Breaking a physical and mental habit

KSEfan

Member
Hitting the bass drum twice in a fast succession (I call it a double tap), is about the easiest thing you can do with the bass drum. I think every person, drummer or not can do it, including me. But for some reason on one song, just one song, I can't do it. Any other song is so easy to do it, but on that one song, my foot goes down once and sticks there. I'm not sure exactly how I started messing up that part, since I used to do it with ease, but now its developed into a bad habit where every time I get to that part, my foot will only go down once. It pisses me off to the point where I've snapped sticks out of anger and frustration. It doesn't help that my mind doesn't think I can do, so its not helping my foot out any. Is there any way to break this bad habit? I think its both a mental and physical one. Every time I try to conquer that part, I hit it once, and it just strengthens the habit. Any help, anybody? No trolling please
 
Foot exercises is the best thing to do. Are you playing double bass? Either way, you should find a book that focuses exclusively on bass drum technique. Do exercises between your hands and feet, just so you can work on controlling what you're doing. Try doing paradiddles with your feet. It will focus your control and ability to play your singles and doubles separately.
 
I do play double bass but mostly just a double beat to add some flavor to a fill I'm playing. When it comes to short bursts or constant double bass, I can't do that. My feet fall out of rythmn within the first 3 hits and mess up. A bass drum book would help alot, but for the moment I need help on kicking this habit (no pun intended). Its only this one song, nothing else.
 
Not much information to go on, but since it is a basic independence/coordination thing you just have to slow it down and work on it properly. Then anything is possible.

Limitations in any area of life are mental.
 
Not sure if this will help or not.

A long time ago an instructor told me to focus on the second hit - not the first hit - and it will be easier to pull off. My problem back then was my focus was so much on hitting the first note of the double. When the time came for that quick second note it wouldn't happen because all the focus was on the initial hit.

Not sure if that makes sense or not but that mental technique of focusing more on the second note did help me pull it off a lot more consistently.
 
Atomic Flapjack said:
try playing it real slow

slow it down and work on it properly.

Always good advice. It helps you relax and once you're relaxed things go better. Some other interesting ideas here too.

Many years ago I sat at someone else's kit and his pedal was sprung way tighter than mine. I simply could not do a single kick - everything was double. I wonder if loosening your pedal a bit might help? It's a bit of a cheat but all's fair in love and music.
 
Maybe try taking the two bars of music (the bar before and the bar that includes it) and try playing it real slow, and working your way up slowly, just playing it over and over. Like as if you were trying to learn a 'double tap' and you could never do it before.

Ill do that and keep at it til I break the habit. And for thr guy who asked the song, its The Element of One by Killswitch Engage.
 
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