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Thread: Needing advice with Kick Drum Pedal technique

  1. #1

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    Default Needing advice with Kick Drum Pedal technique

    Been playing drums for a little over a year now and about a month or 2 ago i realized that i was doing what is called "burying the beater", heel up. Then An article i read said that you need to strike the drum and let the beater go off the head. So I been doing it wrong the whole time.
    I began to practice both heel down and heel up which in both my leg and or shin would get fatigued pretty fast.
    The only way i feel comfortable is to do what i would call more of a "stomp" sort of heel up and with the middle of my foot.
    I can "stomp" and the beater hits the drum and then bounces back off kinda springy like. he beater goes like "boy,yo,yoing...." if you can visualize that. It seems effective and my leg holds up without getting tired.
    My concern is that I'm getting into another bad habit? Thanks for your advice.
    Enjoy the little things in life because one day you`ll look back and realize they were the big things.

    -Karrie

  2. #2

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    There is nothing wrong with burying the beater. That doesn't make you wrong.
    I have a percussion performance degree and I "bury" the beater as you put it.
    When I'm not playing I keep the beater against the head and after a strike I keep the beater against the head.

    I don't want the pedal bouncing around... that's when you don't have control in my opinion.

  3. #3

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    Default Re: Needing advice with Kick Drum Pedal technique

    You can play around with your pedal tension and foot placement on the footboard to dial in what works best for you. When I was playing an 20" kick with no muffling (ie. pillows, blankets, laundry etc.) and a plastic beater, I let the beater strike then rest off the drum head. Burying the beater caused bouncing akin to a buzz roll. I tend to burry the beater more when playing a kick muffled up, especially if the head is tensioned just above wrinkle.
    Last edited by areFish; 05-23-2017 at 02:12 PM.

  4. #4

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    ^That's a great point about the head. It all depends too on what head, tension, style, music... etc. . .

    There's truly no right and wrong.. there's just better and best all variables on type and sound etc.
    Drumming is complicated lol j/k

  5. #5

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    Default Re: Needing advice with Kick Drum Pedal technique

    Quote Originally Posted by SpazApproved View Post
    There is nothing wrong with burying the beater. That doesn't make you wrong.
    I have a percussion performance degree and I "bury" the beater as you put it.
    When I'm not playing I keep the beater against the head and after a strike I keep the beater against the head.

    I don't want the pedal bouncing around... that's when you don't have control in my opinion.
    /\ This

  6. #6

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    I've never buried the beater. After 40 some yrs of playing heel up and letting the beater come back off the head, I don't think I can leave the beater on the head now. At least not with out it bouncing. I've always though it was wrong, but now I think it's up to you. There are some pros who do that, so who am I to argue with them. I will say that I don't play any of my other drums that way so why would I want to play my kick that way? I think it may be best to learn all techniques. All of the proven ones anyway. There are most likely some odd ball techniques out there. I watched a guy play his Dbl. kick using just the heels of his feet. The rest of his feet were up in the air not touching the foot boards. I wouldn't recommend learning that. I have heard some of the pros say, if you play heel up, learn to play heel down and that will help your heel up technique. It works the other way around also. So play the way that's best for you, and learn some of the other ways also. It may help your favorite way to play. All of this takes time though. You won't notice a difference in your playing right away. It may take yrs before you see a difference. Drumming is a life long adventure, don't write off anything. Especially the things that the pros are using.

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lefty View Post
    I've never buried the beater. After 40 some yrs of playing heel up and letting the beater come back off the head, I don't think I can leave the beater on the head now. At least not with out it bouncing. I've always though it was wrong, but now I think it's up to you. There are some pros who do that, so who am I to argue with them. I will say that I don't play any of my other drums that way so why would I want to play my kick that way?.
    Because you want to, lol. The justification I use is that I tune my bass drum to the old school 'thud' sound. That's my preference.
    I'm a pro and I bury the beater. There are a lot of 'us' out here. I like that sound and that approach and so do all the bands I play with. I've never had one band leader or engineer or musician say to me, "Would you please bring the beater off the head after you hit it?" LOL They do however compliment me on my playing.

  8. #8

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    I play heel up and usually bury it. I have noticed that on my smaller 16" & 18" BD, it sounds better if I don't bury it. Especially the 16".

    Also, sometimes I want the full resonance sound of pulling the beater back (depending on the song or point in the song). An example would be an intro to a song where it's just bass drum playing quarter notes with a guitar riff. Another is when it calls for just BD and rudiments on the snare, like emulating a marching band sound (like Rainy Day Women). If I want the beater to pull back, all I do is move my foot contact point back on the footboard until I find the spot where the spring leverage slightly overpowers my foot.

    What I don't know is if it is even noticeable out in front by the audience. My guess is I'm the only one in the entire venue that knows or cares, LOL.
    -Brian

    "Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"

    Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!

    "I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham

  9. #9

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    If the people like the music a band is playing, they don't care if you play on a chair with 2 spoons.

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by rickthedrummer View Post
    If the people like the music a band is playing, they don't care if you play on a chair with 2 spoons.
    Done that too, LOL......And a wooden beer crate, washboard, turtle shell, empty soup cans and a shaker made from an empty Jack Daniels bottle filled with seed corn.
    -Brian

    "Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"

    Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!

    "I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham

  11. #11

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    That's why I said some of the pros do it so who am I to argue.

  12. #12

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    Disclaimer* this just my approach

    you should at first bury the beater and play with the beater literally living on the head ..(setup kick drum so its dead in its tracks . lots of pillows, heal up)

    leave the beater on the head and simply release off the head and put it back on, one movement

    this is less movement and its very good for building a relationship between your brain and where the power point in the movement is

    then once you have the muscle memory, years later, (take pillows out) then play with the beater just off the head like you would when hovering over the snare while learning to bury for the duration of the note . depending on how long the beater is on the head can change the dynamics of the note and tone*

    experiment where it feels nice and have fun
    Last edited by itchie; 05-27-2017 at 10:29 PM.

  13. #13

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    Thanks everybody for the advice. I keep trying everything until i develope what works for me. And thats how i started out playing on a totally makeshift drum "kit"

    Last edited by NikoSeven; 06-10-2017 at 09:52 AM.
    Enjoy the little things in life because one day you`ll look back and realize they were the big things.

    -Karrie

  14. #14

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    Love the makeshift kit! And holy smokes, is that an artillary shell casing?
    The boomy things:
    Mapex Orion Classic 6 pc, transparent violet burl
    The pingy/crashy things:
    K Custom Dark and K Darks
    K Sweet
    Meinl Byzance
    Silken Sebring and Avus
    Dream Bliss and Contact
    More cowbells than I have cows.
    The "quiet time" things:
    Zildjian L80 low volume cymbals
    Aquarian Super-Pads
    Roland TD9, Pintech drum triggers, Yamaha cymbal triggers

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by OldNARDguy View Post
    Love the makeshift kit! And holy smokes, is that an artillary shell casing?
    Yep! Makes a bright "ping" ��

  16. #16

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    always been kinda mystified by the term "bury the beater" "Bury" suggests something is "under"...in this case, the beater is UNDER something.

    I've thought of it as "holding the beater against the head" LOL

    I just do what ever for the sound I want in that moment. In jazz, I want to release the batter each time to let more resonanace from the drum. Jazz drums typically have a more singing kind of sound. For more balls to the wall grooves like country rock or disco...prolly push the beater into the head more for maximum punch. all other music, just combinations of both techniques.

    all the best...

  17. #17

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    Default Re: Needing advice with Kick Drum Pedal technique

    Quote Originally Posted by NikoSeven View Post
    Yep! Makes a bright "ping" ��
    Big thumbs up! ����
    The boomy things:
    Mapex Orion Classic 6 pc, transparent violet burl
    The pingy/crashy things:
    K Custom Dark and K Darks
    K Sweet
    Meinl Byzance
    Silken Sebring and Avus
    Dream Bliss and Contact
    More cowbells than I have cows.
    The "quiet time" things:
    Zildjian L80 low volume cymbals
    Aquarian Super-Pads
    Roland TD9, Pintech drum triggers, Yamaha cymbal triggers

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