I don’t get to play drum set much these days, though I really want to. That’s the problem with living in a condo: can’t be loud (tell that to some of my neighbors, though). But when I do, I try to take advantage of the situation by playing the drum set-related things I don’t always get to play.
I have a double bass pedal. I became interested in double bass because of drummers like Tim Alexander (Primus), Neil Peart (Rush), and Terry Bozzio (soloist). The double bass pedal and a drum bass drum setup carry a bit of a stigmata because of genres such as speed metal where, as Neil Peart likes to call them, “double bass drum onslaughts” deliver a continuous stream of consecutive beats like 16th notes, sextuplets, etc. But the aforementioned drummers demonstrated that playing a double bass pedal could be so much more.
Recently I played a gig for a friend’s birthday show. I decided to bring my own pedals and, just for kicks (no pun intended), I set up the double pedal. My friend, who is an incredible drum set player, comes from the school that considers playing double bass cheating (the other stigmata). In the last few years, his view on playing double bass has evolved and he understands why someone would want to play double bass. Not one to pass up a humorous opportunity, he and the other guy we were rehearsing with decided to give me a hard time for setting up the pedals.
This got me thinking about why drummers would consider playing a double bass setup cheating. Shouldn’t we be able play double and triple strokes on one foot? Shouldn’t we be able to combine those multiple strokes into linear patterns with our hands? Yes, definitely. Being able to do so demonstrates agility and technique. But playing double bass is more than just playing doubles and triples rapidly in a short amount of space.
Even intensity
With a double or triple stroke on a single pedal, the evenness of the beats can get sacrificed, starting with the first beat. For example, in a triple stroke, the first and second beats are typically less even than the last beat since it’s the last beat where the foot comes down to conclude the triple stroke. This happens a little less with a double stroke, as there are less beats subjected to the downward momentum of the foot, but the first beat can typically be played with a bit less intensity than the second.
Using a double pedal means that each beat can be played with even intensity.
Now, the question was posed to me: if you’re good, could all the beats using a single pedal be even? And the answer is: yes, if you’re good, theoretically you can play all even beats in a double and triple stroke using a single pedal. Keep in mind, however, the downward motion of the foot towards the pedal as it progresses through the stroke means that it can come down on pedal harder with each beat. This, of course, depends on your technique: are you playing heel up or down? Are you keeping the foot up until the final beat? Are you letting your foot climb the foot board during the stroke? Your single pedal technique will obviously factor into how even the beats are in double and triple strokes (and, if you’re really good, quadruple strokes!). Remember that not only do you have to work on the foot technique, but the technique must remain present once you add the other limbs, so you must factor independence and body balance into the equation.
In any case, if you can turn theory into actuality, why play double bass? If you can play even multiple-stroke patterns with a single pedal, why bother with two feet? This leads us to:
Feel
The way we feel while we keep time is the manner in which we will keep time. If we feel sluggish, our time will be sluggish. If we feel frantic, our time will feel frantic.
This also pertains to the physical aspect of what we play as well. To play hand-to-hand 16th notes feels different than playing 16th note paradiddles. To play an accent on one hand and a tap on the other feels different than playing an accent then a tap on the same hand.
Being able to play a double or triplet stroke using a single pedal does not have the same feel as playing the double or triple between the two feet, both alone and when combined with the hands. Dividing patterns up between the two feet and legs divides the energy used between them as opposed to concentrating the energy in a single limb. This can result in a much freer, relaxed sensation while playing. Using a single pedal is, from my analysis and experience, more aggressive due to the concentration of energy in that single limb. The single pedal can also be more efficient in terms of freeing up the other foot to play other things, such as the hi-hat or other pedaled instruments, and to use more complex rhythms, ie. Latin claves. Yes, you can use the other foot to play other pedaled instruments while simultaneously playing double bass (pedaling both pedals at once, or alternating between them), but you’re relegated to playing in between bass hits or in unison with bass hits, which can be complex enough to coordinate without playing complex rhythms. This isn’t to say complex rhythms can’t be played on another pedal while simulaneously playing double bass, but it is a whole other mode of independent coordination to practice.
Patterns
I think it’s pretty self-evident: aside from multiple stroke pickups, like a double 32nd note bass drum pickup into a crash on 1, longer rhythmic patterns can be played with the feet while keeping a constant groove with the hands. Of, if you’re more adventurous (and more coordinated), a double bass ostinato can be played while playing different hand patterns over the top.
Then, of course, there are linear patterns to be played in combination with the hands. A fast, 2-count quintuplet ditty like hand-hand-foot-foot-foot-hand-hand-hand-foot-foot can be played both with a single or double pedal. But the body also uses energy differently and balances differently in both situations, and or course the coordination between your limbs will be different, so ultimately it will come down to how you, the drummer, want to feel while playing such a pattern.
Play double bass patterns in unison with crash, china, or effect cymbals results in sharp, metallic stabs with a nice, bass “oomf” underneath. Intersperse these with snare or tom patterns and you create floating suspense in the middle of your fills or contrasting parts of a melody. Listen to Terry Bozzio, who makes great use of this technique.
Increase the ability of the weaker foot
Most drummers are right-footed. Want to increase the strength, agility, and coordination of your left foot? Play double bass! Left-footed instead? Play double bass! Work that right foot!
Yes, yes… I know. Making sure you’re working that hi-hat, or practicing those Afro-Cuban or Latin claves, will also get your left foot working. But the thing about double bass is that you’re using your weaker foot in very close to the same manner as your stronger foot – the one you usually play your bass drum with; it won’t be exactly the same unless you use your weaker foot instead of your stronger foot to play main bass drum patterns. The bass drum pedal requires a different set of techniques than a hi-hat pedal, so to use your weaker foot in the same manner as your stronger foot on a bass drum pedal means developing the same type of agility and strength as your regular bass foot. Using the hi-hat pedal requires a different type of finesse and control. Adding bass drum technique to the foot you’d normally play your hi-hat with only increases what that foot is able to do.
There’s more to double bass than a barrage of 16th or 32nd “onslaughts”. And there’s more to double bass than “cheating”. It’s a tool, and it’s there to be used in whatever manner you choose to use it. If you don’t want to be creative, that’s your choice. If you want to experiment with what the tool can do, then go for it.
But to dismiss the double bass just because you’ve got mad single pedal chops? First, consider the above points. Second, open your mind and ask yourself, “What if my other foot had the same chops?”
Think about what doors you can open for yourself in that situation.