 
To not bury the beater, you have to let the beater rebound from the head. Which means you need to get your ftoes out of the way, pronto. IMO you should practice your kick pedal technique heel down with a full rebound. Get those toes up immediately after you strike the bass drum head.
 
Thanks for the advice guys, much appreciated :)
I tried to let my foot leave the pedal after each hit but it sounds VERY sloppy, i cant get much power out of it, and i get little taps after. I didnt lower my seat i just moved it back which means my foot is lower and now angled towards the pedal more. I'd practice heel down but i realy dont have enough time to practice both, im very limited in practice time tbf.
 
I think it looks great. you've got the technique down. Its really not a deal at all in my opinion that you bury the beater, tons of people do it. You do get a better sound of the drum if you can let the beater rebound. But seriously, if you can play, no one will hear that small detail, they will just be impressed with your playing.
 
There are a few key points to not burying the beater. Same as your hands, you need to try and keep your whole leg down to your ankle and foot relaxed. When you do this your starting position should be the entire sole of your foot resting on the pedal board. This will allow your muscles to rest and the beater to rest off the batter head. This has two main advantages; the first is that you don't have to hold your heel off the floor for long periods as this can cause issues with your hamstrings, calves and hip flexors. The second is that you're not deadening the sound of your bass drum.

From the above mentioned starting position, you should practice steady paced single strokes. Try starting at quarter notes at around 60 bpm. This is a speed that is slow enough for you to develop a technique that will allow you to play a stroke and allow the beater and your foot to return to the resting position. The motion itself is kind of like lifting your heel off the pedal first, then allowing the whole weight of your leg to drop. When you let the weight of your leg drop, let it relax as much as possible so that essentially once the weight has transferred into power and the beater has hit the head, it returns to the starting position without any further unnecessary motion or movement. Once you develop that technique to a point that you're comfortable with you can increase the tempo.

You'll find a point where it's not as functional to return to the resting position. That is where it's more so about developing a 'bounce' like technique. Same as if you're bouncing a basketball or even like a free stroke with your hands. This is the technique that you'll use for faster strokes or multiple strokes. The important thing to remember with these bounce type strokes is that only the last stroke in the series, revert back to the first technique where you let your whole leg weight come down to the resting position. This is so you're not left hanging in the air with the beater buried.

Like with all things it takes practice and especially when you've gotten yourself used to something else it can take some time to feel natural.
 
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