Forum Closed
The forum is now to new posts. All the historical content is still available to browse.
if you are looking for musicians to play with, please view the Bands Seeking Musicians list, or use the Musicians Directory
You can use our pages on social media to connect:
Drum question - double bass pedals
| Message Board > Music Chitchat - Heavy > Drum question - double bass pedals |
| inhalien User Info... | Got a question for the drummers; I've been playing for several years but I want to get better at double-bass. I have a set of cheaper DW dbl-bass pedeals but don't find them fast enough. I've seen dbl-bass players with various makes and models, like Axis, Iron Cobra, Gibraltar, etc. Obviously practice and skill level come in to play, but I'd like to hear (read) some opinions from other players on the makes and models they play and why. Thanks! - Tue, 5 Feb 2008 8:55am | ||
| MindlessMikeyjay User Info... | My Ex Gf's Dad tried to teach me how to play drums a few times and he showed me if you use your snare as a timer, like 1 2 3 snare 123 snare and gradually go faster with the snare and gradually speed the kicks with it. Worked for me for a while until i stopped play with him. He Used Iron Cobras. i know maybe 5 or 6 drummers that use that Those and Gibraltar - Tue, 5 Feb 2008 9:10am Edited: Tue, 5 Feb 2008 9:12am | ||
| BBJones User Info... | Gear doesn't matter unless it is junk. You can be great with double bass on any set of decent pedals. If you want to get really extreme, then having really high quality gear will help with those little tweaks but again, it isn't necessary. I find a lot of drummers are looking for or think there is some quick way to all of a sudden become good at double bass. Here's how it works... take all the years you spent playing and look at how good your hands are. Thikn about how much of your playing time and focus/practice went into making your hands that good. You will need the same amount of time, focus and practice to make your feet that good as well. All of the same practice methods for your hands apply to your feet. There is basicaly no difference. However, many drummers just want to be able to do steady 1/8 note single stroke rolls on double bass. So, same thing with your hands, what would you do to improve your hand speed doing the same thing? Metronome, chart your pogress, practice lots, focus on relaxation and technique (tons of info on the web about foot technique at different speeds). - Tue, 5 Feb 2008 9:32am | ||
| michaud User Info... | I'm not particularly fast myself and I also use DW, but it really boils down to practice. As far as types of petals go, it seems that dudes who trigger their bass drums will use axis petals (generally) and lighter beaters (also generally). If you are concerned with your speed try new spring tensions, try new and lighter beaters or try new techniques. Why I am giving advice is beyond me. and practice one million hours a day. ONE MILLION!!! - Tue, 5 Feb 2008 9:35am | ||
| Tim-Bitchfork User Info... | Expensive pedals move smoother and more efficiently, but I can guarantee that pedals are not your problem. Practice, and building up your calf, hamstrings and quadriceps will get you up to speed. I use to bike everywhere on my highest gear, which really helped. I had a 100-200 dollar pair of Pacific (shitty DWs) for about 4 years and got as fast as the metal I listen to. Then when I got in a band that jams metal with fast double kick like 10-16 hours a week I splurged and got the DW 9002s, they are nicer, more rugged, and more balanced but didn't make me noticeably faster at all. They are basically indestructible and very reliable, so I got them for that reason, my Pacific's were getting wobbly and were built for lighter use, then again they still work fine to this day. I would suggest this, and it worked well for me on my Pacific's. Oil them up with some bike-chain oil, bearings, chains, joints not WD-40, something thick. Balance out the springs and beaters, and replace the beaters with Tama Iron Cobra beaters. They are really light and are good beaters. Lift your throne (seat) up higher so that your legs make a 90 degree angle or more, don't sit low. Try moving closer or further back from them also. This will help you tonnes, I swear. - Tue, 5 Feb 2008 12:33pm | ||
| inhalien User Info... | Thanks for the responses so far, this was what I was looking for. Obviously there is nothing like practice and I don't expect to be exponentially better simply from having a higher end set of pedals, that's agreed. I believe I have the same pedal set, Tim - the Pacific Drumworks ones. I just wasn't sure whether replacing the beaters would help. I think I'll have to start spending some time with the metronome to get better consistency with regard to firm head hits, know what I'm saying? Thanks all. - Tue, 5 Feb 2008 2:31pm | ||
| ROSS B AY User Info... | double bass goes "boom boom boom". - Tue, 5 Feb 2008 2:36pm | ||
| Tim-Bitchfork User Info... | Yeah try tweaking what you have, practice a lot, add a few BPM when you can do a certain BPM consistently. The key is not to try to be as fast as say Nick Barker or Flo right away, start somewhere where it still sounds clean and consistent and go from there. Layer two rhythms in your head, you hands and feet, I found thinking about my kick as part of my hand rhythms worked against me for a while. Hard to explain. Good luck though buddy. - Tue, 5 Feb 2008 2:53pm | ||
| cam User Info... | i play with axis longboards and i swear by them. smoothest pedal i've ever played in my life other than the trick-v's, but thats forkin out a few hundred more dollars. like everyone else said, start slow work your way up, play around with different techniques. i switch between heel up and flat foot depending on the speed im trying to acheive. the tension on my pedals is almost as loose as it can go so i can just flutter. the only problem is that it hits pretty light because i try and use the least ammount of effort as possible, which is where triggers come in. - Wed, 6 Feb 2008 12:02am | ||
| Hollywood User Info... | PRACTICE LOTS! Try playing to a click track! Worked for me! - Wed, 6 Feb 2008 1:52pm | ||
| Tim-Bitchfork User Info... | Axis are good, but make a decision before you buy them whether or not you will be triggering, and if you want to shell out the money to trigger. I think they perform poorly in acoustic situations, compared to their competitors in the same price range. Amazing pedals though, they were just designed with triggering in mind, thus mostly speed more than sound. Practice for now, until you hit a 'wall' with your pedals, don't buy anything until the need for it is there, minus that $10-30 bux I mentioned in tweaking those pacifics, thats worth it I say. - Wed, 6 Feb 2008 3:02pm | ||
| Sean Lang User Info... | Go Here: http://georgekollias.com/index2.htm Click on education, and then devote your next 16 weeks to the 16 week speed and control work out. - Thu, 7 Feb 2008 10:47am | ||
| J. Peatman User Info... | Ha, the guy who said "If you don't use triggers in death metal, you can't play, simple as that." But a good drummer nonetheless. I should take my pedals home and work on those exercises. I've been playing off and on for 14 years now and still can't play a decent double bass or fast single for more than a couple of bars. Only when "under the influence"...which only adds to the frustration haha. "Gear doesn't matter unless it is junk.", I agree with that. It only takes a certain level of quality pedals (preferably double chained), after that it all comes down to practice². - Mon, 11 Feb 2008 8:25am | ||
| Sean Lang User Info... | Are you sure he said that? Hes a member of an extreme drumming forum I frequent, and hes usually saying that if you have to rely on triggers for your speed, you're pretty much cheating. - Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:07am | ||
| BBJones User Info... | Oh christ... here comes the nonsense. It is usually contained to extreme drumming forums... oh well. There is no "cheating" in music ffs. If you want to have a competition then you can put rules on it and call people cheaters for breaking those rules. Outside of that (metal drummer ego and snobbery aside) there is no such thing as cheating. Get a grip and instead support your fellow musicians at every turn. (that wasn't a comment directed at you Sean) - Tue, 19 Feb 2008 7:44am | ||
| sick bastard User Info... | the main reason triggers are used in death metal is so the bass drums can cut through the low end sounds and be heard - Tue, 26 Feb 2008 7:48pm | ||
| Tim-Bitchfork User Info... | "the main reason triggers are used in death metal is so the bass drums can cut through the low end sounds and be heard" I disagree, with correct amplification and EQ. any kick mic will do what you need, personally I use the D112, the best kick mic ever made in my opinion. The MAIN reason why "extreme drummers" trigger is consistent volume. The faster you double kick, the quieter it gets, it's just physics (without tiggers). Extreme metal drummers rarely use dynamics compared to mainstream music, and they just need their kick to be thunderously loud, even when they are double kicking at like 240bpm. No matter what you do, you cannot maintain that kind of consistency at higher speeds. The 'sound' triggers make are typically samples of mic'ed, real drums, so I disagree that it is for the sound, thats what a good mic and EQ is for, maybe some compression, etc. - Sat, 8 Mar 2008 5:35pm | ||
| mike User Info... | i definately agree with what's been said. practice and technique will improve your ablilities more than a new set of double pedals if the ones you have now are decent. however, one thing i noticed has not been mentioned is that if your playing metal where double bass is a crucial aspect, consider getting two bass drums, it's just simple physics that two bass drums are louder than, because they have twice as much time to rebound and resonate. plus a slave pedal will never react as well as a direct drive pedal, and it is easier to balance yourself between to bass drums; balance is also an important aspect of double bass drumming. - Thu, 27 Mar 2008 9:56am | ||
| mcecill User Info... | Totally agree with Tim regarding the triggers. They are all about consistency in volume. As long as your pedals are of decent quality and aren't broken you are fine. It comes down to practice and repetition. No pedal is going to make you a drastically faster double player. Once you get into the higher end pedals, it's all about feel and durability. I've played Iron Cobras, Yamaha Flying Dragons, and currently play DW 9000's. Both the Tama's and Yamaha's broke on me, the 9000's have been almost bulletproof. I've played the same set for a few years now. - Fri, 18 Apr 2008 9:19am | ||
| -dax- User Info... | like michaud said, "practice one million hours a day" ONE MILLION!!!! - Sat, 19 Apr 2008 2:28pm Edited: Sat, 19 Apr 2008 2:28pm | ||
| ROSS B AY User Info... | That may be difficult, seeing as there are only 2 million hours in a day. I guess it's all about how much you want it, though right? - Sat, 19 Apr 2008 3:51pm | ||
| Pierce User Info... | Ross, shut it. You are out of your element. - Sat, 19 Apr 2008 7:49pm | ||
| inhalien User Info... |  | ||
|
|||
Not logged in
Log In / Register (optional)
