Feet and Fills

[Chrysostom]

To what extent, or perhaps I mean how often, should feet (both single and double pedal) be incorporated into fills? We are all aware of the extent to which Mike Portnoy uses them, but I've also seen guys like Lang use them a lot too.

What's the deal with feet in fills? From what I can discern their function in fills seems to be to make it sound faster (and fuller) than 'just hands' fill would be.

[DrumIntoTheNight]

I've been curious about this for a long time actually, good question.

[stevensonmat2]

Well I think using feet is just like using your hands. Bass drum, tom, crash, hi hats; no real difference in fills.

I don't think there are set rules on what feet are supposed to be used for in fills.

[Josiah]

^This guy gets it!

He's entirelly correct. There's no rules or regulations pertaining to how you may use your kit. It's totally up to you!

Keep in mind the kick drum is what it is, and thusly has sonic attributations that are bound to it.

Be creative! This should keep you busy for awhile..

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=515927

[the_pure_drummer]

I always use my feet in fills even if its just to keep to pulse going underneath me.

You should use it when you want to!

[crazyguy832]

^^^
I see a lot of people doing that and, honestly, some fills shouldn't have a kick underneath them.

I don't know why, but they just don't sound right.

[dairyairman]

if you just want to keep a pulse going through a fill, you can always do that with your left foot on the hats. of course, that rules out any kind of double bass in the fill.

[stevensonmat2]

Unless you have a good right foot.

[Josiah]

if you just want to keep a pulse going through a fill, you can always do that with your left foot on the hats. of course, that rules out any kind of double bass in the fill.

If you left foot lead anything, and swivel your heel of your foot you can tag the hats on the quarters, or whatever - takes a LOT of work though.

[Jezen]

You can do the alternating pedal Benny Greb/Macro Mini-Man thing.

[Stickman Sam]

You should use your feet as much as you want to.

~~

[poopoogaypoonn]

Like everyone posted theirs no limit to the amount of notes(on feet) that you want or dont want.
Some good excercises for developing this is going through Stick Control in a hand-feet mentality and nail each in every way their is to combined them... Ive also heard doing Drumline warmups this same way will help. (haven't tried this way though)

[billdrum]

The drumset is a musical instrument that is capable of producing many different sounds, tones, and effects. Its up to the performer to determine what sounds he produces at any given moment. Everything on your kit can, and should, be considered when deciding what to play. You just have to know 1) what kind of sound each instrument or combination of instruments makes, and 2) when to use it.

So many players play their kits with little or no awareness of what sounds they are creating. So I suggest making yourself aware of every sound you make and why. And experiment with using your entire kit in different ways, including using your kick as part of fills.

[DrummingBen]

Usually I just use kick/hats to keep a pulse mostly, or fill in some space.

[scpttrerulz]

Well I think using feet is just like using your hands. Bass drum, tom, crash, hi hats; no real difference in fills.

I don't think there are set rules on what feet are supposed to be used for in fills.

Perfectly true. If the drums are tuned properly, the toms, floor tom and the bass drum all sound in a progression. So if you're a double bass player then you can actually use the bass drums as an extra tom. One place where this becomes glaringly apparent is in Ghost Of Perdition (Opeth). In the middle of the song, there's this bridge where Lopez does a whole 16th roll and continues it off the floor tom onto the bass drum and it sounds all in continued progression.

[breakinben_freak]

Well I think using feet is just like using your hands. Bass drum, tom, crash, hi hats; no real difference in fills.

I don't think there are set rules on what feet are supposed to be used for in fills.

I agree. You can do whatever you want with fills using your feet. I sometimes have the bass pulsing under a fill or use some double kicks as part of a "tom run". You can be as creative with it as you would for any other part of your drumkit i think

[Damo]

You can do the alternating pedal Benny Greb/Macro Mini-Man thing.
The master of this is a little known guy named Chris Brien.

Its where guys like Lang must have got all his inspiration for his latest DVD.

http://www.myspace.com/chrisbrien

[DxRocker]

I don't think there are set rules on what feet are supposed to be used for in fills.

Bingo.

Who cares? The bassdrum is just another sound, not more or less.
If you want to incorporate that sound into a fill, then do it... If not, then don't.

I also have been thinking that people in general have a wrong idea of what a "fill" is.
A fill is not limited to doing a roll (in any form) at the end of a bar by any means.

A fill, imo, is just a "variation" of the groove you are playing. That variation can be something completely different (ie 32nd exchanges between hand and feet, portnoy style), but it can be just another groove as well...

Groove x goes on for 7 bars, and for bar 8 you use groove y, only to return to groove x the next bar. Isn't groove y now used as a "fill"?

A fill is what you make of it. And you have total freedom in doing so. Just be sure to do it tastefully :)

[DrummingBen]

Benny Greb is pure sex for this kind of thing I reckon.

[Jezen]

Bingo.

Who cares? The bassdrum is just another sound, not more or less.
If you want to incorporate that sound into a fill, then do it... If not, then don't.

I also have been thinking that people in general have a wrong idea of what a "fill" is.
A fill is not limited to doing a roll (in any form) at the end of a bar by any means.

A fill, imo, is just a "variation" of the groove you are playing. That variation can be something completely different (ie 32nd exchanges between hand and feet, portnoy style), but it can be just another groove as well...

Groove x goes on for 7 bars, and for bar 8 you use groove y, only to return to groove x the next bar. Isn't groove y now used as a "fill"?

A fill is what you make of it. And you have total freedom in doing so. Just be sure to do it tastefully :)

Hey Billy Ward whats up man?

[iron_bru_32]

hey dude

its whatever suits the music best i mean you dont usually do a mentall double bas fill in jazz music but it sperfect for heavey metal visversa
but then again it all depends on how good of a drummer you are and how well you can incorperate drum phills used mainly in one style of music into a nother style of music or just generally and to be honest i love them.

if portnoy uses them all the time then why cant you?

[maniac0796]

http://www.drummerworld.com/Videos/mikeportnoyparadigm.html

Easy as poo.

The only thing i struggled with was remembering that it's in 12/8 (i think) and that there's a 6 on the snare, 2 on bass, 6 on snare, 6 on timbale and so on.