If you've gone from single bass pedal to DOUBLE, do you still practice any single pedal techniques?

BigDinSD

Gold Member
Was just thinking about this, since I have recently picked up some Double pedals. I had invested a lot of practice and discipline over the last 2 years on my single pedal techniques. However, I just couldn't get it quick enough to do certain licks, fills, rolls.
So along came the double - which I am very pleased with.

So I was wondering if anyone practices their single pedal techniques anymore, or is it just the double now. I guess I just didn't want to waste the time I had already invested, but my single techniques will never catch my double speeds and flexibility.
 
Well I'm jut practicing drums, not actually playing them... And I do practice double bass a lot. But I'm always splitting it up into practicing both feet vs. one foot at a time. So for me personally having/using a double pedal doesn't mean it is any easier for my feet to do the stuff. SOME things are easier if you translate them on the double pedal, sure. But if you demand more from your feet (on a double pedal) then each foot has to work more accordingly. If the way you're playing the double pedal seems unchallenging/boring to you then you'd just have to spice it up (more speed, more challenging patterns/bursts etc). There's always a way to challenge yourself, even with a triple/quadruple pedal (which I don't care for, haha).

I've been "playing" the drums for 16 months now. What I did pretty much from the start was practicing my weak vs. strong side as equally as possible (hands, feet). My experience is that within months I could get good results with my weak sides. Basically I'm trying to make my left foot (hand) play the same I'm doing with the right side.

I don't see a "philosophic" contrast in the single vs. double pedal. Even the extreme drummers aren't 'cheating' but often play single pedal as much as possible (one foot blast), switching to both pedals when one foot won't do. For practice variations I'm switching between playing on the double pedal and single pedal & hihat. I want to be able to do both. I've even put up my hihat on the right side a few times to at least get a feel what it's like to operate the hihat with my right foot.

The double pedal performance is the sum of each foot but in combination. In case one foot is way weaker than the other the combined performance (doube pedal) will suffer from this. So working on my weak sides seems completely logical to me. And if you apply some discipline/routine you'll get your left foot performance up a long way. Thus, your double pedal stuff will benefit from this also.

I find playing 240 bpm on the double pedal (singles) isn't particularly easy although it's on the double pedal. Vs. playing 120 bpm with one foot/pedal isn't easier either. You can't do more on the double pedal than the sum of what you can do with each foot in isolation, then combined. Plus getting the feet in sync takes some time, too.
 
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Was just thinking about this, since I have recently picked up some Double pedals. I had invested a lot of practice and discipline over the last 2 years on my single pedal techniques. However, I just couldn't get it quick enough to do certain licks, fills, rolls.
So along came the double - which I am very pleased with.

So I was wondering if anyone practices their single pedal techniques anymore, or is it just the double now. I guess I just didn't want to waste the time I had already invested, but my single techniques will never catch my double speeds and flexibility.


I started with a single at age 6.....around age 13 went to double....with 2 kicks....a few years later went double pedal.....and about 2 years ago abandoned the double pedal all together and just rely on my right foot for the kick and left foot for creativity on the hats

20 something years of double kick was plenty to burn me out on it

I feel much more creative on one kick

my right foot has always been highly developed, fast and precise and I can honestly say I dont miss the left pedal one bit

since I stopped playing mostly metal in the early 90s I pretty much only used the double for quick snaps and tasty little tid bits here and there anyway......most of which I can achieve with one foot

so I dont see myself ever returning to the double pedal
 
I played bouble bass drums and double pedals for almost 30 years, when I started I tried to play single pedal pattern with both feet, and funnily enough, even that I'm a right handed drummer, I always lead the double bass patterns with my left foot, exept for some specific patterns. But you don't throw double bass grooves and licks in every songs, so your main foot has to be able to handle all the "normal" situation, therefore, you should continue to practice you single pedal skill and consider the double bass/pedals as an added feature within your practice routine, not replacing what you been working on up to now.

Just recently, about 6 months ago, I stopped using my double pedals and bought a single pedal, to push further my technique with my right foot. I might go back one day to double bass, but for now I'm very happy with my progress, as I'm not relying on the second pedal for some intricate bass drum patterns. :)
 
whats a single pedal technique? :S
 
So I was wondering if anyone practices their single pedal techniques anymore,
Absolutely. Playing a quick double stroke with your main foot has a completely different tone of voice than a quick double with two pedals, for instance. The second pedal should expand your vocabulary, not reduce it.
 
Say you ever want to play a friend's kit that only has a single pedal... Do you want to have to blame the kit's lack of double pedal for your lack of foot skills?
 
Cool tips and suggestions - THANKS!

I'll probably maintain and still use my single pedal skills. There is a part of me that also wishes to use that pedal to the left for the quick, extended double bass licks!
 
Without a doubt. Don't ever fall into the trap of thinking that you can get away with a mediocre right foot just because you have a double pedal. That's a newb point of view.

We as drummers sometimes forget, but 99.99% of the music that people actually listen to does not have double bass in it.

I sometimes wish I had realized this 20 years ago but that's another story...
 
I don't' really get the question. It's sounds like you're forgetting hi hat playing - or giving it the major back-burner treatment. You do still want your kick playing to sound sharp during the times your left foot is being burdened with the lowly task of hi hat playing, right?
 
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