Do you wear shoes when drumming?

wildbill

Platinum Member
I always do, and thought everyone else would too.

But it seems a lot of people like to drum without shoes, or with socks on.
 
Socks. Black socks. Clean, black socks.
 
It's more convenient to not wear shoes because when the drum key falls out of my mouth I can pick it up with my foot and put it back in my mouth. /jk

Personally, I wish I never had to wear shoes for anything, but that's not the world I live in.
 
I've always played barefoot-besides I like to grab the chain of my hi hat with my toes so I can control it better. Use to play at church-people would tease me the "barefoot drummer". I can wear shoes and play but I'm just more comfortable barefoot (I should qualify if I'm not working I'm barefoot). Needless to say the callouses are so thick on my feet (ooh disgusting) that I can stand on hot pavement or I've stood on hot coals in a fire-yes I've run through the snow barefoot too. Nothing seems to bother them.
 
Always barefoot at home, out of habbit really.

Away from home always play wearing Shoes.
 
usually in socks at home...i can slide easier in socks, but when playing with shoes out I play with low flat sole shoes.
 
very thin plimsoles or carpet slippers at home for me. I have no dynamics whatsoever in normal shoes, just BOOM, BOOM, BOOM on the bass and my lack of ability with the hi hat defies description. It aint pretty or musical.
 
Man aren't the socks too slippery?-that was my experience. I don't know how Gene Hoglan, and others, can play with them big boots on? Might as well tie lead weights to my feet LOL. Hey maybe that's my problem-forget barefoot go boots-BIG boots with steel toes-maybe add some lead.
 
I used to play with shoes but after a while I found that socks made it much easier to control my slide.

If I wear shoes my feet feel heavy and I am unable to feel what the drum pedal is doing under my foot. So it's socks for me when I'm playing.
 
I wear Vans slip ons when I play, the flexible flat sole works well for bass drum and hihat playing. I can play in pretty much any shoe, but prefer a shoe with a flexible sole.
 
wow, I didn't even know that was someting people did! With the exception of maybe fooling around as a kid, I've always worn shoes.

Most of my gigs require a suit or a tux, so I'd look a little goofy not wearing any shoes...
 
Well since I play barefoot and I am a scientist I think I can use trangenics to alter my feet to monkey feet (I'll be a chimera) so I can have opposable toes. Yeah that's the ticket. Maybe add a dose of hummingbird to my arms, and jaguar to my legs for speed. I'll be a freak again just like the 70s except this time I won't have a pony tail.
 

I may have to look into those. I wear sneakers all the time. A time or two I went to my drum room with just socks and started playing. Seems fine. But I can't entertain the idea of going without shoes in a pub. Grosses me out!
 
Always wear shoes. I'm a sensitive sole.

(See what I did there?)
 
I will go barefoot on my kits, but would not do so on other's kits. Mainly out of sanitary concerns.
 
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