Kick! Double, or single?

  • Thread starter Thread starter sirslurpee
  • Start date Start date

Double or single?

  • Double pedal

    Votes: 37 52.9%

  • Single pedal

    Votes: 33 47.1%
  • Total voters
    70
Wow the poll is really close! I'm surprized...
 
i like double bass drum for fun, but really, unless the music really needs it, leave it at home for shows and stuff, because alot of times, the double bass pedals get messed up at shows, and they take awhile to set up, i dont know how many times Ive seen drummers going "WTF?! My double bass is broke or sliding everywhere..."
 
Yea I wouldn't want to play double at all. But then, recently I've been into limiting myself a lot. Only having two toms for example (one floor and one "regular"). I seem to play a lot more creatively like that.

And I'm not into death metal, so...no need.

Oh, and I always prefer a drummer who knows what to play rather than one who is technically amazing but don't.
 
im pretty sure that most double pedals allow you to take one foot off and play single... ;)

i could be wrong though.

i like double for some stuff and single for other things. i like to play double because i suck and double makes me sound better, to less experienced musicians anyway. :)
 
Single pedals require more skill and subtlety, IMHO. The only thing that double pedals can do that singles can't it play those crazy metal sixteenth notes. But if you can't find some way to cover that with just a single pedal, you need to step away from the kit.

Yes, double pedals are abused a lot. A friend of mine once had me over to his house to show me how he could play two 32nd notes on his new double kick, leading into the snare backbeat (you know, "boom... bika DAT"). I then plopped down at his kit, put my left foot squarely against the wall, and played the same thing single.

I get a lot of students who "learned" double kick that way (leading right or just using the left as a flam)... and they spend years unlearning that crap and relearning how to put the left foot exactly where you want it in time.

Personally, I do too much with the hi hat to justify taking my foot away from it. The thought of just letting the hats fly open and losing all control over them is not my idea of fun.

To sum up, adding a double pedal to your setup is akin to the guitarist wanting to pick up that Zepplin style double neck guitar. Sure, it brings something new to the table, but it's not necessarily anything good... lol...
 
dkerwood said:
Single pedals require more skill and subtlety, IMHO. The only thing that double pedals can do that singles can't it play those crazy metal sixteenth notes. But if you can't find some way to cover that with just a single pedal, you need to step away from the kit...
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If you happen to be in a metal band, you are expected to play that stuff. You have to have the second pedal/kick.

If you can't find other more interesting things to do with the second pedal besides straight 16th notes, you are a hack and need to step away from the kit.
 
Farview said:
If you happen to be in a metal band, you are expected to play that stuff. You have to have the second pedal/kick.
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Woo hoo! Let's play the same stuff as everyone else in the genre! Stifle creative interpretation! Let's be slave to a special piece of equipment!

You don't *HAVE* to have any special equipment to play ANYTHING.
 
dkerwood said:
Woo hoo! Let's play the same stuff as everyone else in the genre! Stifle creative interpretation! Let's be slave to a special piece of equipment!

You don't *HAVE* to have any special equipment to play ANYTHING.
Click to expand...
It sounds more like you wouldn't know what to do with it.

If you change the fundamental elements of a particular genre, you aren't in that genre anymore. Several forms of metal are defined by the blast beats. If they aren't there, you aren't playing that type of metal anymore.


The 'being a slave to a piece of equipment' argument is weak. You wouldn't show up to play a country gig with a set of roto-toms and no cymbals. A snare, kick, and hat are the minimum requirement. I suppose you could choose to see that as being enslaved to a piece of equipment, but that borders on mental illness.
 
Try playing stuff like this without the other kick/pedal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xmoYIDYI9w

I suppose you could argue that you wouldn't want to play like that, but those of us who choose to need to have the other pedal. There is only so much you can do with just the one.
 
Farview said:
If you happen to be in a metal band, you are expected to play that stuff. You have to have the second pedal/kick.

If you can't find other more interesting things to do with the second pedal besides straight 16th notes, you are a hack and need to step away from the kit.
Click to expand...

I hear what you're saying when the kick is straight through without any off beats...but for many bands it's become almost substitue for a back beat. I myself got a a second bass drum when I was way too young and didn't develop my left foot properly(now I have to do paradiddle with my feet to correct that!). I can hardly play on a kit with a single kit and be creative because I rely on that second pedal so much for my drum fills.
 
Dumby said:
I hear what you're saying when the kick is straight through without any off beats...but for many bands it's become almost substitue for a back beat. I myself got a a second bass drum when I was way too young and didn't develop my left foot properly. I can hardly play on a kit with a single kit and be creative because I rely on that second pedal so much for my drum fills.
Click to expand...
That's not the pedals fault, that's on you. There are a lot of guys with 7-string guitars that can't play anything other than 1 finger power chords, that's because they didn't bother to learn anything else. It has nothing to do with the extra string.
 
I use two bass drums with two double pedals, because I am so fast that the beater doesn't have time to recover before I am ready to hit again, so I move both my feet between the two sets of pedals for my sick 64th note runs :p I can play so fast that I can create bass drum melodies by varying the frequency of the hits to mimic bass guitar notes :cool: One time I got the hits up to 80Hz, but I couldn't keep that up for more than about three songs before I got tired :o
 
Dogman said:
Crikies...that was fun.... :D
Click to expand...

That did kick ass! Why did they keep cutting away from his feet though :mad:

Also, I note the girly looking splash cymbal front and center :D
 
dkerwood said:
Single pedals require more skill and subtlety, IMHO. The only thing that double pedals can do that singles can't it play those crazy metal sixteenth notes. But if you can't find some way to cover that with just a single pedal, you need to step away from the kit.

Yes, double pedals are abused a lot. A friend of mine once had me over to his house to show me how he could play two 32nd notes on his new double kick, leading into the snare backbeat (you know, "boom... bika DAT"). I then plopped down at his kit, put my left foot squarely against the wall, and played the same thing single.

I get a lot of students who "learned" double kick that way (leading right or just using the left as a flam)... and they spend years unlearning that crap and relearning how to put the left foot exactly where you want it in time.

Personally, I do too much with the hi hat to justify taking my foot away from it. The thought of just letting the hats fly open and losing all control over them is not my idea of fun.

To sum up, adding a double pedal to your setup is akin to the guitarist wanting to pick up that Zepplin style double neck guitar. Sure, it brings something new to the table, but it's not necessarily anything good... lol...
Click to expand...

That's your style then.

I have two kick drums. It enables me to play some more interesting patterns with my feet.

Why don't you use one drum stick only then? That's what you're saying by going by the reasoning you gave.
 
Farview said:
It sounds more like you wouldn't know what to do with it.
Click to expand...
I am rubber, you are glue... lol...

Farview said:
If you change the fundamental elements of a particular genre, you aren't in that genre anymore. Several forms of metal are defined by the blast beats. If they aren't there, you aren't playing that type of metal anymore.
Click to expand...
Alright, I'll concede that argument to you (although I question the claim that an entire subgenre is specified by a drum beat). My main beef lies with the guys who bring a double kick to a rock/pop gig and proceed to actually try to use it... at the expense of developing a good speed and technique on the single pedal.


Farview said:
The 'being a slave to a piece of equipment' argument is weak. You wouldn't show up to play a country gig with a set of roto-toms and no cymbals. A snare, kick, and hat are the minimum requirement. I suppose you could choose to see that as being enslaved to a piece of equipment, but that borders on mental illness.
Click to expand...
I'd argue that you wouldn't show up to ANY gig with just a set of roto-toms (or a set of roto-toms at all... lol).

I say if you're a good drummer (and I'm sure you are), you could sit down at any basic drum set and play any style. Sure, maybe you'd be limited in exactly what you could play with your feet, but don't tell me that if some guys asked you to come jam and they started playing some metal riffs, you'd look down at your feet and say, "Gee, guys, I don't have the gear to play metal right now. Can you maybe play some country so I can keep up?"

And for the record, mental illness has completely open borders... I'm free to come and go as I please!
 
TuoKaerf said:
That's your style then.

I have two kick drums. It enables me to play some more interesting patterns with my feet.

Why don't you use one drum stick only then? That's what you're saying by going by the reasoning you gave.
Click to expand...
A more accurate comparison would be to take away your snare drum and just give you a second floor tom, tuned exactly the same.
 
mshilarious said:
I use two bass drums with two double pedals, because I am so fast that the beater doesn't have time to recover before I am ready to hit again, so I move both my feet between the two sets of pedals for my sick 64th note runs :p I can play so fast that I can create bass drum melodies by varying the frequency of the hits to mimic bass guitar notes :cool: One time I got the hits up to 80Hz, but I couldn't keep that up for more than about three songs before I got tired :o
Click to expand...
This is an interesting concept. You've got me intrigued. Do you have any sound samples?
 
dkerwood said:
A more accurate comparison would be to take away your snare drum and just give you a second floor tom, tuned exactly the same.
Click to expand...

How is that a comparison? I'm saying that I feel more mobile and fluid using two pedals, just the same as you'd feel hindered using only one stick.

As for the high hat argument, I use two. One that is always closed, and one that I can use the pedal for.
 
Last edited:
dkerwood said:
(although I question the claim that an entire subgenre is specified by a drum beat).
Click to expand...
There are two subgenres of metal that are exactly the same musically except one has Cookie Monster vocals and the other has screachy vocals that sound like Cookie Monster just got his nuts stomped. Both have blast-beats all over them.


dkerwood said:
My main beef lies with the guys who bring a double kick to a rock/pop gig and proceed to actually try to use it... at the expense of developing a good speed and technique on the single pedal.
Click to expand...
Well that makes a lot of sense.


dkerwood said:
I say if you're a good drummer (and I'm sure you are), you could sit down at any basic drum set and play any style. Sure, maybe you'd be limited in exactly what you could play with your feet, but don't tell me that if some guys asked you to come jam and they started playing some metal riffs, you'd look down at your feet and say, "Gee, guys, I don't have the gear to play metal right now. Can you maybe play some country so I can keep up?"
Click to expand...
No, but it would turn a lot of neo-classical metal into ZZtop-type shuffles. When the guitar players start laughing, the song falls apart.
 
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