2 and 1/2 questions

dude_incarnate

Junior Member
ok so question number one: So im cheap and broke and i broke my bass drum head about a month ago and im putting of buying new heads till i can buy all new ones , so i did what seemed like a good idea i duct taped the crap out of it, now im starting to wonder if its affecting my playing. I thought it might be like praticing into a pillow illiminating the rebound, but now I think it could be hurting my technique, bit of a dumb question but i dont want to stop if it could help if i stick with it, would it?

Number two: ive been using ankle weights for about six months, heard gene hoglan did so i strapped em on, i practise every other day for about 2 / 2 and a half hours, leave on the weights for the entire duration. yesterday i read you wear them for a half an hour and then do the rest of your pratise without them just wondering if both are ok, or ones more right?

number half: just wondering if anyone had tried george kollias 16 week workout and there results?

Kinda of a weird format, I know but any help advice will be appreciated. thanks
 
I replace my heads as 3 separate entities...bass drum, snare, and toms. I don't replace them all at once. My toms all have the same kind of head, so having just one new head would be noticeable, but since the snare and bass drum sound so different, I just change those as needed. So, I vote that you should change your bass drum head.

I'd worry more about your beater wearing through the duct tape than your technique. It's a big mess if that happens, and you have to change your beater because you just can't clean the duct tape adhesive off of your (presumably) felt beater.

As for weights, I have no opinion on that, except stop doing it if you notice any discomfort as a result of it. You don't want to injure yourself...
 
i can say that both wearing ankle weights and kollias's program will help your double bass immensly, and as caddywumpus said as long as the weights dont cause you any pain. i know when i used to use them they did have a tendancy to wear the skin off my ankles till i started wrapping em.
 
Waiting to replace all your heads is silly, especially given that one is broken right now. Especially as you are clearly trying to improve your bass speed...all the little subtle things you work on and pick up on now will feel different when not hitting tape. It's a minor difference, but the minor differences are what make the biggest difference in speeds you can obtain.
 
Replace broken heads immediately unless there's some good reason you can't. Otherwise you might as well be playing on cardboard boxes.

As far as the weights: I never have used them, and agree if something feels wrong or hurts, stop playing with them immediately. Some elliptical, stairclimber, or track work wouldn't hurt either, to overall strengthen your legs as well as your cardio endurance.
 
Back
Top