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Author Topic: Speeding up your bass drum foot?  (Read 1734 times)
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BBJones
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« Reply #20 on: October 28, 2003, 09:23 AM »

I wouldn't recommend that, Yammy. Smiley

Just becuase you have 2 pedals doesn't mean you should be using them all the time Smiley

You have 2 hands right?  You don't tie one hand behind your back to practice with the other...

If you do have double pedals, you SHOULD practice everything you do with your right foot, with your left.  I like to try and play left handed during simple beats (cause I can't do it during the complicated ones Smiley)

I actually find that my double bass is way tighter when I switch back and forth leading with either foot.  It seems to keep the slave foot warmed up and in time with what I'm doing, instead of just using it for the double bass stuff.  It helps to add a level of constant independance.

Here's a good one...

Played at any tempo where the hands fall on whatever steady beat you like.

1/8 note and triplet combinations:
The feet...
4/4
right foot on the 1, 2, 3, 4, left foot on the &'s
R L R L R L R L
Use a triplet on the last beat leading with the right of R L R which leads your next 4/4 8th note pattern with your left foot  L R L R L R L R
then reverse the triplet fill L R L then back to the first pattern with the right foot leading

Try it with your feet first to get the feel of changing between triplets and 8th nothes.  Then add in basic hand coordination since you will be changing from leading with your left to your right which can likely make your brain say something like "nope not gonna do it!" Wink

So here's the pattern again without all my talking... "//" breaks up each bar

The note in caps are hitting the 1/4 note beat and play the 4th beat in every second bar as a triplet (R-l-r or L-r-l)

// R-l R-l R-l R-l // R-l R-l R-l R-l-r // L-r L-r L-r L-r // L-r L-r L-r L-r-l // repeat...

You can then have fun increasing the length of the triplet feel sections... and lots of other things Smiley
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jokerjkny
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« Reply #21 on: October 29, 2003, 02:05 AM »

I wouldn't recommend that, Yammy. Smiley

Just becuase you have 2 pedals doesn't mean you should be using them all the time Smiley

You have 2 hands right?  You don't tie one hand behind your back to practice with the other...
(...)

good thought BB,

tho i see your point, your two feet also do other things down there, not just bass stuff.  

so, being able to do fast doubles, triples, etc. with your right foot, would free up your right foot for other fun stuff for high hat work and maybe even clave stuff, no?

also, i love hearing those super cool double pedal triplets, my bud pulls off with such ease, which are the result of fast double strokes on the right foot.

so, working on single pedal work can take even much of your double pedal playing into deeper territory.
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...this aint no time fo' jibba jabba!
BBJones
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« Reply #22 on: October 29, 2003, 10:31 AM »

Most definitely agree, Joker.  You should be practicing all of it.  And not just finesse with the right foot, but with the left as well.  Even if you don't have 2 pedals.

I'm working on a solid 8th and 16th note beats with my right foot where I can sound like I'm keeping a solid double bass drum line but actually only doing it with one foot.  This allows me to free up my left for some HH work.

A good exercise for left foot control on the hats:

Think about a basic jazz beat on the hats.
p = left foot step (closed)
x = blank note
o = left foot step (sustain)
I'll put the triplet groupings in parenthesis...

so a triplet would be:
(p-p-p) (p-p-p)
or with double bass pedals...
(r-l-r) (l-r-l)
so then a basic jazz beat on the hats with just the left foot...
(p-x-p) (p-x-p)

Now the trick is to make the first step on every soconde triplet an open hat note that sustains for the entire second triplet...
(p-x-p) (o-x-x)

Practice that with just your left foot.  This then allows you to free up an entire hand since you would usually use your right hand to strike the hats.

Then get your right foot doing triplets and doubles and you can sound like you have 2 extra limbs since you have a complete rythym going with just your feet.  Then add in your hands doing whatever your brain will let you do Tongue

Perhaps to start working the left foot in being able to do it's own hi-hat sustains, just work in single 1/4 notes.

p - p - p - p

Then, start controlling the open hat step.  You basically step quickly and release to cause your hats to ring and stay open.

Sustain on the 1st and 3rd notes, while closing the open hat strike on the 2nd and 4th.

o - p - o - p

That make sense? I'm sure I'm not using the proper terminology but I hope you can follow my kindergarten attempts at writing out some patterns Tongue

If your left foot is good at doubles this should be pretty easy.  If your left foot isn't, this is a good exercise to develop it without having to use double bass drum pedals.
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