We often talk about Rockschool Exams and syllabus content here on our Blog, and also have the occasional sharing from the Educators in our little Rockschool Singapore community. We do also want to turn our Blog Page into a place to open up some discussion on music, techniques and other related topics too!
Here in this edition, we want to take a look at one that is perhaps overlooked at times, with more emphasis being placed on exams – Basic Techniques and in particular, Bass Drum Techniques with “Heel Up” as opposed to “Heel Down” playing on the Drum Kit.
Effective bass drumming is an essential skill for any well-rounded drummer in developing their hands-and-feet coordination, and ultimately, their proficiency and effectiveness as drummers. This can tend to be overlooked when students focus so much on learning fills and sticking patterns using their hands, but learning effective foot control can make the difference between a good drummer, and an amazing drummer. Let’s look at these 2 basic Kick Drum Techniques.
Heel Up
This method feels most natural for most learners. This position generally gives you a louder kick drum sound, utilizing more energy and power from your upper leg and is also less fatiguing on the shin muscle.
Most people tend to naturally play the bass drum pedal with the heel up. The sound that comes from the drum is very quick and snappy. This is worth bearing in mind if you are planning on recording in a studio as it will deliver a louder sound.
This technique is used more often when playing fast or loud beats, such as those heard in rock and metal songs.
To perform this technique, simply place your foot flat on the pedal then raise your heel up off of it, using only the front of your foot to press down and work the beater. While the upper leg is more engaged in this position, you don’t want to only use your knees and thighs to press down on the pedal. The control should come mostly from your ankle while getting some power from your upper leg.
Check to make sure that your ankle is still being used enough by watching your knees. If they are bouncing up and down considerably, then you may be using too much of your upper leg when striking the pedal.
Think of heel-up as a “heel-down motion with a heel-up position.” The pivoting of the ankle motion should be identical in both techniques.
Heel Down
Gives more control, using pivot motion of the foot with a softer, overall more controlled sound with better overall balance.
Playing heel down is slightly more difficult to master for most people. This method doesn’t give you as much power as if you were playing heel up, however, it does allow you to build up more speed. Playing the kick pedal heel down is how some drummers manage to make a single pedal sound like a double pedal.
In heel-down playing, the drummer’s heel rests on the pedal while the ball of their foot plays the drum. This position gives the drummer more leverage and makes it easier to control the sound of the drum.
Heel-down technique is often used in jazz, lounge, and other genres where a softer sound is desired.
This technique is not as natural feeling as the heel-up method and will take some practice for it not to feel so awkward. You will have to consciously be aware of your feet and focus to make sure that you keep your heel planted flat on the pedal.
This method also will directly target your shin muscles on the front of your legs and you will notice that they get fatigued and start to burn very quickly. Over time though, as you continue to work on this, you will develop more endurance in this muscle and will be able to play for a longer duration of time.
This position solely relies on the ankle to be the pivot point in transferring the energy from the foot to the pedal. Once mastered, you can get much more dynamic range out of the bass drum than any other method.
Both Heel Down and Heel Up techniques have their own advantages, and any drummer is sure to benefit from improving their skills in using both these techniques. This will give you a wider range and versatility to play in any music style you desire!
Which technique do you favor?
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If you’d like to find out more about the exams in Singapore, check out the informative pages for Rockschool, RSL Classical and the Performance Arts Awards on our website.