Tips on getting great doubles on toms?

[DevonWelch]

Any tips guys? i'm trying to get some nice smooth doubles on my toms, "ACOUSTIC" not electric, we all know electric is way to easy to get doubles on the toms lol!

 

[Anthony Amodeo]

yes

practice your doubles and don't rely on your surface

you should be able to do the same double on a snare drum, a floor tom, a practice pad, a pillow. your dog, or a ham sandwich

 

[uniongoon]

I have sort the same dilemma I have been playing all my life, 30 some odd years doing clubs and arena gigs and my double strokes have always and still do suck. Lately i have been hitting them harder. Accenting the second double does help articulate them better. Find the combination that sits with you, whether it be triplets or paradiddles etc. Also I battle the surface, I do great on the pads, but on the snare, it seems to fight me more.

 

[DevonWelch]

I have sort the same dilemma I have been playing all my life, 30 some odd years doing clubs and arena gigs and my double strokes have always and still do suck. Lately i have been hitting them harder. Accenting the second double does help articulate them better. Find the combination that sits with you, whether it be triplets or paradiddles etc. Also I battle the surface, I do great on the pads, but on the snare, it seems to fight me more.

Well i'm pretty good on the snare, any thing with a little bit of bounce aint a problem, and I can do doubles on the toms too but I wanna get faster to start implementing them into some fills

 

[Shirai]

Back in the high school drum line we would practice closed doubles with heavy marching sticks, playing on pillows, focusing on trying to accent the 2nd stroke of each double. We'd do "burnouts" at top speed until our forearms split. By having to use our arm muscles to create the rebound, as the pillow wouldn't give us anything, our strength, control, endurance, and speed increased. This resulted in a lot more control and clarity when playing on softer surfaces like tom heads.

As a disclaimer, this should not be the only thing you work on in practice. You still need to practice finesse and detail on a pad. This is just a supplemental exercise to build your forearms for greater control. Also make sure you stretch really well before and after attempting this.

 

[Bretton]

do the play on a pillow thing, and tune your toms higher for tighter heads.

 

[Chunky]

I have to say GV I never did perfect my doubles on my dog. I could never find the right technique to calm him down...

I tried once and payed the price, I tried again just to be sure and.... I was sure....

Ouch!

 

[MrPockets]

I suggest hitting the drum twice with one hand and then twice with the other while keeping the desired dynamic levels whilst staying in time.

 

[Pocket-full-of-gold]

I'll often spend time just playing on various surfaces of the kit. I'll sit there and play rudiments or drill my hands on only the hi hat or the floor tom.....sometimes with a mute or magazine on it to really get my hands working. I also spend time drilling my doubles on a low rebound surface like a Moongel practice pad etc.....things that make me work my wrists and fingers as opposed to relying solely on the stick or playing surface to do all the work.