How is your bassdrum technique? Many drummers are looking for a better way to control their foot technique as it seems the bass drum presents the most challenge on the conventional drumkit . Most of us are looking for some type of secret technique to conquer it’s mass and awkwardness. There are however many ways which to address this issue however today we will talk about a simple secret that is very effective.
While growing up in West Philadelphia, Pa. I was around 9 years of age when I first became interested in drumming, being so young I really did not understand what it was exactly that moved me so much about the instrument. My mother had died when I was six years old and my father had to hire a guardian to look after me while he worked during the day. I would stay at the guardian’s house until my father got off work. My father would pick me up after he got of work. This routine continued from when I was 7 years old to about 14 years of age. My guardian’s grandson, Greg Mcdonald, who is a well respected drummer in the Philadelphia area, would practice and have jam sessions in the basement of the house. The things I would hear him play seemed impossible to me. I would listen to him practice all the time and occasionally he had rehearsal with a band of high caliber musicians. These musicians would really inspire me when they would get together and jam. The music these guys made seemed to be way ahead of it’s time. There were other kids my age, older, and younger also staying at my guardian’s place however the others were not as moved as I was about the level of creativity that we were being exposed to. The music to me was so deep. Most of the kids did not understand what these musician’s where playing, for that matter neither did I, however I knew I had a connection to the music somehow. Greg gave me some attention sometime and would mentor me. He would try and explain the deepness of his musical pursuits to me even though his explanation were way over my head. Never the less I felt like I was his prime pupil, however when he got a new drum-set he opted to give his old kit to the more popular kid named Billy. This move baffled me because the Billy was just popular and did not have a clue about the drums or the creative music that was being made by Greg Mcdonald and his musical friends. This single event fueled the fire which lead me to become a drummer. My motivation was to prove to Greg he made a serious mistake that day by giving his old drum-set to the Billy. Years later after I became professional Greg apologized for not giving his drum kit to me when I was younger however at that point I realized if he had I might not have had the drive to excel as I did on the instrument. Often I would sit and watch Greg practice when I was younger, his hands were so fast it seemed impossible however what was more baffling was his bass drum technique. Greg sounded like he had three foot pedal going on simultaneously. I was truly amazed at what I saw and heard. As I got older I finally convinced my father to get me a real drum-set after he became tire of me beating on boxes and destroying the neighbors toy drum set on Christmas. Soon after I began to practice always trying to recreate what I heard Greg do when I was younger. I remembered he had a Speed King foot pedal back then. I also remembered things I saw him do even though I don’t think he realized I was really absorbing the knowledge otherwise he probably would have giving me that old drum-set…..right? I had been convinced that Greg Mcdonald was the best drummer in Philadelphia if not the world. Greg had a lot of pride about his ability. His playing seemed to be centered around his incredible bass drum technique however his hands were awesome too. Most of the drummers I heard back then had good hands but was weak with regards to the foot. Occasionally Greg would give me some advise about the bass drum. His down home simple approach I found to be very effective.
Three Simple Things You Can Do To Improve Your Bass Drum Technique:
1.) Whenever sitting on a bus or train or watching TV keep your foot active as if you have an imaginary foot pedal or pedals that you take everywhere. tapping doubles,triplets,and qaudruplets as fast as you can.
2.)Try practicing rudiments with your feet using your imaginary foot pedals.
3.) When practicing on a drum set make your foot pedal as tight as you can. When you are not practicing or performing make the tension much lighter.
Nowadays you can find a host of material on the subject of bass drum technique. I believe it is important to be open to all the approaches to determine what works best for you. Some people are more adapt to learning from books and others who rely on feel to approach their instruments. I believe having a balance of both approaches will prove to be more effective in the long run. In the drum world there are many who get hung up with technique however in the professional world you need much more than technique alone to earn a living as a drummer.
