So, heel-toe with shoes... I found that I can play more consistently with shoes on. I used to find that I flammed a lot when I played barefoot, got a bit of a lead foot.
I also found that wearing a shoe with a bit of a heel helped as opposed to something like a Converse which is completely flat. Helps to get a real good rocking motion.
Noticed that some of the professionals playing heel-toe wear shoes while doing, such as John Longstreth of Origin and Franscesco Paoli. But I've heard so many people talk about how playing barefoot helps maintain a better control of the board. Most videos about the technique also show guys playing barefoot or with socks. Just thought I'd throw this out here if anyone finds they have a problem with getting their double strokes consistent with barefoot. Playing with shoes just might help you like it helped me.
Another thing I've done while developing my technique is a bit of a swivel technique worked into the motion. My toe is the pivot and I hit my heel once on the right side of the board and then once on the left side. My other leg does the same thing, so I'm swinging in one direction with every four beats, i.e. RHRTLHLT. Naturally, as i play faster, the "swivel" becomes less pronounced. But I find it's a good way to ensure that the second beat isn't much weaker than the first and also helps keep time when playing to a click.
As I play more, I really find that heel-toe is a legitimate technique, though some people say that it's a shortcut to playing fast double bass. Truth is, I played heel-toe the wrong way for a long time - flamming, weak hits, galloping. I didn't even realise it till I started recording my playing, it was quite easy with my e-drumkit and a DAW. I could analyse whether my hits were on the grid or not.
But even doing an audio recording can help you figure out whether your technique is off, which in my experience usually manifests itself as gaps between each pair of double hits - especially after the full RHRTLHLT sequence - rather than double bass that you would hear if playing heel up at the same tempo.
Trust me, if you're doing it right, it will sound exactly like playing heel up, especially if you're triggering. Even if you aren't triggering, there will only be a volume difference between the second stroke. The beats should be even.
In that regard, I think it's important to play heel-toe at slower tempos as much as higher tempos too, more important to get control than speed.
Just sharing my thoughts after a great practice session this morning. I'm not 100%, sometimes I miss notes, or a note is off the midi grid. But I'm getting there. And part of the reason for that is that I listen back to what I did during a session. Ears can play tricks on you, so do make recordings to double check that your heel-toe playing is even and the volume between strokes is as consistent as possible.
Oh, and do try shoes out for a change if you play barefoot. Or try out playing barefoot if you're playing with shoes and it isn't working for you. Also try out different types of shoes, I tried all my available pairs before settling on a pair of sneakers with a bit of a heel.
