Real Drummers...Advice Please

[Oreo Thomas]

Can some of you real drummers please give me some pointers on using the kick drum pedal? Where should my foot rest? Leg angle (how far away from the drums), and how should I press (via hip, calf)...Help would be great as I know I am not using it right, although I am almost thru medium...

Thanks..

[Boomshine]

I'm not a real drummer, but all of those questions are answered in the game's tutorial by the drummer from the Konks. Maybe you should go check it out.

[luminary pants]

I keep it held down all the time. and lift right before the note to hit it. So my heel is always down.
Angle and all that is personal preference. Do whatever is most comfortable for you.

[davidshek]

I posted this in another thread already, but here ya go:

Ok so I've been playing drums for 16 years now, and I've got some tips for you guys if you want to minimize strain on your right leg.

1) Make sure you're sitting at the correct height. Your knee should be at a 90-degree angle, or as close as you can get it. If you have to sit higher than that, that's better than sitting lower.

2) Don't use your whole foot to hit the pedal. Your heel should be up ALL the time, just use your toes/ball of your foot to hit the kick pedal. Again, your heel should be UP at all times. (Make sure you have your heel up when you're adjusting your seat height) This is going to feel really awkward at first, but if you're sitting at the right height, you'll get used to it and you'll never go back to doing it the 'wrong' way again.

3) The proper leg movement should be exactly that; a LEG movement. Not an ankle or knee movement. Don't try to lift your foot with your ankle and then bring it back down again. You'll KILL your ankles doing that. You should be lifting your whole leg at the hip and then bringing it down again, with your ankle and knee at the same constant angle the entire time.

4) If you're just starting out with this kind of movement, take breaks, and take them often. Don't try to power your way through 10 songs in a row. Playing drums is full body exercise and you're likely using muscles in ways they've never been used before.

5) This isn't for your leg, but still a good tip: Don't hold the drumsticks like they are weapons. Search Google for techniques on how to hold drumsticks correctly and you'll greatly minimize strain on your hands as well.

6) These are electronic pads, not real drums. You don't have to slam them to make them work, and doing that will only make them break faster.

I keep it held down all the time. and lift right before the note to hit it. So my heel is always down.
Angle and all that is personal preference. Do whatever is most comfortable for you.

You can play that way (heel down) if you want, but you'll just be forming bad habits early and you'll really be hurting later when it comes to playing the faster kick hits in Hard and Expert. Better to correct your technique now and get used to doing it the right way.

Angle is definitely not a personal preference to a certain extent. The training video and manual are both correct, 90-degrees is where you want to be. A few degrees off won't hurt, read my point #1 above.

[Oreo Thomas]

Million thanks David. That was exactly the type of info I was looking for....

Follow up question...When you say heel should be up at all times, exactly what does that mean...Only the toes and ball of foot should sit on the pedal and than I press down from the hip? Just a little clarification on that one for the drumming illiterate...(I am a guitar player...Should have contacted one of my old drummers, but figured this would be easier)...

[HERSHYSQUIRT]

leave it pressed down on the kick petal till you need it or else you will fatigue quickly. According to the song your playing you may have to basicly bounce up and down on the petal to keep up with the notes.

[Conner Malvecino]

I posted this in another thread already, but here ya go:
2) Don't use your whole foot to hit the pedal. Your heel should be up ALL the time, just use your toes/ball of your foot to hit the kick pedal. Again, your heel should be UP at all times. (Make sure you have your heel up when you're adjusting your seat height) This is going to feel really awkward at first, but if you're sitting at the right height, you'll get used to it and you'll never go back to doing it the 'wrong' way again.

I agree with everything except #2, I personally am a heel up player myself but I know that heel down is not an incorrect way of playing the drum, hence why the pedal is at times curved like a shape of a foot. For drummers, I couldn't fathom playing anything but heal up but to say that it's the wrong way I'd have to disagree strongly as I know many solid Jazz drummers that are heel down. Yes, they don't need to bash the beater up against the head, but neither do we need to in RB. Speed would be the name of he game later down the road in the game, I can't personally play faster kick patterns heel down, but it's not uncommon.

On a side note, there's a cool technique that heel up drummers do for double stroke kicks which utilizes the rebound of the first note and I wish the pedal would accommodate. But heck, it is still at version 1.0.

[davidshek]

Follow up question...When you say heel should be up at all times, exactly what does that mean...Only the toes and ball of foot should sit on the pedal and than I press down from the hip?

I mean it exactly as I stated in point #3. The leg movement should be from the hip. See if you can find some of Mike Portnoy's "Liquid Drum Theater" instructional video on Youtube or elsewhere. He talks about kick technique in there quite a bit, and watch the way he holds his foot on the pedals.

I couldn't fathom playing anything but heal up but to say that it's the wrong way I'd have to disagree strongly as I know many solid Jazz drummers that are heel down.

On a side note, there's a cool technique that heel up drummers do for double stroke kicks which utilizes the rebound of the first note and I wish the pedal would accommodate. But heck, it is still at version 1.0.

Apologies, when I said the 'wrong' way, I meant for playing rock. This game isn't called "Jazz Band" When I teach drums, I'm usually teaching rock drumming.

That double-stroke technique you're talking about doesn't require any rebound. I can do it with my foot on the floor. It just comes with practice and you'll definitely need it on songs like ...And Justice for All

[vtjustinb]

Since your question got pretty well-answered I have a question for real Oreos...

Do you dunk them in milk first? Or split them and eat the filling then dunk? I've always been confused on that.

[luminary pants]

I mean it exactly as I stated in point #3. The leg movement should be from the hip. See if you can find some of Mike Portnoy's "Liquid Drum Theater" instructional video on Youtube or elsewhere. He talks about kick technique in there quite a bit, and watch the way he holds his foot on the pedals.



Apologies, when I said the 'wrong' way, I meant for playing rock. This game isn't called "Jazz Band" When I teach drums, I'm usually teaching rock drumming.

That double-stroke technique you're talking about doesn't require any rebound. I can do it with my foot on the floor. It just comes with practice and you'll definitely need it on songs like ...And Justice for All

I realize there are differences when you are actually playing a real drum kit. But considering this is a video game, the differences kind of go away. You don't have to worry about control and hitting the kick harder or softer. So I will stick to my heel down. It works just fine through hard, I just haven't had the time to progress any further then that.