I've done what i thought was impossible!

JT1

Silver Member
I have practically eliminated double bass from my practice playing! It has taken me about 4 years to do and i'm thrilled i realise i have been missing out on so much with the hi-hat etc and i feel my practices will really start to improve now. I have strictly limited my double bass practice to 15 minutes of my hour which used to be about 50 minutes lol. Has anyone here ever done the same thing? and do they think they have become better players from it? Thanks!
 
Not exactly, but I can relate to your need for change and diversity. I'm actually doing the opposite. Bought a double kick pedal not all that long ago. Only had limited experience with them before and thought it was time I taught myself something new. Doubt I'll ever blast beat with it, but I know they can used with great effect outside extreme metal. It's taking a while, but I'm sure I will be a better player for it.....eventually!!

Glad your just branching out and not dropping the double kick altogether too. It's a great skill that would be a shame to let fall by the wayside. But I agree....it never hurts to try something new.

Good luck dude.
 
That's cool man thanks! And welcome to the exciting world of it too! Just don't get roped in to practicing it for hours on end like i do i'm sure if you have the right routine set up you can achieve way more than i have in less the time.

Good luck to you too man.
 
Same thing, spent a few years playing about 4 hours a day. Probably most of the time spent on double kick. Since then I quit playing death metal, rarely practice pedal technique, and I do feel more solid. I play more prog or classic rock type stuff now and I don't need it quite as much. Don't get me wrong i still like to use it and it is really fun but I don't purposefully focus on getting faster. Which kinda happens naturally anyway.
Have you tried working on any other pedal work? (ie foot percussion, right side hihat)
 
Yeah, periodically I get rid of my double pedal and practice with a single, even playing with bands I'm in (where there are parts written for double bass) with the single to see how I cope. I think it's really helped me, particularly to get out of certain creative traps where I would default to playing a fast double bass line instead of anything else. In the last few months I've really been trying to get optimal use from the hi-hat pedal. I already do all my European blast beat playing with one foot, anyway, but a recent development from doing this has been playing the hi-hat in various patterns while the other limbs blast.
 
Have you tried working on any other pedal work? (ie foot percussion, right side hihat)

Yeah certainly i have started incorporating the hi-hat a lot more and started doing more groove orientated things on the hi-hat like flams, drags, doubles and i just feel that double bass was taking away my ability to be creative as much as i love it. In my double bass practice now i also tend to do more controlled excercises. I find i have trouble playing around the 120-130 bpm mark for some reason so i'm beginning to work at these speeds rather than go all out. I have also started doing paradiddles with the feet (not just on double bass). Do you practice paradiddles with the feet? and if so when you first started did you find your legs hurting from having to push to get the technique down in order to play them? I tried this for a good few minutes last night and my legs started to hurt after a bit of playing them, but i guess it's a completely different thing so it's bound to feel different to playing constant 16th notes.
 
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