Heel Down Double Bass Drum Foot Technique - James Payne

The Heel Down it's a great technique for speed but not only! In fact, even if we don't use it or apply it to our playing, it's a great exercise for the up-motion of our feet and it's great to improve the range of motion, control, power and speed of the ankle motion!
Check out jamespaynedrums.com for the full course with video lessons, scores and workout PDFs, metronome audios, free Skype lessons and Video Questions to study with me!
►Subscribe to channel - goo.gl/cK0wUe
►Facebook - / jamespaynedrums
►Online Store - jamespaynew.bigcartel.com/
►E-mail - [e-mail]
►Instagram - / james_wp
►Twitter - / james_wp

[@stevegpsych68]

Finally, an intelligent well produced explanation for heel down technique....thank you for taking the time to produce this!

[@JamesPayneDrums]

You're welcome! Glad you liked the video!

[@JamesPayneDrums]

Glad you liked the video!

[@danieljulius1818]

Pro trick : you can watch movies on Flixzone. Me and my gf have been using them for watching lots of of movies recently.

[@lorenzojabari6465]

@Daniel Julius Yea, been using flixzone for months myself :D

[@drumsandmore4448]

This guy is absolutely correct. I played heel up all my life, but recently tried heel down, and now my heel up technique is much better. I can play fast doubles now because like he said, heel down makes the upstroke have a bigger range. Thank you.

[@ll1881ll]

Oh I see ! You move your toes up and down! Fascinating

[@aldochen5650]

This guy is very patience and passionate very good person 👍

[@downsyndromebear]

Finally something that actually makes sense when it comes to setting up the pedal!

[@JamesPayneDrums]

Glad you liked the video!

[@BurrenSHdrums]

I can't believe you are this good without the springs attached. Absolutely outstanding

[@ronjondrums5184]

Holy crap, I've been frustrated with my initial one or two bass drum strokes using heel down (or heel up ankle motion), but what James says around 7:00 makes so much sense. I've always wanted to subconsciously use my leg for the initial stroke to "activate" the pedal as he describes it, I'm glad there's someone who finally explains this!

[@asbjgn]

It was really helpful. Thank you very much!!!

[@shadowman5627]

Really good. Thanks!!!

[@littlebear2477]

He makes each technique seem too easy. Yet they are all really hard and need Years and years to do them properly.!!

[@ajmbcr8965]

All your vídeos about the diferent bass drum techniques, not only this one, are precious!!!!Great explanation about how to use the pedals. I don't know of any videos about bass drum technique so well explained. My problem was I was doing things the wrong way by working against the Spring and pressing the pedal down and that was actually not allowingme to play the pedals. I think one key thing you say is that we can't play slower than the natural bounce of the pedal!!!!! Thanks again for yor great vídeos, they really are a great help about drumming!!!!! (JR-PORTUGAL)

[@linguisticsdrums9215]

James Payne, salvatore mio e delle mie gambe!

[@spark1AE]

This is gold! Thank you so much for this. I can’t tell you how frustrating it’s been trying to find a single tutorial, let alone a thorough explanation on the basics of heel-down. I’ve never understood on what part of the foot one needs to place emphasis. My foot is so much faster now, focusing on the toe as opposed to the outer side of the feet have been revolutionary. You’ve cleared up the mystery as to why my legs would get tired so easily. The exercise with removing the spring is priceless. I can’t thank you enough James. You da man!

[@JamesPayneDrums]

I am super happy to read this Ayhan!

[@rademasi]

Excellent video. I find it relatively easy to play uniform dynamics even at a good pace (eg 100bpms quarter notes) with heel down but very difficult to get out fast doubles or power/accents at a fast tempos in which case I raise heel very slightly

[@pfkmsandiego]

ur a G. thanks!

[@nathan_drums]

Thanks for those very great explanation! This tutorial and the tutorial of heel up technique are awesome, you really go into the details so it's make me understand definately the motion especially for the heel up ankle I was trying to learn it and practise it in the wrong way^^ I will also practise my heel down to develop the up motion and to have an other technique ready to be used if I'm struggeling in mid tempo like you said! So thank you for sharing your knowledge , it's a gain of time for us!

[@JamesPayneDrums]

I'm super glad you like my videos man and that they are of help!

[@davidmichaelsen9805]

James payne thank you. I Mean it is way Harder than playing heel up for a long time

[@littlebear2477]

I really wish I started At an age where I could explore the different techniques Lord knows I need it!!

[@serratus9747]

Best video I have seen on the subject! Thank you! What beater angle would you recommend?

[@kevinhamilton9920]

Thanks for the video. The muscle on the front of the shin is called "anterior tibialis." If you relax your leg and press on the muscle and hold it down for 30 seconds, (it will hurt a bit) you can release the muscle to have better ankle mobility.

[@user-pt1zb9cv2p]

请问老师 你在这个视频里使用的是 tama单踩 HP900pn？还是HP900rn？先谢谢老师了。另你的教学我很喜欢看。真棒👍

[@davidmichaelsen9805]

Unison heel down 🤘

[@opseaing]

Thank you about great video lesson! Can I ask a minor question? (Sorry for I'm not english.) When we use heel down technique as it moves by doing ankle motion, pressure between the heel and the heelplate is not constant since of the structure of a foot(ankle joint is actually on the top of a heel), and reactivity(recoil? rebound?) of ankle stroke. Notwithstanding, Can I let the heel go comfortable on the pedal without any additional forcing for the heel? Is there any moving of the heel upward during stroke when it just layes the foot on the pedal comfortable? (Maybe I think it can lay on the pedal comfortable although, cause of the gravity of the leg, but I want to make sure to know the answer!)

[@StamatisStabos]

Nice video! im new in drums and it's more comfortable to me to play with heel down, is that normal to play only with that technique or i must learn and the other techniques, Thanks

[@JamesPayneDrums]

Glad you liked the video man! I always suggest to learn as many techniques as possible as they all help somehow. but it also depends on what you want to play, what kind of drummer you want to be and how much time you have to practice.

[@tootallforbaseball]

I am 6'6", and only use heel down technique on my right foot. I have no issues controlling dynamics. While I can easily play things on the radio, the really quick double strokes at any decent tempo are very difficult to play. It is uncomfortable for me to play heel up. I do play heel up on my left foot, though. I have had to accept the limitations that playing heel down have... If I had to do it all over, I would have played heel up on both feet. I have seen a drummer who could play just as well completely flat footed as anyone who plays heel up. Heel up players tend to pound the drum, though. Of course, it kinda helps if you are a shorter player...

[@JamesPayneDrums]

Hey man, it sounds like you might have a tendency of putting the weight of your body more towards the right blocking the ankle and freeing the left ankle instead. Also, to have more speed and power with the heel down, I would suggest to have a pedal setting that's not too tight. Hopefully this helps buddy!

[@williambleby1889]

which drummers use heel down as their speed technique?

[@mellaobatera]

Muito legal fazer o estudo sem a mola, dói tudo!! Kkkkk

[@maiconsergio679]

Holy Jesus you're a leg bodybuilder. I can't even hit the pedals 3 times without feeling pain in the front muscles!!! Rofl

[@JamesPayneDrums]

Make sure you don't work against the spring of the pedal or that you don't have tension in your feet while doing the heel down motion buddy!

[@StoyanStoyanov88]

I have a pain under my foot from heel up,i try to change to heel down but i play rock and want more power,can i play rock with heel down?

[@prod_adrian]

I gave up on reaching fast tempos with heeldown, until i saw your video! I guess its just practise after all... but I do believe that i might have put in more time than some "heeltoe" or "heelup" drummers but am nowhere near the bpm they can play! I think heeldown is one of the most difficult techniques to get fast with... its a shame, truly frustrating! I even bought Axis Longboards now, after i thought maybe the DW5000 pedals were the issue... still bad! Lol.. some people play drums for 4 years and are already at behemoth speeds...

[@JamesPayneDrums]

It is harder to reach fast tempos with the Heel Down indeed man, you need the right pedal settings and to keep the dynamics low or it will be almost impossible. Some people get fast in a shorter time because practicing is not enough, we need to practice in the right way or there's the risk of doing a lot and achieve very little out of it. I hope my videos will be of a little help, but I feel you!

[@prod_adrian]

@@JamesPayneDrums Thank you for your response, James! First of all, your videos have already helped me alot, im basically watching every one of your uploads since i have subscribed! You are one of the very few on youtube who cover fast heeldown playing, its sort of like a rare sight to see someone play heeldown nowadays, especially rock/metal! My drum teacher back then was oldschool, so for me there wasnt anything else but heeldown also considering that i was taught more jazz/blues type of playing! So if i just practise HD with 16th notes and like... 130bpm, should i always have the beater off the head, i figure right? Important for the rebound of the beater, plus since i have the Axis pedals now the springs shoot back anyway, so atleast that has gotten better than with my old DW5000s! What technique would you recommend me to practise, if i wanna add a technique for fast metal playing, what comes close to HD, i have heard heeltoe is simple to learn, but ankle motion comes more closer to the roots of HD, am i right? And Swivel seems like a different universe to me, haha! Sorry for the long message, man! PS: You impress me with your chain driven pedal speed, do you not like direct drive?

[@Skhidnyaky]

Hi James! It seems there is a small mistale in PDF to this topic. In text "Step 5: And, finally, let’s repeat the second exercise, but with the spring of the pedal on: -Speed up and slow down the rebound with the Heel Down with the right foot for 60 sec." I think you meant third, not the 2nd excercise (Speed up and slow down WITHOUT springs).

[@JamesPayneDrums]

Hey man, shoot me an e-mail at [e-mail] and I'll answer all your questions on the exercises of my website!

[@mrsameah]

Hey James, great tutorials! I have a question regarding the toes up, they suppose to be up all the time or just when you are on the up position? Thank you

[@JamesPayneDrums]

Glad you like the videos Tom! The toes should be raised during the up motion and then relaxed on the down motion. It's like a constant tension-release so that your leg doesn't get tired too soon.

[@mrsameah]

Got it, thank you!

[@KarlstadDrums]

I’ve started playing heel down double bass recentley when playing medium tempos(140-180bpm), i find it easier than ankle technique which i used to practise. Is this technique something i should stop, is it not suitable for double kick playing in metal?

[@koifish528]

I’m only a beginner drummer but if it works for you, that’s all that matters.

[@moritznixdorf8663]

really nice video. but i have one question, that hasnt been answered yet. if i play heel down - especially "dry" without a pedal, do i only push up and let the foot fall down? or do i lift and push actively? same on the pedal - do i lift and let it fall (like flat foot) or do i push actively down and let the beater/spring/pedal come back? maybe i'm overthinking, but i heel down in my left foot is giving me a really hard time, so i want to practice it very very slow and with only the right muscles involved. so basically the question is: when do i tense my muscles and when do i relax the muscles when i play heel down.

[@JamesPayneDrums]

Hi Moritz, you should let the foot fall once you raised it. This will allow you to keep the foot mostly relaxed while using the Heel Down. When you play with the spring, you should play the first stroke as leg motion (to avoid having to push the pedal down working against the spring, the weight of the leg will help you dealing with the spring and activate the pedal swinging) and then, staying synchronized to the spring, control the pedal in the same way, raising the toes and letting the foot fall for the down motion. I hope this helps!

[@moritznixdorf8663]

​@@JamesPayneDrums Hello James, first of all: Thank you very much for your answer. It is much appreaciated. But still I have more questions. Maybe you'll find the time to answer them aswell. The topic is the same: heel down. of course i'm at the moment practising heel down following your ideas. But still I feel like giving energy on the "downstroke" and relaxing afterwards (this using the rebound/springtension) is possible aswell. In my mind i compare it with fingercontrol on the sticks. My fingers give the energy for every "downstroke" and i'm following the stick back up with as less tension as possible. This method is especially important to me, when i want to transfer the "heel down" to "ankle motion". or do you think the approaches are completely different? any ideas on that? maybe you could tell me why you prefer letting the foot fall down instead of actively moving it down. i hope you understand the question and thank you very much for your time. kind regards

[@CorridorOfChameleons94]

I like heel down a lot more now.

[@mmjuuno]

how do you take the spring off?

[@JamesPayneDrums]

With the Iron Cobra is very easy, just pull it a little bit up and then slide it to the right and it'll be off! With other pedals is not so simple tho

[@carson8417]

with my pearl pedals they wouldn't function without the springs, so I just set them to the absolute minimum tension.

[@Bromine791]

Heel up technique loses my balance,how do i fix that?

[@r.gelmers6580]

Strap yourself to your drum throne :-)

[@nabadeka7060]

Heel up or heel down for beginners.. it's a big confusion. Some say heel up, some say heel down. Which one should I start with....?

[@JamesPayneDrums]

Each technique that you develop is the one you will then apply. The Heel Up is a little bit more difficult to learn from scratch because the ankle is more free to move and so there's more to control. The Heel Down is a bit easier but it might limit you in the long run depending on what you want to play. I would suggest to learn them both, start with the Heel Down, so that you understand the main motions and then introduce the Heel Up after a few weeks, which will be very similar to the Heel down, but you will keep the heel raised from the pedal board (which will affect your balance too, but you can figure out one thing at time in the learning process). I hope this helps!

[@nabadeka7060]

Thank you very much sir. ,

[@St_Mindless]

Always played heel down. Just cannot get along with anything heel up, including all techniques involving the heel leaving the floor.

[@r.gelmers6580]

yeah, same for me. It's very hard to keep my legs raised off the floor. Has something to do with the body posture in general I think. I'm starting to learn how to raise my heel just a little for the faster doubles. this seems to be doable.

[@St_Mindless]

@@r.gelmers6580 I blame the kits I learned on at school. They weren't set up too well and back then I didn't know how to adjust things 🤣 formed some bad habits

[@davidmichaelsen9805]

Heel down is freaking Hard, but extremely important I think. Even in the slower tempo it is Hard (for me)

[@JamesPayneDrums]

It's no too hard if you understand the motions. Make sure you're synchronized to the pedal when you do it!

[@davidmichaelsen9805]

James payne thank you. I Mean it is way Harder than playing heel up for a long time

[@reezlaw]

I should probably avoid unison exercises because my feet seem to want to go unison even when I need them to alternate....

[@ezza1236]

Heel down is better to reduce strain on leg

[@morenoblu83]

Ma sei italiano? Perché parli inglese? Mi sto impazzendo a tradurre 😂

[@JamesPayneDrums]

Se parlassi Italiano mi capirebbero solo in Italia, in Inglese invece capiscono quasi in tutto il mondo :)

[@morenoblu83]

James Payne ottima risposta si 😎, né approfitto per disturbarti ancora con una domanda personale che magari avrai già detto in altri tuoi video... l’angolazione del battente la classica 45 gradi...a che tacca lo tieni del tuo iron cobra? Ho i tuoi stessi pedali e sai che sulla dx del pedale c’è un tappo nero con delle tacche di riferimento...ecco tenendola centrale cioè quella di default mi riesce terribilmente difficile la swivel, potrei sapere dove la tieni tu così mi metto l’anima in pace e continuo ad esercitarmi senza impazzirmi con 1000 regolazioni, grazie in anticipo sei un grande continua così 👍

[@theRooster722]

Another good lesson. Can you get reasonably fast doubles using heel down, with single pedal? I've always played heel down right bass drum foot, and heel up left on the hi hats. Getting good bass drum doubles has been a struggle this way. I can hit them, but not consistent and fast enough. Everyone I see playing lots of doubles utilizes the heel up techniques.

[@JamesPayneDrums]

Hi Thomas, I personally use the Slide technnique for double strokes (will make a video about this technique too soon) which is a heel up based technique. Many people use the heel-toe technique for double strokes, but that kind of feel like it requires pressing down on the pedals and it's something I never like to do, but never really got into that so I can't say how that works 100% You should check drummers like John Longstreth who is a master of double strokes on bass drum!

[@theRooster722]

James Payne I'll look for your video on the slide technique, I've been working on that as well as the heel toe. I'm trying to decide which is the best for me to invest the most time into.