Alex Micklewright - Singles Lesson For Sick Drummer Magazine Issue 17

Alex Micklewright of Martyr Defiled - bass drum singles lesson for Sick Drummer Magazine issue 17

[@Theblastmaster]

You are absolutely correct. At a certain point EVERYONE needs to resort to a trigger set-up. Once I reached 250-260 bpm consistently during live shows, I realized venue mics just do not do the job; and I dig right in to my bass drums. So for those of you out there against using triggers, they are necessary for fast players. Cheers

[@mrnegronis]

The nervous twitch is hard to overcome. There's a fine line between the twitch and controlling the notes.

[@BrownBear96]

totally agreed! ImO Alex is doin it wrong. The twitch prevents from getting control. You can see that around 3:30, when Alex plays on the Mapex pedal. Plus your muscels are getting tense. The key is to always be relaxed, no struggle.

[@TheFaan83]

and also for me it took time before i learned to control the twicth motion.. very sloppy first month but then the muscles learn.. so just keep at it even if its sloppy in the beginning

[@TruClassic]

Just gotta get that muscle stronger, it shouldn't take to long then you will be able to blast and stop on any note then blast again... Really fun to do

[@mattvdh]

I just bought some Dominators and I'm super glad I made the purchase. They are amazingly smooth and quick. One thing that surprised me is how powerful and strong they are. I used pearl eliminators for a few years before buying these and the dominators just pulverize-- you feel like you're going to punch a hole in it.

[@mattvdh]

Rey ya

[@JustLoveKrishna]

i really appreciate your advice with this exercise and also, that you explained how it feels as your legs are starting out.truly award and can be discouraging to alot I'm sure. great motivation to improve!

[@AlexMicklewright]

Hi Robert I took apart the spring adjustment knob and packed 3 British coins inside each which increased the tension. You can use coins or any round, circular metal washers that fit neatly inside the spring cap. Hope that helps.

[@bloodlysisyo]

OMGGG Finally a video where someone is using the same pedal i have!! I never see anyone talking about them. :)

[@angrychivafan]

The action looks really smooth. It’s like you’re not even stepping on the pedal. How does the Dominator compare to the Pro 1V?

[@steezyboiiii808]

I think the pro 1V gas the better cam shaft

[@Bradyman55]

Lots of helpful information in here. Thank you!

[@JayObrowski]

Great lesson!! Helps alot!!! Thanx!!

[@PhilDiCicco]

Thanks, brother.

[@batako0o]

This video is so great! it helps a lot !! I too wanna see the first video :O.

[@calecostellodrumsandmetal]

good quality vids. thanx.

[@Kroopster]

Hey thanks a lot for the video! what settings are you running for your dominators as far as spring tension, beater distance and footboard height? I have those pedals too!

[@Procyon58]

my legs become tired while i was watching this

[@BlacklightConfig]

thanks man, thats a great idea

[@MattWeismiller1994]

George Kollias is currently in Nile and Kollias plays single stroke blast beats, but single/double stroke double bass patterns. Francesco Paoli is the drummer to Fleshgod Apocalypse and he exclusively only uses double stroke.

[@Live4Drumming1]

Hi, cool lesson man! I practice every day the dereck roddy exercise for 10 Minutes at a tempo for about 190 bpm. Is this not long enough if i want to play for example Nile songs?

[@stover81291]

awesome lesson and online video magazine! he said this is his second lesson? were might i find his first?

[@AlexMicklewright]

Both songs are by my other project Era Untold!

[@LukeWarmSwab]

Is it crucial to have tight spring tension in order to achieve that speed? I'm used to quite loose spring tension on my Demon Drive pedals, and I can't seem to get up to speed.

[@mcufre]

I swear I was doing the very same singles with my right foot today, I can sort of find the spot and just keep doing that effortlessly for as long as I want. With my left I am working still. But the problem is getting control, I can't just start doing it, it costs me a bit to find the spot and then if I lose it I have trouble finding it again. what do you suggest?

[@mattlikesdrumming]

can someone tell me where i can find that incredible song at the end?

[@Neoretrogamer]

THX YOU !!!!!!

[@AncestralBubi]

Bravissimo!!! nice explaination! ;)

[@radelarosa97]

Are those pedals better then the 9000 XF cause think about either those or the XF 9000

[@777EZekiel]

Im using alot of doublestrokes at fast tempos but i tend to practise singles aswell. Im about to buy myself the axis longboards but im still not convinced. Do you have som pros and cons considering axis, trick or the demon drive pedals??

[@allmetaliswelcome]

i can do the nervous twitch thing but it's kinda uncontrollable, i can do about one bar of sixteenth notes alternating before it starts flamming, and then if i try hard i can get it well again, so if i do it often enough i'll learn ankle motion?

[@elhoeb00]

did you practice the nervous twitch thing for a long time to get control after a while? cause i do "nervous twitch" runs for 10-20 min but i have nearly no control over it. do you thing the control will come after a while when i practice this way?

[@Ready_Fire_Aim]

quick question. how full is your kickdrum. looks like its 3/4 full of padding.. or is it just up against the skin? something ive always been interested in

[@angrychivafan]

Can you explain the difference between the Pro1V and the Dominator pedals? I’m really interested in buying the Pro1V. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[@gnusmas1914]

inferno from behemoth, is a slight heel up, an single stroke but he is fast, so i tryed it and im not to bad works for me..

[@BurnTheNuance]

A nervous twitch is a perfect description of it!

[@btownshreds1]

How do you get the left pedal to stay still? It doesn’t have spikes so it slides. I just got them and it’s driving me nuts lol.

[@robinator6000]

What pedals is that? :o I would have a pair :)

[@Ready_Fire_Aim]

i have my pedal up full tension, (dominators), i feel like its still not enough. any tricks. ?

[@mattvdh]

use more muscle. shannon lucas and many fast drummers don't use much spring because it's unreliable, use your hip flexors and muscle up on the practicing.

[@crazyjoedavola5430]

That is a beautiful pedal. Most people like mountains or forests as far as beauty goes. I like bass drum pedals...the are sexy

[@RevlicTyreal]

whats the song in the beginning?

[@jimbardwil9899]

nice job@

[@orestisnalmpantis]

WHAT BAND IS THE END SONG?

[@GENTANT614]

What is the name of the ending song may I ask sir?

[@deliciousmentalfudge]

You liked the video and watched it many times and also found the name of the pedal, and yet still asked what it is? I can see why that would make me an idiot.

[@MireWolf29]

What beaters are you using in this vid?

[@seacow256]

whats the intro song?

[@kyokushinkuma]

My Axis A longboards have had it after 13 years, looking at these Trick Dominators, how do they compare?.

[@Greatscott-gq5xm]

I've been using these pedals for awhile now and there really amazing, would definitely recommend, though I can't tell you if there better or worse than the axis pedals, never played on them before.

[@MattWeismiller1994]

Sorry I was thinking about Mangini's old record, his latest one is 312 bpm.

[@klick2destruct]

guys, if you struggle with high tempos, really try a higher spring tension. its hard in the beginning but your muscles get stronger quick. now the pedal just feels so much tighter and more accurate because it returns quicker and it is in contact with my foot the whole time. i use eliminators btw, no need for direct drives.

[@steezyboiiii808]

Why don’t u use derive drive any reason

[@kkkeikurono]

wow that's sick

[@MattWeismiller1994]

1247 single strokes; 16th notes with each hand. The tempo is "technically" 156 bpm because it's done in 32nd notes.

[@felixj401]

does it make a difference on whether or not you have your bass drum filled with clothes or not? and how tight is your drum head?

[@MattWeismiller1994]

Are you talking about double bass or blast beats?

[@J2Drummer]

They Were $600 I Sold My dw9002 To Get Them A Friend Had Highly Recommended them And Glad I Did The Change

[@hazardwaste]

does anyone know yhe band and the song of that outro

[@SamirMamude]

My biggest issue is playing with ankles on slow tempos! There are any tips you can share? (sorry bad english)

[@Sickdrummermagazine]

@stover81291 I'll hit up Ian thats his area. lol if i can remember...it's Saturday!

[@SteelSquishy]

you rule

[@TheDrumminMan08]

Try playing heel down on the floor slowly for long periods of time. Like, try 16ths at 100 bpm for 5 minutes straight, and if you can do that without any strain or effort at all, bump the tempo up by 5 bpm until you reach your limit. Do this every day for a few days straight then take a break from it (but try to play drums or practice other stuff-- productivity is key). You should notice an improvement when you get back to it. If you're pushing speed then raise the tempo every 3 or so days.

[@ericdimeglio1795]

Pearl demon drive or trick dominator????????

[@wtfnumbnuts]

i'd kill for those pedals, but why is everything so expensive DX

[@AlexLancia]

i don't think it makes a much of a difference. the response comes from spring tension. i only use about 1/4 to 1/2 turn past hand tight. pillows only matter if your using ddrum or roland triggers and they also help with sound isolation from mics in the studio.

[@luisluvsblastbeats54]

2:08 holy shit

[@Sam10830]

how much were they??

[@exp4nd243]

those are my exact same pedal(s) at 3:20!! fuck, then this is definitely possible! gonna take a looong time to learn though

[@frogbeergolfgolf]

To every player there are pros and cons to a pedal. Depends on what feels good to you. In this video he uses Trick pedals but about 3months ago he went back to Axis. He just had a fling with Trick. So I mean it all depends how you feel. Go to shops and try before you buy or at least a 30 day gaurentee or something.

[@DrumBum561]

Intro song?

[@Drumjitsu8]

Did you even watch the video?

[@MattWeismiller1994]

Your last comment brought up a topic you never even mentioned. 300 bpm single stroke? You sure about that? The world record in single strokes is about 265 bpm. You must be talking about blast beats, the world record is held by Mike Mangini with 301 bpm. George Kollias is capable of this same speed as well. He drummed in a band called ADE and he did some blast beats at 300 bpm on that album. He also did this in his Intense Metal Drumming II.

[@valeiro147]

england?????

[@MattWeismiller1994]

Single double bass sounds faster than what is actually there. It's some drummers cheap ' trick ', I use that term loosely since it doesn't apply to most drummers, with playing fast. An example of this happening would be : ' Blood On The Swans ' by Kataklysm where the drummer is doing 220 bpm 16th note single gravity blasts and at first I thought it was 260 bpm double stroke until someone pointed out to me, singles and doubles have a specific sound. I'm not calling this drummer, cheap at all.

[@VictusOdium]

Era Untold - The Lidless Eye

[@ilovemetaalll]

what's the name of that pedal

[@howycwap]

ussually you dont want your knees past your heels

[@JakeShields09]

If you wanna play cattle decapitation, spawn of possession, and fleshgod apocalypse you gotta learn doubles. Singles are great, but bands are starting to play at 280+ and you gotta learn both techniques if you really want to dominate the bass drum

[@deliciousmentalfudge]

It's called watch the fucking video.

[@EastHere]

I haven't seen someone who can do this well for a while. Better than Shannon Lucas who barely taps the thing..

[@Bradyman55]

George Kollias. All singles, all day. So no, you don't HAVE to learn doubles.

[@steezyboiiii808]

Bro that looks so painful at the start

[@zx10rgen53]

your skin look's very tight a?

[@Derbixrace]

wow, the dark side of youtube xD

[@thecreativebuilder]

Haha "they hooked me up just go and buy some" hmm some of us have to pay full retail

[@AlexMicklewright]

I still paid Danielle but at an endorsers reduced price. It's very rare these days to get free gear unless you're a mega drumming celebrity.

[@IceTrey98c]

Step one: purchase $800 pedals Seriously these guys make it look easy but do you know how much more effort it takes to play on a heavier, lesser grade pedal and how much less effort to play on these fancy lightweight direct drives like Axis and Trick? I play probably 20-30bpm quicker on Axis and Trick pedals than my "heavy as tanks" Iron Cobras. And I play a solid 190-220 on my Iron Cobras. These pedals aren't cheating. But definitely will peak your true ability. Makes other drummers feel bad and I believe its sort of a sales gimic half the time (not this time per say) to get drummers to spend high dollar on these pedals to get the effortless speed. Showing "wow I can play so fast on such great pedals". Sure they help but to really build technique its one thing: PRACTICE

[@AlexMicklewright]

Since I recorded this vid nearly 2 years ago. I've been playing on Pearl Eliminators. Blue cams + Max Spring tension with Demon Drive wood beaters. Love it. More power and I can still get 280/290 out of them. Even 150/155 16th notes on my right foot!

[@Ironsvillage]

roozor So I got a Trick Dominator from a Bandmember just recently and I'm practicing exactly the same doublebass technique right now, but I don't know how to set the spring tension/adjust the foot board for this kind of technique. Any suggestions? Would help me out a lot.

[@AlexMicklewright]

Spring tension and all adjustment angles are personal preference Max. You have to find settings that work for you and your playing. A good starting point is put everything to "medium" and adjust from there eg; 1/2 spring tension, standard footboard angle etc.

[@damniel]

well, i have an axis classic black and the feeling on direct drive is so different from a chain drive and yes, you have less weigth in this but youre not gona play faster because of the pedal, the plus in this is that longboards are so much comfortable to use and you can use more styles to play but the fact of own an axis o a trick is not gonna make you a heavy machine

[@Olivdigs]

It is a matter of practice, watch the videos of Arconda, he plays extreme speeds with Iron Cobra as with Axis or any more expensive pedal

[@nicksantana93]

whats the song in the beggining?

[@joejoefaqt]

what song was the last one ?

[@Mega420high]

wats the intro song??