5 steps to perfect kick pedal SPRING TENSION
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- Опубліковано 24 лют 2022
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Table of Contents:
02:15 - Question #1 (regarding beater length & weight)
05:41 - Question #2 (regarding “the beater bob”)
08:17 - Question #3 (adjusting for soft playing)
11:42 - Question #4 (adjusting for loud playing)
13:59 - Question #5 (heel up versus heel down)
17:43 - BONUS! (How you should adjust spring tension over time)
Does your pedal feel slow and clumsy when you play loud? Or does it feel stiff when you’re trying to play softly? Do you continue running into technical issues with your pedal, no matter how much you practice right foot technique?
Have you been left wondering whether the problem is YOU or your pedal??
Today I want you to answer 5 questions that will help you figure out your spring tension sweet spot so that you can get the most response out of your pedal, whether it’s a DW9000 or the budget pedal that came with your kit. YOU CAN DO THIS!
More resources…
The complete playlist of foot technique / bass drum pedal optimization lessons. Enjoy!
• BASS DRUM TECHNIQUE: P...
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I've been teaching rudimental corps-style drumming for over 30 years. Let me just say that you, my friend, are a natural teacher. Fantastic job. Great channel! 👍
I like the Stephen Clark Mantra: "You Can Do This". As usual, great content here. Good Tips for this Old Man (70), a resurrected drummer after 50 Year Hiatus (1969). I learn so much watching Steve. THX for these videos. Be well. Happy Drumming to All.
Oh, Don't know if it's just me, but I find that my right foot slides forward while I play. The shoes seem to matter for sure. I'm a size 13 foot and play Heel Down.
@@Chiroman527 l used to play heel down when I first started playing a drum kit years ago. Later on l was introduced to heel up technique. I find that it is easier to play louder and faster using heel up and my feet didn't slide up the pedal. I found that it it easier to play soft and slow using heel down. That may help you. At least it will be worth a try.
Happy drumming to you too
As a regular shaft beater this was really helpful
As someone who always struggled with getting the rite feel/ spring/ response from the pedal to utilize the mechanics for greater diversity, I eventually went with the Pearl Eliminator series that gives you even more diversity with their interchangeable cam’s , this was certainly a game changer. This pedal really allows you to fine tune the feel even more so than your traditional fixed cam.
Great video. Really beneficial. It’s always good to go back to basics and reevaluate such things as drum ergonomics, etc. I’ve definitely had some pedal issues of late, just not finding that sweet spot, & thankfully this vid has helped me discover what/where I was going wrong. Thanks again! 👍
You are amazing. Thank you so much for your no-nonsense advices. So much useful information in this video!!
Easily the best instructor on mechanics on the web. Great tips
Thank you 😁🙏 great lesson, very helpful.
Ahh this is amazing, I now have my pedals exactly how I want them for the first time in the 27 years I've been playing. Thank you so much!
I watched this video from beginning to end. Thank you, very much!
Dude i REALLY NEEDED THIS! 🙌
THANK YOU
Really excellent video!!! You break things down so I really feel like I understand now exactly how it all works, how these things all interact so that it is much more obvious what the correct setup should be. This was all such a mystery before... Thanks!
dude this actually helped so much. i never would’ve thought the length would affect and i literally tried different lengths and it was a huge difference. i also figured out i had weights on mine too and i took them right off and it really helped also. thanks 🙏
This is the first time I saw had a comment I've been watching all your tips for weeks now and I got to say I use them all everything you brighten up I've taken a look at it and it works as far as the breathing the posture the angle of your positioning of your feet and everything the tension of my foot pedal another great tip you make me want to actually take real lessons because all your tips seem to help so much and make me focus so much more keep it up thank you
Thanks for the great tips
Thanks for this explanation
This video has really helped. Thanks. 🤘
Great instruction. Thank you.
Bravo!! Excellent video, brother!
Thanks Stephen! Another very useful vídeo! Greatings from São Paulo, Brasil.
Great video! This helped me figure out what to do about a stiff pedal when playing softly. I am sure that l just need to loosen the spring tension. It's so frustrating trying to play soft and you can't even hit the bass drum head comfortably. I needed this video six months ago.
Great video, great tips ,great teacher! Almost 60 playing 53 years ,I never had someone solve some of the mechanical issues of drumming in the way you just did! THANK YOU Stephen ! Peace from Detroit MI. I did not just read the comment below until just now! See how amazing this teacher is for real !
Really nice content!!! It helped me so much to improve my pedal skill right away🎉🎉🎉 thanks for sharing.
Coffee'n'drums...HELL YEAH!!
Nice. Thanks, good stuff.
Looks like wool socks, lots of coffee, and LL Bean slippers...New England? Great stuff sir, just fantastic, subbed.
Coffe lover here!
You have to find the "perfect time" with the "perfect grind" on your coffee method.... Some methods like espresso needs finer grain with shorter time, other like french press, long time with coarser grain.... but as always you can exeperiment and find some interesting things...
BTW great channel, i have been learning drums for a year, i will be 45 in may, slow learner... hahahaha
Love the coffee analogy 🤘also bump the haters who obviously can’t concentrate long enough to comprehend the nuances of all the different applications or musical scenarios you went over. Just know a ton of us really appreciate your work bro!
Thanks man!
Just started playing drums consistently for our church. I appreciate your videos man! Also love good coffee. I just recently started roasting my own coffee. Definitely stepped up my coffee game. 👍🏻 Great videos.
Thank you Stephen.. I decided to "take a closer look" on my pedal... after replacing 2 bearings, lubricating and adjusting, adding a nut, fastened a few screws... It became a new pedal. It's a low end but at least it's working properly now. I'm a beginner drummer (at 45) but it helped a lot. Incredible how we hobby "drummers" sometimes forget to adjust our gear and ergonomics. Thanks again man! Subscribed!
I love that, “hobby drummers,” it’s perfect…That’s me.
COFFEE!!! Coarse grine with a long brew time is my preference when I make coffee with my French press.
Good stuff, definitely gave me some things to consider. It is incredible how many variables we need to think about.
One thing I would recommend for all drummers though, is just learn to get a good feel out of any pedal in any condition. Obviously this is a not ideal, but in real life live shows there will be times when u have to jump on someone else's kit or a house kit, etc and u can't be adjusting/testing the pedal in the middle of the show. Live shows always have some unknown variable come up & the pros know how to still sound great even though something went wrong.
WOW! Thanks so much! Just got a new roland kit and upgraded my DW3000 to a 5000. Appreciate the coaching and will check the DW site to see what they say for setting up new pedal.
After playing drums for over 50 years now, I've narrowed down my pedal choices to the Ludwig Speed King (aka the "Squeak King") or a DW 5000. One I can adjust the spring tension, the other not so much. I keep the felt beater on my Ludwig, the double-sided on the DW. Both work well.
I just realized we both drum in our slippers. I have those same slippers in black. And they are the perfect drumming shoe. I can only imagine if I ever play a gig that I would still wear these slippers to play in.
Just want to say that I'm a drummer and your videos have helped me become a better one keep it up
Another nice vid. I love my espresso (or rather ristretto) not too finely ground.
It feels stronger a bit with finer grinding, but it tends to clog up my espresso machine.
I had occasions when it completely inhibited the coffee brew, despite the 20 bar pressure…
Also consider the drive for me I'm a "big toe" player and the best pedal I've found that works is an old strap driven Pearl P-100s. I was using an iron cobra and something about the chain drive didn't work for me. It had some weird flop that kept happening, so I would say either strap drive or direct drive is what I found works right for me. It's one of those things where a "one size fits all" approach may not be the best way to look at it you almost have to keep trying different things and find the best way to flow between hand and foot. And once you feel the right combination then you'll know what works. Otherwise great video man you hit the nail on the head.
This is the nitty gritty that we need to know about Thankyou!!!!!!!!!
I had an inexpensive Tama strap drive pedal that came with my first kit. It was the fastest, most comfortable pedal, I could play double strokes with ease. I have never found or used a pedal since that felt the same. I used all of them, Pearl, DW, Mapex and all the new Tamas.
Just got a 310 Speed Cobra double after having budget pedals for awhile. Your tips are really helping me dial it in. It almost felt too fast at first!😅
That’s a GO for team COFFEE! All things coffee. Mmmmm
So I'm a death metal drummer that plays a lot of quick double-bass beats, with heels up. Something I've noticed when trying to play faster is that it felt like my muscles on the front of the legs get a lot more tired than the muscles on the back of the legs. Which is the result of me having to spend a lot of energy moving my feet up, rather than being able to rely on the springs to help my foot get back in position. I had tuned the springs to pretty much maximum tension already and still faced this.
Only now when watching this video did I realize that the spring tension may not have been my main problem, but rather I've had my feet very high up on the pedals, to get maximum force I guess. And I've had the beater quite close to the drum too. So definitely gonna play around with the beater angle, and placing my feet a bit further back. Thanks for the tips!
Here's the secret that these slow rock guys don't get. The spring tension needs to match the speed of your ankle motion, so that you can play fast, but always keep the balls of your feet on the pedal at all times. As you get faster, you increase the tension on the spring. Imagine bouncing a basketball with your foot, but your foot follows the ball all the way down to the floor and all the way back up. At some point, usually around 220-230BPM, you'll have to learn how to swivel. But until then, follow these tips, and follow James Payne on UA-cam. He's the GOAT for footspeed. He can play 260BPM blasts on one foot with no spring on his pedal.
Not sure what pedal you have but some Tamas have that cobra coil that goes underneath the footboard to push it back up.
Also, you should definitely feel it more on the muscles of your shins than you do on your calves. And when you have your feet in the right spot on the pedalboard, the pedal and beater will feel almost weightless.
I play similarly. I dude a slide technique for doubles on my single pedal. Having a lower spring tension actually helps me have more control and less pressure on my feet/tendons. It only sounds soft if I rest my foot on the pedal and hit, it’s well defended when I’m heel up and sliding
I loved the coffee grinding comparison
Great video. Very informative. Question what do you recommend for excessive bounce back? I’m using the DW 3000. Thank you in advance.
5:00, the question I ask myself daily. 🤣
Shorter beater longer beater tighter beater lighter beater. Great advice! Thanks
Hi Stephen!!! thanx so much for all your teachings!. I´ve been having some issues with my pedal that gives me some extra unwanted rebound and I really dont know how to control It. its so annoying cos it makes extra notes on the bass drums an really breakes my focus when playing! Thnx for your help
Drum pedals are a general mechanical device, which operates upon the principal of changing (transforming) downward motion and force (from your foot) into foreword motion and force (from the beater), which eventually impacts the drum head.
Just like any other relative physics problem, the longer you make the beater, the more force is required to move it through a longer arc, and vice versa for a shorter beater.
That said, depending on how you have your bass drum setup, you need to test impact noise with you beater, starting at 3in from the center of your bass drum head… and working to the center…so you can find your bass drums “sweet spot” you might find that the center of your bass drum head, does not provide the best overall sound…
Afterword, apply the excellent suggestions found in this video…
Thanks for this. I run a specialty coffee mill and roaster here in Australia. Happy to do a knowledge swap anytime. Amateur drummer here.
Coffee fan here!
Great class. Thanks, Stephen.
As far as coffee goes, grind size is one consideration, temp of water and time of brew of course, and I hope you grind your own coffee from whole beans. HUGE difference.
In addition, I don't do this, but I know a guy who is into doing his own roasting. It's not as weird as it sounds. You can buy small home roasters, and you roast single batches in just a few minutes. He says it's as big a difference maker as grinding your own. Of course, you have to buy unfrosted beans, but they can be found. And the AGE and method of storage of the beans is important, but you can't control what happens before you buy them. Sometimes it sits in a warehouse and gets stale.
These are some great tips, however i cannot adjust the length of my beaters because i am using an E-Kit which means it has to be in a certain position (it is in that position). Right now i have it set at a really high spring tension but will have to see with the tips from this video if that is the perfect tension for me and my pedals (i am using the Roland RDH-102A double kick drum pedal)
Stephen my dream has always been to play the drums, I’m 64 years old and use the drums the little knowledge I have for my PTSD. I build my own electronic kit it a Yamaha custom 5 piece. I’ve looked at the vast number of talent and really like your attitude and demeanor. Any suggestions, let me know the best course for a beginner the you are offering.
Best regards,
Ray.
When using an electronic drum kit then you usually have to set the beater so it is in the middle position of whatever your bassdrum is that comes with the kit you got, meaning that with an electronic drum kit you cannot play with beater length however the other 2 things you can still play with (although i have read on reddit that on mesh head it's better to use plastic beaters, i have plastic beaters but i don't have experience with other types of beaters so yeah it's just what i have read)
I'm an Aeropress guy. I like a coarse grind with a longer brew time. Might not be the best, but it's perfect for me! :)
Great pedal tips. I've been messing around with seating position, pedal dynamics, and grip techniques recently. Your videos have been super helpful.
My first pedal should arrive next week.
Hey Stephen!
Looks like we're both espresso hobbyists! It was a nice surprise to learn this in addition to your fantastic drums lessons and how-to's 😊 BTW nice analogy between setting pedal tension and coffee variables.
I'm really beginner with everything drums as a hobby and still figuring out all the stuff; all that you explain here on youtube is like gold mine to me. Thank you!
Initially I thought that playing the kikdrum should be fairly easy if I have the needed power and endurance, but I've discovered you still need to practice a bunch for a precise controlled movement of the foot and ultimately the beater; it's not just stomping on the pedal (as in the opposite you would do on a bike pedal). Also found that playing heel-up without the needed muscle control you're sending shocks through your heel to your knee which are really bad and could cause some injury. I think this might need to be explained for noobs like myself 😅
Hey, how tight is the batter head ?
@@dennissmith4186 I don’t know exactly what reference to give; it’s a bit tighter than normal I think, because it’s an Evans DB One and I need it to work with my reso, but it’s also floppier than my floor tom’s.
can you address this same topic but for a cocktail set where the beater is going up?
love this vid. I've been playing 40+ years mostly just as a hobby. what drives me nuts is that I can play for an hour one day and absolutely rock the kit. then the next day, I cannot play anything right, sounds like shoes in a dryer....
Nice vid did you do one on beater angle and footboard angle yet? Or is that yet to come. I mean more In depth than here : )
I am a former coffee snob. I got way too deep into it and it got too expensive 🤣
So it took me about a year of detox to be able to drink Folgers again but I can absolutely relate to your coffee analogy lol
Do ur lessons include double bass drumming? I have just started with double bass drumming about a month ago and i need some help with setting up, finding the sweet spot for my left leg, practicing daily lessons, and the most important, while applying all this on the drumkit, how do u coordinate it with ur hi-hat playing and how do u keep switching ur leg between the hi-hat pedal to the double bass pedal?
I was actually thinking about the coffee comparison right before you said it lol...don't forget about water chemistry as a variable (or set of variables) 😅this coming from the guy watching a drum video while mixing in baking soda and epsom salt into distilled water in just the right amounts...I should spend more time tuning my drums 🤔
Hey Stephen can you make a vedio in which u tell us about how we can play a song on same tempo whenever I play drums I usually lost my tempo on drums can you help me fix this problem❤🥰
So I’m having to hit my pedal somewhat hard in order for it to trigger the sound through my headphones. I’ve turned up the sensitivity all the way on the kick which helped, but it feels like a lot of work trying to get it to trigger 2-4 times quickly. Sometimes the first hit will trigger but the rest won’t. There are two things I feel like it could possibly be, which are maybe my stool isn’t high enough (20” or so), or maybe it’s just the quality of my pedal. I have an Alesis Command kit. Everything else I’ve gotten comfortable with. I’m considering an iron cobra double or single kick pedal, but wanted your opinion on if you think that would be a good upgrade compared to what I have now. Also considering a stool that can adjust to at least 22”. I’m 5’10”. I’ve tried adjusting length of beater and also spring tension. Also thanks for the advice from the video. It is very helpful!
I believe it’s very important to spend as many hours as possible just playing the pedal(s) before making adjustments, otherwise your mind and muscle memory will get confused with making too many adjustments at once.
Many times our muscle memory can just learn the pedal and play fine with just practice….
Sometimes we get mind twisted thinking we need to make adjustments or get new pedals, when we just need to put in work with what we have.
Speed cobra...left foot is my weaker. I've noticed that there's more throw from the left beater than the right. I feel like I'm giving both pedals the same amount of power, beaters are the same, heel up, same position on the foot plate. Can the range difference only be due to spring tension and natural imbalance between feet? Thx
I don't know what DW does but mine were perfect right out of the box.
Hi, have you used the Gretsch single bass drum pedal? I'm thinking about buying it.
I play a lot of music that includes double bass patterns. I have my spring tension fairly tight - this makes it much easier to play at fast tempos. Where I'm struggling is when the tempo of the song is what I would call moderate - "Parabola" by TOOL is an example. The song is 96 bpm; there's a section near the end with a double bass pattern, and it's difficult to keep the tempo steady at that slow of a tempo. Would having my feet further forward facilitate playing slower double bass patterns?
Would it be a good idea to replace springs if they are older? They arent shiny like most I've seen, and it's sorta like you said where it dies out a bit to quick
Take the 20 minutes to listen to this video and save hours of trying to figure it out on your own.
DUDE! where were ya in 67?..🤡..Back and forth he says?..Patience?...( for 56 yrs?....long enuff?😩🙃) Oh yeah, IM ARMED now with some KILLER info.😎.Might take 4-5 months to process BUT?....If I dont ever get it, it'll be on ME.....now. Ive actually DREAMED of a drum tech sittin my oldass down and skewlin me on these excellent finer points of fizzics.😎 Sadly , I just bought a brand new Speed King,but have to return it due to back n forth movement (play...bout 1/8") between the spring housing & beater cam, having a "gritty" FEEL on the L side, makin noise as well. Gotta find a way ta get this Mapex pedal to quit comin apart. Anyway, thanks so much for this video, howEVER....ya prolly only made my "neurosis/PHSYCOsis"...WORSER..LOL
I should bought double Tama Speed Cobra 910s (new blackout version). Touching spring tension scares me lol. It probably took me over an hour just to feel like there are now playable
What about reverse pedals used on cocktail kits? I get noise even if nuts, etc. are tightened. How do I get rid of it? Is it spring tension causing the noise? Thx!
Mapex Falcons acutally have interchangable weights for the beaters which is quite a nice feature,let's you experiment quite a lot.
Dyna sync has a fully adjustable pedal board and light and heavy feel.
C O F F E E !! I've played the brewing process game. Love it. How does this fit into your playing?
Can we get a video on coffee technique?
Steven, I have an Iron Cobra Dual Pedal setup on my 22" Tama Imperial Star kick....would you recommend setting them up as a pair, equally to keep both legs at the same strength, or would you set them up individually for your stronger and weaker leg ?
Off topic question, but...do you prefer practicing with a "click" or music at the same tempo you're practicing ?
Would you use two sizes of stick? Keep them even and work on your weaker leg. Like hands, aim for symmetry.
@@elirobillard3451 Gooood point, thank you)
Question for you Stephen: I'm a novice drummer using a 22" kick with an Iron Cobra 200 pedal. I'm getting a doubling most every time I step on the kick pedal. Its a very fast doubling, but noticeable. Do you think that could be my technique (or lack thereof) or something to do with the pedal - spring tension perhaps? Thanks in advance.
Great video. My beater always bounces dubble and I don't know what I can do to avoid this. I'm using Silent strokes on my kit, also on my bassdrum.
Me too,I've had this double beater bounce problem,not sure if it's spring tension
You are holding the pedal down, and the bounce is caused by using a lot of skin tension on the head.
@@weareallbeingwatched4602 ok. Good insight. This has been problematic over the years.
@@mikepelzer7839 don't crush the rebound on the beater - on a proper strike you want the head to be free to resonate properly, so the beater should bounce off the head once only and leave the head completely alone from there.
On a properly tuned kick drum if you bury the beater, and crush the beater into the head, it shouldn't do a buzz roll or bounce, that can only happen with triggers or a drum head that is far far too tight - if you want to park the beater into the head and do a muted strike, it should just stop dead. Both techniques are used, but generally speaking, burying the beater is a bad idea - it isn't suitable to learn to only play that way.
@@weareallbeingwatched4602 thanks! I'm an old drumline line guy, so I try to apply what I know about rebound and such to everything I do, but I hadn't considered your point about the head tension. Since adopting a rebound approach to the bass drum I've been seeing less buzz; but there's always something to learn about drums. Thanks again. I appreciate the in depth response.
Mike
Esmeralda Arabica coffee beans lightly roasted and poured over runs about $50 a cup and you should DEFINITELY go find some.
Does this work with a double bass pedal? Ithe left pedal.
Max tension ALL DAY!
Stephen Clark you true Rocker! Friendly suggestion: barista brewed double shot with fresh squeezed lime juice; one half lime - no sugar.
How do I get the pdf from you? I have to get some coffee ☕
Coffee lover here.
My tension is maxed out and it still feels lose to me,need tighter more powerful springs, using DW 3000 series
Coffee all day!!! Grind my beans and French press it!!!! Long steep fine grind to bring out the aroma. Nice deep rich flavor!!!!! The best way to enjoy your coffee
👍🏽🔥🔥👍🏽
How tight is your batter head?
I'm delving into jazz/big band and as a medium-high spring tension, heel-up prog/djent double bass guy I'm finding I can feather quietly heel up but it doesn't feel right heel down and doesn't feel quite right heel up either. I want to be able to play heel down for very low dynamic stuff and have the same control/feel with heel up. I can play heel down fine on an ekit or stock tension so I'll probably loosen the tension a bit. I think it's a bit overrated for fast double bass too. Batter tension and beater setup matter more IMO.
I have motor neuropathy and my pedal is hard but I don’t have a drum key
I can’t get my beater to do any of that it doesn’t spring at all idk
5:13 Heh, he said tape nuts to your shaft.
yes! thank you for the great explanation. About coffee? come to Brasil and we will drink great brews
Spring tension is high enough for the pedal to come back, but compared to my left slave pedal, the response lags big time making alternating hits way out of sync. I think it is because of the weight of the left pedal + connecting rod as opposed to just the beater. Does anyone have this same issue?
I use DW 9000's and my main pedal spring tension is about 25% less than my slave pedal. I can place both beaters to the head let go and they Bob back and forth at even intervals. I also use an aftermarket Trick driveshaft.
I keep my slave pedal just a little tighter. in theory, the engineers account for the connection but I doubt it can be super precise...varying distance between the two pedals etc would likely affect the feel.