Foot Teqnique/Drum Positioning

[-HellsKitchen-]

Aye, Merry Christmas Everyone!! :chug:
I'm looking for some opinions on certain teqniqes such as Heel Up/Heel Down Foot playing and some opions on drum positions.
With foot teqniques i've been trying to practice my heel-up, heel-down fairly evenly but it seems like i can get more speed (feels smoother) when i play heel down. Heel up teqnique can feel more powerful but i loose accuracy slightly in doubles. Any opinions on which teqnique should be more focused. (Also if anyone knows of any brutal Drum books please feel free to enlighten).

When it comes to setting up my drums i like to have everything nicely postioned with my toms fairly flat. My problem is when the new Sonor's i got for christmas i have to get much higher on my throne to be above the toms enough to feel comfortable. When i raise my throne i find its harder to play the bass drum. Mike Portnoy said something about how he likes being lower down on his throne to improve bass drumming??? Any suggestions or just opinions really on drum set-up options, tips would be greatly apprectiated!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

[ValeOfShadows]

Since no-one else has answered you i will. With the foot technique i think that you should play whichever your better at/more comfortable with. But i dont know about the toms.

[Bone]

Technique with the feet -

Unlike the hands, the risk of injury is much much less. I'd personally tell you (as I tell my students) simply play the notes, force them to a click if need be. Your body will figure out what works best for you. With feet, unlike hands, you can let the body figure it out. There is no risk of an RSI in the ankle from drumming.

Also I'd like to suggest you work on the major techniques on their own. Each to a level of decent playing. Heel down, heel up (flat footed) and heel toe.

Work on each one, when you feel you have worked on all 3. Then let it go. Just let the foot figure out how to play the phrases as it sees best fit. You may be surprised to find your foot will gravitate towards a particular technique more then others for some things, or visa versa of course.

As far as throne settings. This is vey important. Set your throne as following:

On the open floor, sitting on your throne, back straight, shoulders back, chin up.. good posture, I sound like a mom!!
Your feet flat on the ground, there should be a slight downward angle of your thighs.

[Cocaberry]

What I did was I learned heel-down first and got those ankle muscles stronger and then I learned heel-up. Once I started heel-up it was easier because you still use the ankles, your heel is just not on the footplate. Just practice with heel-down till you get your ankle muscles built up to be strong and quick and then start with heel-up.

[Mental Disorder]

when you say ankle muscles, you mean your shins correct?

[milkmit]

Your body will figure out what works best for you. With feet, unlike hands, you can let the body figure it out.

man, that's SO true! when I first started playing songs with simple 16th double bass strokes, my feet were a bit too slow to play. as the weeks went by and I kept trying, it was just amazing how my feet just started doing the strokes in a sorta heel/toe manner as if they had a mind of their own. I didn't consciously make the decision to play em like that, but it seemed like that's how my body chose to answer the challenge of playing double strokes so quickly.. it was so odd..

but anway..... :)

[-HellsKitchen-]

Thanks all, especially Bone, Great help.

[Jezen]

Mike Portnoy said something about how he likes being lower down on his throne to improve bass drumming???

Quite the opposite. Mike sits very high to improve his double bass. He plays heel up.

[norns]

take the stick control book and play those first 3-4 pages on the feet.
paly to a metronome play doble time against the metronome - feet on the floor no pedal when one foot is on the down stroke the other should be toe up

You can sustain injurries with foot workouts (do them heel-toe) - start at 5 minutes a day week 1 for 5 days and build up to 10 - if it starts to hurt - stop - don't play through the pain - you can cause damage

[UsefulIdi0t]

Technique with the feet -

As far as throne settings. This is vey important. Set your throne as following:

On the open floor, sitting on your throne, back straight, shoulders back, chin up.. good posture, I sound like a mom!!
Your feet flat on the ground, there should be a slight downward angle of your thighs.

Im having the same problem. I have my throne at the right height like you said, but when my toms are fairly flat I cant seem to get the sticks over the side of the drums. I end up doing rimshots on my toms a lot, or completely missing the head. The only way i could fix it was to tilt my toms more, but I think they're tilted too much. Is there a compromise point between the throne and the tom angles?

[Bone]

Depends on your body of course and kit of course.

There should be no comproise on posture, however if you can play with good posture, by all means find what works for throne height.

Sounds like you could stand to move it up a bit, the throne that is. I think that's pretty much ok so long as you don't go to a point where your legs are actually stretching to reach the pedal. Or you are compromising technique for height.

Remember, on a drumset the 2 most important things are Snare and Kick. Third is the hat's. So everything really needs to revolve around those. Toms come in to play, but the compromise of kick or snare for toms should never be.

[UsefulIdi0t]

Yea. Im thinking about getting a double tom holder so my toms can be lower. Right now my 12" is braced to my cymbal stand and my 13" is on the left hole of the bass drum. I could probably move them a little more to the elft and down if I use a holder for both.

I wish I could get an experienced player to come look at my set-up and tell me if something could be changed. I cant tell if my snare/hats are right. It feels pretty comfortable now so im just going to leave them until told otherwise by someone who knows.

[60 Hertz Jig]

I wish I could get an experienced player to come look at my set-up and tell me if something could be changed. I cant tell if my snare/hats are right. It feels pretty comfortable now so im just going to leave them until told otherwise by someone who knows.

Post pics. There are enough people here [and idiots who scream 'HOLY TOM ANGLES BATWOMAN!'] who can tell you if there is an easier way to set it up.

Peace.

[Dyers EvE]

First of all, try getting this (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=perc/search/detail/base_pid/448720/) to get your cymbal stands out of the way. It may haelp to make more feet room for your bass drumming, and/or where all positions you can put your throne. Other than that, just listen to Bone. :)

[M@xwell]

I don't understand how people can play with their toms flat. Mine are near a 45 degree angle...is there anything terribly wrong with this? It means I can sit lower to help with my double pedal technique.

[UsefulIdi0t]

Drums 1 (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a3/usefu1ldi0t/100_1185.jpg)

Drums 2 (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a3/usefu1ldi0t/100_1189.jpg)

Please ignore the ZBTs. I got em for a present for christmas and im saving to start changing my cymbals one by one.