Double bass- Yes or no?

[tamadrummer1242]

I'm in a pretty big pickle right now. I'm thinking about maybe switching over to double bass but i'm not really sure. I've always saw double bass pedals as cheating on drums and ive always tried to stay away from them and just build up my speed on my single pedal to get those crazy in between basses like John Bonham used to do all the time. But now i'm finding that my one foot can't move fast enough for some of the things that I'm trying to do. I play mostly rock/grunge/punk/heavy metal. Anyone have any advice on what to do?

[ducfoot]

It's entirely an individual preference, but if having a double pedal will allow you to do things you were unable to do, it would seem to be a very helpful tool.
I can understand how it would feel like cheating in a certain sense though.

Speaking from my own humble experience it opened up doors in that I could now play parts I could not do no matter how I worked to build speed, it was simply not physically possible to duplicate certain double bass accents with a single pedal.

For what it's worth, Bonzo originally played a double bass kit.
Best of luck with your decision, let us know how it comes out.

[bassist learning drums]

Get a double pedal. You are not required to be using both, but if you want ..... it is available.

[tah821]

Get a double pedal. You are not required to be using both, but if you want ..... it is available.

This.

[Bish]

Get a double pedal. You are not required to be using both, but if you want ..... it is available.

As Tah821 said...


"This"

[slinky]

two bass drums look cool but why lug around the extra drum if you don't need to. If I ever do double the extra bass will be there. It may be a pain to move and set but i'm into looks.

Currently single bass single pedal.

[xweasel]

two bass drums look cool but why lug around the extra drum if you don't need to. If I ever do double the extra bass will be there. It may be a pain to move and set but i'm into looks.

Currently single bass single pedal.

You could always get a double pedal for gigs.

[ROCKDRUMMERZERO]

For me nope, but hey your call.

Two Bass drums has a great look, and some types of music demands either two drums or a double pedal. For me my left foot ( and hand , come to think of it ) is nowhere near as competant as my right hand/foot - must be a brain thing - so I practiced double, and became a worse drummer.... One pedal, One drum for me.

My Nephew plays very modern rock, his band demands fast double pedal work, it is the norm for him, like One is the norm for me.

[LudwigLifer]

RDZ,I read where doing rudiments with your feet will help your weak foot which is something I am working on.Its no different than my weak left hand.With practice I hope to help my left foot become better.

When I unhooked my slave pedal and hooked it back up again,the beaters were slightly mis-aligned because I needed to turn the slave beater hole to line them up together again.This causes the beaters to not hit at the right time when they are not together at the same distance and caused me some problem.I thought it was me but when they are lined up together,they will hit in exact opposition.One was taking a bit longer to get to the bass head than the other one,throwing my timing off.

[LudwigLifer]

In my opinion double bass pedals are not "cheating".They achieve the same sound as a double bass kit at less cost and take some skill to master.It is just another wrench in the tool box.Go for it man.I used to have a double bass kit years ago and I just bought a double bass pedal and love it.I bought a two legged Ludwig hi-hat stand to accommodate the slave pedal because the old hi-hat right leg got in the way where I wanted to put the slave pedal.Actually it has a small third leg which increases stability and gets them out of copyright problems too.I have the Gibralter double chain pedal which is slower than a strap or direct drive type,but it serves my purposes well because I dont plan on playing hyper fast with it doing Classic rock and Blues.My advise is to try a few out and see what you like before you commit to buying one.I didnt and although I like my pedal,I will check out other options before I buy anything next time in case I get something that might not have been quite as good as I wanted.There is so much gear out there now that choices are really diverse,(drives,beaters,long boards,ghost pedals,etc.).If you are going to play Heavy Metal,a double pedal or double bass kit will really come in handy.Good luck man.

[jordison515]

Having double bass is like learning an entirely new instrument, and it gives you a load of new options, like in fills and such. Saying double bass is cheating is crazy talk.

[Drumbledore]

Having double bass is like learning an entirely new instrument, and it gives you a load of new options, like in fills and such. Saying double bass is cheating is crazy talk.

Certainly got that right!

Tamadrummer, you need to check out players like Thomas Lang as one of many examples:

[xweasel]

The way I see it... using only one foot on the kick drum is like only being able to use one hand on the snare drum.

I play an equal amount of single and double kick stuff... I taught myself not to rely on the double pedals for quick doubles (unless it's anything like 16th note triplet doubles above 210bpm). So you can still be fast with one foot and use a double pedal.

[LL70]

Some people like Shabutie can play a single pedal really fast and it sounds like double pedals. If there is a song you are playing and you can't do it with a single pedal it would be a good idea to get the double pedals. This way you have the option to play double if you want to. I got the double pedals for that reason. I don't play doubles much but for a couple of songs I need them.

[kay-gee]

[quote]

The way I see it... using only one foot on the kick drum is like only being able to use one hand on the snare drum.

If that is so, then why only one foot on the high hat?

all the best...

[xweasel]

[quote=kay-gee;368828]

If that is so, then why only one foot on the high hat?

all the best...

I suppose that's why many people also use X-hats?

[JayW]

The way I see it... using only one foot on the kick drum is like only being able to use one hand on the snare drum.

My thoughts exactly... that's like saying if you play using both hands you are cheating! I've been playing double bass for for 24 yrs.. I played single bass for 9 yrs before that but never looked back!

[almostmatt1]

A double pedal would be better than 2 bass drums in a few senses...
Less weight, a double pedal and one bass drum is a lot lighter to carry than two single pedals and two bass drums.
You wouldn't have to worry about tuning to two bass drums the same way.
Easier to set up and make adjustments too.
Id say definitely go for a double pedal.

[xweasel]

A double pedal would be better than 2 bass drums in a few senses...
Less weight, a double pedal and one bass drum is a lot lighter to carry than two single pedals and two bass drums.
You wouldn't have to worry about tuning to two bass drums the same way.
Easier to set up and make adjustments too.
Id say definitely go for a double pedal.

I would say a double pedal is much more convenient, but IMO nothing beats the look and feel of two kick drums.

[tamadrummer1242]

Thanks for all of the responses!
My friend has a double pedal so I think i'll borrow his for a lil bit and see how i like it and then i can always buy one later

[slinky]

I would say a double pedal is much more convenient, but IMO nothing beats the look and feel of two kick drums.

I agree with you. especially the FEEL part. I like the feeling of kicking a head on both sides instead of kicking air on one side.

[veafer]

As the saying goes: Different strokes for different folks. Double, single pedal, double bass or single. It's all about what you are comfortable with. I flirted with a double bass kit for awhile, and it just wasn't me.

[Ricardo]

A double pedal would be better than 2 bass drums in a few senses...
Less weight, a double pedal and one bass drum is a lot lighter to carry than two single pedals and two bass drums.
You wouldn't have to worry about tuning to two bass drums the same way.
Easier to set up and make adjustments too.
Id say definitely go for a double pedal.

Something important to consider :
Since I bury the beater into the head, double pedals don't work for me on certain patterns; on others, a double pedal is fine.
Thus, my kit is two bass drums with two single pedals.
As far as identical tuning goes, it is far easier with today's bass head technology (i.e., PS3)...........in the 70s, getting identical DB tuning was a real problem.
In addition, as one post suggested above, DB just looks cool.

[xweasel]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv3xvpXxC1o&feature=related"]YouTube - Tomas Haake - TMLWYB-intro[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCe_qJsw1L0&feature=related"]YouTube - Tomas Haake - TMLWYB-outro[/ame]

[shabutie2113]

For me it is also a personal preference for me using a single pedal because well I like it better im not sure I can explain it any better than that when I ever need to play quick doubles I use my floor tom by doing a double stroke roll between it and my foot. But again it is all up to you again I am not trying to tell you to not get one if you want one by all means buy it I would personally work on my single pedal technique as much as possible first but thats just me because imagine you get the double pedal and start using it for really simple stuff you can do with one foot say 16th notes or something. What im saying is don't get the double pedal and just over use it or get use to much. You do not want to be a great drummer who is so use to using a double pedal that you get out of your comfort zone when you don't have one. Thats totally just my opinion and how I look at it but you are free to do what ever you want also one more thing the same way you have restrictions with only using a single pedal for like speed or something. Double pedals also hold some restrictions that being you can not use your hihat foot when doing blazing double pedal stuff unless you over dub it in the studio or something or your Benny Greb. Thats my personal take on double pedals I am a single pedal guy and stand by it doesn't mean you have to be one later dude I hope my post doesn't offend any double pedal players on here all of you guys are awesome.