bass pedal technique

Hi all,

I'm looking for advice on foot placement on the bass pedal. I have been experimenting with all sorts of placements and tensions in order to get the best response out of my pedal. Do YOU drum with your heal up and push in to the pedal with your toes or do you put your heal down and use a flexing motion? The main problem I face is 'bouncing' my pedal, creating a rushed double sound, or even almost a buzz roll sound. Just testing the waters to see how others do it.

Oh, I play jazz/funk/some rock. So finesse is more important than power to

I drum with heel up.

Less work on shins than if your foot is flat on the pedal with just your toes going up and down.

I find it easier with heel up, but it is different for everyone.

Do what feels most comfortable.The more comfortable you are the better your drumming and timing is.

I have heard that the beater should not rest against the drum after you have hit it, I am in the habit of doing this though and am trying to teach myself not to, but I can't tell any difference in sound. Is there a reason or is the person I heard this off talking rubbish?

I does make too much of a difference although when letting the beater sit on the head while playing double bass will muffle or deaden some of the notes.

On a single kick set up it will still deaden the bass a little but not a huge difference.

I use a 14x20 kick with no muffling. Letting the beater rest against the head is, mostly, a sound preference first and technique issue second. By using no muffling, you are going to get a quicker rebound from the head and a lot of tone from the bass drum. ...and it IS a drum, no matter how many drummers like theirs to sound like wet cardboard, and there are a lot of them.

I would suggest practicing both ways. Not allowing the beater to rest against the head also gives you a lot more room as far as dynamics. When you're rocking out, it really doesn't matter, you're going to stomp the shit out of it anyway, right?

Jermz