Double Kick Fast on Drums

Having trouble finding and maintaining speed in your double-kicking? Here's a list of methods and techniques to improve speed.

Steps

  1. Practice slow until you feel comfortable with what you're playing. Once you start getting better, play faster. Try different techniques- heel up, heel down, or heel-toe.
  2. Tension your kick pedals so that they give lots of response and spring, but not too tight that you can't push them down.
  3. Try playing with both your heels up (ie. using the ball of your foot to kick down on the pedal, and using your calf muscles).
  4. Try playing with your heels down (ie. using your ankle to kick down on the pedal, and using your hamstring).
  5. Find the best or easiest and most effective method of these for you.
  6. Lay your right foot flat on the floor.
  7. Raise the front of your foot off of the ground.
  8. Raise your foot in that position off of the ground and back down.
  9. When your heel hits the floor roll the front half of your foot down until its flat on the ground also.
  10. Continue rolling your foot until the heel of your foot is off of the ground.
  11. Lift the front part of your foot off of the ground and back down.
  12. When your toes hit the floor roll back until your foot is flat on the floor and repeat from number 7.
  13. You are basically rolling your foot from front to back and lifting it up when you get to either side.
  14. Keep your heel up.
  15. Let your heel hit the back part of the pedal first.
  16. When your heel hits bring your toe down while the pedal is bouncing back.
  17. Repeat.
  18. Play heel up.
  19. Play your toe down on the back of the pedal.
  20. Slide your heel towards the front getting a second contact.
  21. Just like normal, but practice lots.
  22. Just keep practicing.
    • Any technique heel up, heel down, flat what ever works for you better and very important you use the technique that you feel comfortable with and practice, a lot of practice.

Tips

  • Start slowly, about 60-80 bpm (beats per minute) playing 16th notes, and gradually build up. Play single strokes, double strokes and paradiddles to develop both the twitch and the regular motion of your foot.
  • Listen to music featuring fast double bass drumming - it will inspire you. Note: it will not make you better. To get you started: some of the fastest metal drummers are Gene Hoglan, Derek Roddy, George Kollias, Dave Mackintosh, Dave Lombardo, Chris Adler and Jason Bittner. Look them up on YouTube and enjoy.
  • Practice, practice, practice! There's no other way to get better. An urban myth about Pete "the Feet" Sandoval of Morbid Angel states he would practice so much that his fellow bandmates would find him in a pool of sweat, and upon waking up he would say "Time to practice!" There's simply no way around it.
  • Try to find a tension in your bass pedals that gives the most response without being too hard to push down.
  • An ideal pedal adjustment would be setting the beater close to the drumhead, with maximum tension on the spring so that you get maximum rebound, allowing you to go faster and harder on the bass drum.
  • Play rudiments on your feet paradiddles, drag, single stroke, flam, etc. Try to get your feet doing anything a marching drummer can do on a snare.
  • Ben Gillies from Silverchair uses double kick on the song Nobody Came on the album Freak Show, the song is a heavy rock song but the ending goes for about 2 minuets with non stop double kick. Try to play along to that.
  • While it won't improve you're technique, some have two bass drums in their sets and obviously are able to use both feet.

Warnings

  • Always stretch your hamstrings, calves, quads, groin and rotate your ankles before playing double kicks on drums. This will prevent pulling muscles, cramping or tearing ligaments.
  • .Drink plenty of water this also helps to reduce cramps in legs.

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Sources and Citations

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