how important is the skill of...

[trephine]

how important in drumming is it to be able to keep the beat with your left foot, ie: "closing the hihat in time"

to me it seems like a thing drummers would learn when first starting, however i seemed to have skipped this skill.

i dont notice many drummers doing it however, and when i do it doesnt seem to be to free the other hand (as would be the obvious benefit to me). most drummers i see do it when they are riding the ride which would greatly overpower the sound.....leading me to think its just a basic instinct thing for some drummers.

how many of you guys do this?

do you think its an important part of drumming?

thanks

[rumblebelly]

I skipped it too. However, it's a good idea to get complete control over your left foot so you can do quarter or eight notes on the hat without using your hands. That way you can have a metallic chick going while doing cool stuff on the snare or on your toms. Being able to open and close it at will increases all kinds of creative possibilities. I've even seen a drummer use his hats on the off beats with his foot to create a cool syncopated feel with the snare.

[Funkenste1n]

i don't do it on every song, i just keep the left foot beat on a funky style.

it adds a groovy punch to my playing, and helps me keeping things in place when i improvise_

[relva]

for me it depends on the day...

 

some days i have total dependance, other days i would have to stop everything i'm doing to even think of using the left leg.

that makes little to no sense, but thats the best i got

[elevate]

I don't think it's a basic instinct...at least not in all cases. It does seem like some drummers do it to simply help keep time, but others use it to augment their playing. Danny Carey, for instance, seldom rides the hats with his foot, but when he does, it's usually to introduce another rhythm to a polyrhythm or to increase the energy level a tad. I ride the hat with my foot occasionally when playing tom patterns, just to help fill in the spaces and make it all flow better.

[Scheming Demon]

I'd have to go for it's more a learned skill. As stated before it adds an extra dimension to your playing. It also helps keep time as well.

[vanlatte]

Originally posted by trephine how important in drumming is it to be able to keep the beat with your left foot, ie: "closing the hihat in time" to me it seems like a thing drummers would learn when first starting, however i seemed to have skipped this skill. i dont notice many drummers doing it however, and when i do it doesnt seem to be to free the other hand (as would be the obvious benefit to me). most drummers i see do it when they are riding the ride which would greatly overpower the sound.....leading me to think its just a basic instinct thing for some drummers. how many of you guys do this? do you think its an important part of drumming? thanks

 

To me it has been an important part of drumming as it has helped me to develope independance, and has since turned into something that I frequently use in my playing. Sometimes I think its even done unconiously, which may or may not be a good thing

 

My instructor was big on doing the 2&4 click during my jazz lessons so depending on the type of music I am playing it just seems to fit.

 

I never thought of it as overpowering when using the ride, I will have to evaluate that...its an interesting thought since I am always looking to avoid the "White noise" syndrome...

 

V.

[wally_groove]

I do it when on the ride sometimes, and during solos.

[Living Dead Drummer]

i can't remember every leaning it on drum set, only in precussion. But I do it anyway without thinking.

[batterista]

I am always riding that hi-hat with my foot, whether jamming rhythms on the toms or riding the ride cymbal. Somewhere along the way I learned it...maybe learning jazz, but its habit for me....to the point of being too much! I'm trying to get away from it here and there for variety, or use it for syncopated/off beat stuff, which is much more difficult.

 

It usually works for me in the band I'm in though, so its not really a problem and its really become part of my style.

[zuul777]

when im practicing for the sake of practicing/reading skills, i add it in on purpose so that it WILL come 'naturally' when needed when im actually playing.

i remembered when i first tried to do it..i was actually already decent on set, and it was kinda tough to do

[warpedpig]

I also don't find it natural to use the left foot but if you take the time and discipline to do it you will benefit tremendously. It's an excellent way to maintain time and stay consistent and also opens up a huge door to many cool hi-hat grooves.

 

In conclusion, every drummer should be proficient with their left foot, imo.

[HuskerDude]

Left foot work comes with time, its best if you do it from the start, because it becomes second nature, but it can be learned as well. I personally don't think it's the most important skill to have, but it's certainly a nice one to have in your bag of tricks.

In my old band, we covered "desire" by U2, which has mostly toms carrying the rhythm. In songs like that, it's very useful, both for you and the bad, to have something going in straight time

[downinthethird]

I really only use my left foot to open and close the hats, I never use it to keep time with them. For the most part, I've never really felt the need to, but I think I may begin working on it.

[Nagi]

 

Originally posted by downinthethird I really only use my left foot to open and close the hats, I never use it to keep time with them. For the most part, I've never really felt the need to, but I think I may begin working on it.

 

 

Just off the subect, how in the hell do you have 999,999 post's

in under a year (10months) that's 99,999 post's per month! do you ever leave your pc?

[Nagi]

Nevermind I see what you did.

[trephine]

thanks for your help guys

seems to be a fairly handy skill to learn so i will force myself to do it

[trephine]

sorry one last question

is the technique the same as with the right leg?

just basically pressing down on the pedal?