The Heel-Toe Technique

The heel-toe technique is a drum pedal technique. A drummer can get two pedal hits with one stroke of the foot by using both the heel and the toe of the foot. This technique allowsa drummer to perform bass drum and hi-hat pedal hits quickly and with less effort than standard pedal work. It is a good technique to help improve control.

Heel-Toe Technique

The heel-toe technique uses a two-step rocking of the foot to create two pedal hits with one movement of the foot. The first hit comes from the heel pushing down on the pedal. This is followed by the toe pushing down near the top of the pedal surface. The motion to make the toe push is sufficient enough to lift the heel off the pedal. This creates two separate pedal hits in the same motion.

Positioning

To perform this technique, the positioning of the leg is important. Just as in any other pedal style, the pedal should be close enough that you can apply good force to it with your leg. Your leg should be as relaxed as possible when in a rest position. The foot position on the pedal is a bit higher than usual. You need to have your foot high enough on the pedal that the heel can get enough leverage to push the pedal, but low enough that your toe can make the second strike.

Practice

The heel-toe technique is a fairly easy one to perform, but it can be difficult to master. It should be practiced with as much effort as any other technique. Practice with a metronome to make sure your timing of each strike is consistent rhythmically. Listen to your playing, as well. You should not audibly hear much difference between the heel and toe strikes unless it is an intentional accent pattern.

Use

The most obvious use for the heel-toe technique is for playing rapid bass drum patterns. Since you play twice with each stroke, it does effectively allow you to play twice as fast. Some drummers may find this more comfortable to use than other pedal techniques and might use it even for slower patterns. The more economical motion can also be better when playing for longer stretches of time to conserve energy.

Equipment

There is no special equipment needed to use the technique. Since it is a pedal technique, it is limited to drums that use pedals such as the bass drum and hi-hat. Some drummers prefer to use thinner-soled shoes or even bare feet with this technique. This can be helpful in getting a better feel for the location of your foot on the pedal.

References

• BRDSG : Bass & Double Bass Drumming
• Playing the Heel-Toe Technique