5 steps to perfect kick pedal SPRING TENSION

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

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! 👍

[@Stemp]

As a regular shaft beater this was really helpful

[@Chiroman527]

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.

[@Chiroman527]

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.

[@jalthealusdavis8762]

@@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.

[@samuelshafa1793]

Happy drumming to you too

[@christopherjackson5696]

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.

[@rsi2493]

Easily the best instructor on mechanics on the web. Great tips

[@MauricioLJ]

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!

[@semags62]

I love that, “hobby drummers,” it’s perfect…That’s me.

[@Ant-ei4jc]

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 🙏

[@nmrtos]

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!

[@FusionHowie]

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 !

[@jalthealusdavis8762]

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.

[@mickmutante]

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

[@stevesmith5042]

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.

[@jimmirza4212]

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.

[@catalax3425]

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!

[@shinini8633]

Shorter beater longer beater tighter beater lighter beater. Great advice! Thanks

[@jacobblanchardart]

COFFEE!!! Coarse grine with a long brew time is my preference when I make coffee with my French press.

[@thestickbot]

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!

[@BeatsAndMeats]

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 KZbin. He's the GOAT for footspeed. He can play 260BPM blasts on one foot with no spring on his pedal.

[@johndef5075]

Not sure what pedal you have but some Tamas have that cobra coil that goes underneath the footboard to push it back up.

[@BeatsAndMeats]

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.

[@xxedelbrockxx]

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

[@scottprice7076]

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

[@DadBodDrumming]

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.

[@BLUEGOBEATS]

This is the nitty gritty that we need to know about Thankyou!!!!!!!!!

[@udosmidt4133]

I watched this video from beginning to end. Thank you, very much!

[@alumni2013]

Just want to say that I'm a drummer and your videos have helped me become a better one keep it up

[@foukame]

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.

[@standen422]

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.

[@ryanbachmeier6979]

Dude i REALLY NEEDED THIS! 🙌 THANK YOU

[@Joehh50]

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.

[@FoxFunky]

You are amazing. Thank you so much for your no-nonsense advices. So much useful information in this video!!

[@richiecomia3696]

Coffee'n'drums...HELL YEAH!!

[@pgilly7783]

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.

[@balfit]

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…

[@bentaylor216]

Great instruction. Thank you.

[@7171jay]

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!

[@FocoNoals]

Really nice content!!! It helped me so much to improve my pedal skill right away🎉🎉🎉 thanks for sharing.

[@gccvcvp]

Thanks Stephen! Another very useful vídeo! Greatings from São Paulo, Brasil.

[@alart75]

Thanks for this explanation

[@barrybecker3706]

Bravo!! Excellent video, brother!

[@ahmedkhan1962]

Suuuper helpful, thank you!

[@DesignRhythm]

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.

[@michaelengle9062]

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....

[@rockerbob949]

That’s a GO for team COFFEE! All things coffee. Mmmmm

[@johndef5075]

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!😅

[@katycatjulius]

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)

[@TyAllyn_BeastBeats]

This video has really helped. Thanks. 🤘

[@rayledesma3917]

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.

[@futureproof80]

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! 👍

[@bernardrooney105]

Thanks for this. I run a specialty coffee mill and roaster here in Australia. Happy to do a knowledge swap anytime. Amateur drummer here.

[@lincland3867]

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.

[@ZeeroDubs]

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

[@PunkRabit5150]

I loved the coffee grinding comparison

[@tjhessmon4327]

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…

[@mlungisindwandwe6457]

Thank you 😁🙏 great lesson, very helpful.

[@bonzology322]

Really good channel you have here, I've been playing drums for 40 years, i've taken lessons from Dave Garibaldi, Simon Phillips, Peter Erskine, Vinny Colaiuta, Peter Donald, Louis Conti and plenty more, i can't express enough how important it is to teach HEEL UP base drum foot technique, heel down is total nonsense and takes years of hard work to recover from if you are taught it early on, ask me how i know?(you don't put the heel of your hand down so why would you do it with your foot?) HEEL UP!

[@Xyrium]

Looks like wool socks, lots of coffee, and LL Bean slippers...New England? Great stuff sir, just fantastic, subbed.

[@johnosborn7089]

Thanks for the great tips

[@afronprime51]

Nice. Thanks, good stuff.

[@retired_man_about_town]

My first pedal should arrive next week.

[@RaduBadita]

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 😅

[@dennissmith4186]

Hey, how tight is the batter head ?

[@RaduBadita]

@@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.

[@CHABIEPORTNOY]

Coffee fan here!

[@mcmarine777]

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.

[@joshclancy3231]

Thanks man!

[@tommypatton3556]

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 🤔

[@rassieerasmus4042]

5:00, the question I ask myself daily. 🤣

[@sonexdeluxe]

can you address this same topic but for a cocktail set where the beater is going up?

[@dce.gilbert]

Esmeralda Arabica coffee beans lightly roasted and poured over runs about $50 a cup and you should DEFINITELY go find some.

[@JOHNKUHNMUSIC]

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

[@mishasoco7443]

Coffee!? Let's do this😂😂

[@katycatjulius]

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)

[@ProHealthNutrition]

Take the 20 minutes to listen to this video and save hours of trying to figure it out on your own.

[@markricher7362]

I don't know what DW does but mine were perfect right out of the box.

[@michaelv8721]

5:07 🤨

[@michaeljames9811]

Stephen Clark you true Rocker! Friendly suggestion: barista brewed double shot with fresh squeezed lime juice; one half lime - no sugar.

[@brettwaterhouse882]

Great class. Thanks, Stephen.

[@libertyspikes666]

Max tension ALL DAY!

[@BOCCHIERIJOSE]

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

[@romanribaric6576]

Mapex Falcons acutally have interchangable weights for the beaters which is quite a nice feature,let's you experiment quite a lot.

[@dcmastermindfirst9418]

Dyna sync has a fully adjustable pedal board and light and heavy feel.

[@jamesmcdaniel6779]

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!

[@thibaultmarcillat7115]

very nice video, i am struggling with the adjustment bcz of knee pain. shoul i play heel down?

[@josephpullen1153]

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

[@michaelbeale33]

C O F F E E !! I've played the brewing process game. Love it. How does this fit into your playing?

[@LaGGyXdm]

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

[@Razzledazzle1914]

Very useful info thanks, I'm struggling also with hi hats, I need to move my body to open them up, like rocking, not sure what's going on but I can't balance between bass drum and hi hat😢

[@daniel.lopresti]

I would check a few things: quality of your throne (comfort level and support provided), throne height, and whether you play heel up or heel down - both in hihat as well as bass since it influences your balance and stability. I would also add: your distance from the hihat also affects the mechanics of your leg movements.

[@kenbaucom6981]

Great video. Very informative. Question what do you recommend for excessive bounce back? I’m using the DW 3000. Thank you in advance.

[@anthonysprinks1253]

I have an ASBA Caroline with a strap drive - a fantastically quick and smooth pedal - fast doubles are a piece of cake. Not so with my DW double set -up - disappointingly sluggish action. I use it on my Roland V-drum kit - I think part of the problem is that the beater shaft is set lower so as to hit the drum pad in the centre , thereby screwing the balance of pedal?

[@ddrummer1821]

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 : )

[@perryfisher3373]

Coffee lover here.

[@devanshuagarwal2983]

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?

[@Jay-ir6ql]

Hi, have you used the Gretsch single bass drum pedal? I'm thinking about buying it.

[@ronmathews7674]

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❤🥰

[@hypersztoss3731]

Can we get a video on coffee technique?

[@darylhicks9441]

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?

[@jessejamesentertainment8630]

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

[@kikikaakau-delizo8152]

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!

[@CALISESTUDIOS]

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.

[@richwilson5969]

Can you do a video on why the snare strainer looses so quickly after hitting only a dozen times. Constantly flipping lever down then back up then it’s tight. I’m talking about a new expensive snare not a cheap strainer. I don’t get it.

[@erichiey408]

Does this work with a double bass pedal? Ithe left pedal.

[@embarakasnerekete2749]

yes! thank you for the great explanation. About coffee? come to Brasil and we will drink great brews

[@Sent2MariaSongs]

How do I get the pdf from you? I have to get some coffee ☕

[@CannonFodder873]

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 ?

[@elirobillard3451]

Would you use two sizes of stick? Keep them even and work on your weaker leg. Like hands, aim for symmetry.

[@m4drums]

@@elirobillard3451 Gooood point, thank you)

[@dennissmith4186]

How tight is your batter head?

[@theairwave6403]

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