Great lesson man, science behind the technique, I reckon anyone that's struggling and watches this will, with practice improve greatly, your the man, keep them coming and I'm sure you will get plenty of support dude!
I don't even play the drums. I'm a bass & vocals guy myself. However, you're one hell of a great teacher because I was wondering how drummers can even play double bass anyways. You taught the lesson perfectly. I've subbed to ya just to boost your numbers. Thanks, bro!
I noticed that I have to put my heel down to learn how to use only my ankles/calves. If I lift my heel up I start twitching and I start to do this static muscle flexion in my upper legs, and that results in no control (even at low tempos) I've been doing heel down for 4 weeks, and Im seeing good results also when I play ankle-technique heel up. So just wanna give you all a tip IF you are struggling with this technique starting with playing with the heel up.
Have always found the 160-190bpm range a real frustration when it comes to clean and controlled notes. After 3 weeks of just 15mins twice a day practicing this technique (started nice n slow at 110) I'm already noticing such a massive improvement. Some days I'd struggle to do the most basic warm ups but having added this exercise you demonstrated to a daily routine I am on my way 🙏 🙏 Tip of the hat to you sir
Thanks for sharing! If you'd like to go further into discussion about double bass drumming i'm offering a 6 week course. You can check it out here: www.cameronfleury.com/doublebassendurance
Hello, I've been drumming for roughly 15 years and have been teaching drums for about 7 years, with a bachelor's of music. I have practiced and trained for hours but noticed I can't go beyond 120bpm with full leg motion. I try implementing the ankle technique but my left ankle goes straight into a twitch. I can accomplish the middle range by implementing the heel-toe double technique, but I'd prefer to use a more stable and controllable technique. Am I doomed when it comes to ankle technique because I'm slower than the average? How would I practice the ankle technique at a speed that is much slower than most bodies, and what you reference in your videos? It would seem my case is far different because most, if not all people don't suffer at such slow or low range of speed.
Hey Roy, it's a matter of repetition and building up those muscle groups. Everyone learns and implements what they learn at different rates. Make sure you're practicing the technique and that you're slowly building your speed.
I’ve been able to play the “bleed” pattern at around 130 bpm but I am completely unable to play straight double bass at any tempo for any amount of time, it’s just too tiring. Btw the remo patch on the evans head triggers me.
How do you actuate the first stroke of this technique? Does it start from a full leg motion or are you forcing your foot downward? None of the popular youtube double bass instructors seem to answer this
Dude, I saw MANY explanations about how Ankle Motion works....FAAAAAAR from all videos this was the very clear explanation about it! thanks man!!! one more subscriber!! hugs from Brazil!
Sir I have a doubt pls help me.. How to practice the ankle motion? I mean at slower tempos like 60-70. First we should practice with full leg motion or not ? Pls reply
Great lesson man! I've been learning this technique off and on for a few years, and although I've made progress with speed and power, I still cannot overcome how to consistently START the technique. 90 percent of the time, my first few strokes are weak and twitchy before my feet "turn on", making it nearly useless in a real musical situation. The weak start applies to both the power of the strokes and the coordination between alternating singles. Has anyone ever struggled with this and have any tips on how to overcome it? I had honestly given up on 160+ double bass for a few years but recently got a bug in my ass that I should try to conquer this once and for all!
Try locking your lead foot in with your lead hand. Keep consistent 8th notes with your right hand and practice starting and stopping with your double pedal playing. You may be able to pin point where it is exactly that's causing your some problems.
@@CameronFleury Thanks for the tip Cameron, very much appreciate your time! I've noticed coordinating with hands helps driving cleaner strokes, but it sounds like I should work on this more intently. Thanks again man.
Honestly I had never played axis all that much and kind of went on blind. Can't say I regret that decision. It was definitely a learning curve going from iron cobras to them though.
Hello, I have a question. I can play separately ankle motion in high tempos but problem is, when I want play both legs togeather. Some exercises or help for me, what should I do?
I have a question I have beginner double bass pedals and my foot is bigger than the pedal for about 2 years I feel like the pedals are too small for me would that affect my playing bc I'm noticing decrease in performance the more I use them?
for 2 years i learned and keep playing with that technique without known that its a technique for fact, but i feel i like i dont have any control its just me hitting as fast as possible
What i can do with a100€ pedal granite a7 that i cant even find on the internet ? There are imbalanced in the feeling no matter what i adjust from the limited options and always develop a new problem. Like unwanted noises dead spots where you press the pedal but the beater doesn't move,and stuff like that i wonder if it will be harder for me if i learn to play with this i will not be able to adjust to a good pedal......
@@CameronFleury i am already doing this, but after 150BPM I do some sort of "flying" heel down motion (where the movement is the same as heel down, but my heels don't touch the ground), which gives me pretty fast cramps in my shins.
"If you caught on to that technique PRETTY QUICKLY"... I've been trying to learn this technique for the past 10 fucking years and I still can't do it. Don't quite understand why certain drummers pretend it just means nothing and it's easy as can be, while in fact it's extremely difficult. Is it to look cool ? Like hey, I can do this while picking my nose ? Is it to show off or something like that ? I don't know. What I do know is that playing fast double bass is the hardest and most difficult thing I've ever encountered as a drummer, and believe me, I've been playing for a long time.
Watch out for mistakes and look up tutorials! The drum technique academy by marthyn has many insanely important tutorials for the technique! It sure as hell isn't easy and building speed can be a long and tough process, you need to watch out for every little Detail, for Example, today I noticed that my Balance issue are there because Im using my upper muscle groups to help my ankles with the technique, I havent noticed that I did that for months and I think that was one of my biggest flaws, Glad I noticed it today and can work on it now ;) don't give up man and look for midtakes!
Yo this helped me alot because i use alot leg motion and i only reached clean 155 bpm top. Now im giving a shot to the ankle motion. The problem that happend to me is that i can play with the Ankle and i got the motion but it feels like spazam. I can control it but it dosent feel right? When you play does it feel like a spazam or do you actully feel the muscle?
I have trouble getting my left foot to play ankle motion controlled. My right foot I would say is really good, I have perfect control and can play ankle motion quite slowly and quite fast above the middle of the pedalboard with no strain or tension at any tempos. But my left foot just didn't develop nearly as much as my right and now I have to try to improve it. It's hard to practice ankle motion slowly because it's not a technique, at least in my opinion, that is easy to play slowly, it requires very good control to play it slowly. I can really only play around 200bpm with my left decently and that is around the middle of the pedalboard, however I do feel some strain and tension when doing it and the strokes aren't as consistent as my right nor do I have as much stamina as the right. How can I improve my left?
I think you've kind of uncovered the answer to your own question. If you've found that it's hard to control at slower tempos, then I'd suggest focusing there. Really try and build up "muscle memory" and gradually increase your tempo. The reason you may able to play fast and not slow is because that's what you feel most comfortable playing. If it's tough slow then that means it needs work. Keep at it I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. Don't stress yourself out, and chip away. 🤘🤓🤘
@@CameronFleury I just find it hard to start playing slow at all. I can barley get any hits in, I don't know how to start. Lowering spring tension alot? Making beater distance greater? Raising the beater? I tried playing 200bpm and it sounded okay but when I lowered to 190bpm I just couldn't keep it at that speed. Couldn't really get any hits to be on time. And if I try to go slower my whole leg just tenses up.
@@TheSlayerswe try the motion off the footboard like I showed in the video. See if the problem is the movement in your foot or if it's the pedal inhibiting your ability to play. If it's the motion in your foot then try practicing the motion. If you change your pedal settings you're going to have to re-adjust your playing all over again. Let me know if this helps.
@@CameronFleury I've already done a fair amount of playing with just my feet on the floor making sure my foot isn't too close to the floor and that the strokes are fairly strong, even and big motion-wise. Works well on the floor, but when I go on the pedals it doesn't really work too well.
I think the problem is my foot not being synchronized with the pedalboard, I tried playing some to a metronome and going up and at 140bpm I start feeling uncomfortable playing 8th notes with my left leg. And everything up is not good. Maybe I should play some heel down to get more familiar with the movement of the pedal since heel down is not an issue playing slowly? Ankle motion is basically heel down movement but the heel is not down, right?
@@CameronFleury ya this helped alot! the fastest i can go with heel up is 170ish which for reference is around beast and the harlot for a7x. ive been trying to get faster using heel uo but i cant but usjng this technique which is similar ti the floater, im able to go 200-230 consistently. thanks!
Hey man asides from the free videos on this channel, I do offer a 6 week double bass drumming course. If you're still stuck after the free stuff, you can check out the course here: www.cameronfleury.com/doublebassendurance
Just dawned on me that you were in the drummer for terror horse, I still have one of your shirts from a show in London from back in 2009 or 2010.. I think it was with Devildriver! Great video by the way. Do you have any tip for trying to be able to control said ankle motion? Or just keep it slow to develop the motion?
“The hip flexor is this upper region of the leg”. *Points at vastus lateralis*. The hip flexors connect your hip and lower spine. Other then that thank you for the tutorial.
Wanna know how to be a better drummer? Watch Morgan Rose. No one cares about light hitting techniques that impress only other musicians. Light hitting with direct drive pedals is gay. Be a man and hit those drums like Vinnie Paul or Tommy lee
2X You Double Bass Drumming Control & Speed. My gift to you
academy.cameronfleury.com
Great lesson man, science behind the technique, I reckon anyone that's struggling and watches this will, with practice improve greatly, your the man, keep them coming and I'm sure you will get plenty of support dude!
Hey man thank you for your continuous support.
So this is what I would look like with luscious locks.
yes
I don't even play the drums. I'm a bass & vocals guy myself. However, you're one hell of a great teacher because I was wondering how drummers can even play double bass anyways. You taught the lesson perfectly. I've subbed to ya just to boost your numbers. Thanks, bro!
You're time and efforts are appreciated man! Thanks for stopping by, and i'm glad you enjoyed the lesson. See you around! \M/
Quality tutorial. Really appreciate it not being 10 mins with a bunch of filler, just straight to the point. Awesome.
Thank you for the kind words! If you want to learn more I've got a 6 week double bass drumming course on my website: www.cameronfleury.com
Have you seen Dan Presland from Ne Obliviscaris ankle technique. That drummer is amazing.
My favorite drummer and favorite band!
I noticed that I have to put my heel down to learn how to use only my ankles/calves.
If I lift my heel up I start twitching and I start to do this static muscle flexion in my upper legs, and that results in no control (even at low tempos)
I've been doing heel down for 4 weeks, and Im seeing good results also when I play ankle-technique heel up. So just wanna give you all a tip IF you are struggling with this technique starting with playing with the heel up.
Have always found the 160-190bpm range a real frustration when it comes to clean and controlled notes. After 3 weeks of just 15mins twice a day practicing this technique (started nice n slow at 110) I'm already noticing such a massive improvement. Some days I'd struggle to do the most basic warm ups but having added this exercise you demonstrated to a daily routine I am on my way 🙏 🙏
Tip of the hat to you sir
Thanks for sharing! If you'd like to go further into discussion about double bass drumming i'm offering a 6 week course. You can check it out here: www.cameronfleury.com/doublebassendurance
This was the video that did it. I have the technique nailed down with both feet. Just need to learn control/be able to modulate the speed.
Hello, I've been drumming for roughly 15 years and have been teaching drums for about 7 years, with a bachelor's of music. I have practiced and trained for hours but noticed I can't go beyond 120bpm with full leg motion. I try implementing the ankle technique but my left ankle goes straight into a twitch. I can accomplish the middle range by implementing the heel-toe double technique, but I'd prefer to use a more stable and controllable technique. Am I doomed when it comes to ankle technique because I'm slower than the average? How would I practice the ankle technique at a speed that is much slower than most bodies, and what you reference in your videos? It would seem my case is far different because most, if not all people don't suffer at such slow or low range of speed.
Hey Roy, it's a matter of repetition and building up those muscle groups. Everyone learns and implements what they learn at different rates. Make sure you're practicing the technique and that you're slowly building your speed.
Man, I've never seen this before, its kind of new world open front my eyes. Thank you so much for this post!
My pleasure!
I’ve been able to play the “bleed” pattern at around 130 bpm but I am completely unable to play straight double bass at any tempo for any amount of time, it’s just too tiring. Btw the remo patch on the evans head triggers me.
Try this technique. Use the rebound if the pedal and don't try and muscle it. Also I've got Evans patches but they're not quite the same.
Cameron Fleury yeah I get it, I use an evans patch on a remo p3.
@@EvilSewnit opposite of me then!
How do you actuate the first stroke of this technique? Does it start from a full leg motion or are you forcing your foot downward? None of the popular youtube double bass instructors seem to answer this
Thank you so much for making this video is have been struggling with fast double bass action for a while but so far this change has really helped
You're welcome! 🙏
Question, are you using your calves when doing the ankle motion? Or just the tiny muscles in your ankles?
I would say a combination of both. Hard to use one without the other.
Thank you so much bro I been struggling for about 5 months to find a technique that suits me
Glad I could be of help!
@@CameronFleury ❤️🤘
Great video! Does the tension of the bass drum head matter much? How tight is your bass drum head?
The tighter the bass drum head usually means more rebound.
Dude, I saw MANY explanations about how Ankle Motion works....FAAAAAAR from all videos this was the very clear explanation about it! thanks man!!! one more subscriber!! hugs from Brazil!
Great to hear!
Sir I have a doubt pls help me..
How to practice the ankle motion?
I mean at slower tempos like 60-70.
First we should practice with full leg motion or not ?
Pls reply
great video' im starting to pay more attention to my foot technique,.. this video was very clear and helpful''' thanks
You're welcome!
Great lesson man! I've been learning this technique off and on for a few years, and although I've made progress with speed and power, I still cannot overcome how to consistently START the technique. 90 percent of the time, my first few strokes are weak and twitchy before my feet "turn on", making it nearly useless in a real musical situation. The weak start applies to both the power of the strokes and the coordination between alternating singles.
Has anyone ever struggled with this and have any tips on how to overcome it? I had honestly given up on 160+ double bass for a few years but recently got a bug in my ass that I should try to conquer this once and for all!
Try locking your lead foot in with your lead hand. Keep consistent 8th notes with your right hand and practice starting and stopping with your double pedal playing. You may be able to pin point where it is exactly that's causing your some problems.
@@CameronFleury Thanks for the tip Cameron, very much appreciate your time! I've noticed coordinating with hands helps driving cleaner strokes, but it sounds like I should work on this more intently. Thanks again man.
@@eddiemontejodid you master the moviment? I am having the same problem you described. Any tips would be apreciated. Thanks!!!
Well demonstrated. Yes, leg but also ankle
Thanks bro this really helped
Glad it helped
Nice! Cameron, how did you go about figuring out which double bass pedal suited your ergonomic needs, and performance expectations?
Honestly I had never played axis all that much and kind of went on blind. Can't say I regret that decision. It was definitely a learning curve going from iron cobras to them though.
Hello, I have a question. I can play separately ankle motion in high tempos but problem is, when I want play both legs togeather. Some exercises or help for me, what should I do?
Agian another great video,Thank you for the lesson
Tha k you Jeff glad you enjoyed it!
Can you do what you do with just a set of budget level dbl pedals?
Excellent videos dude! One thing I'd recommend you check out for your Bass drum is the Sledgepad.
I'll check it out!
Thanks for the video bud. That technique will help me a lot especially since I've never been a strong double bass player. Keep kicking ass.
Thanks Chris! Glad to be of any help!
I have that snare- what head & tuning do you use on it (if you don't mind explaining).
I'm really late to this but can this work with double chain pedals? I dont have the money yet for direct drive pedals yet
Very instructive! Thanks, dude!
You're welcome!
Good explanation 🥁😃 my friend !!
Thanks so much!
I have a question I have beginner double bass pedals and my foot is bigger than the pedal for about 2 years I feel like the pedals are too small for me would that affect my playing bc I'm noticing decrease in performance the more I use them?
for 2 years i learned and keep playing with that technique without known that its a technique for fact, but i feel i like i dont have any control its just me hitting as fast as possible
Hey man, check out this Double Bass Drumming Control Mini course. Completely free: academy.cameronfleury.com
How fast can this technique go?
Nice gonna try this one
Great let me know how it goes and if you have any questions!
Awesome tutorial!
Thank you Tim!
Thank you✊
Awesome! This helps
Glad I could be of help! Thanks for watching Matthew!
@@CameronFleury yessir
What i can do with a100€ pedal granite a7 that i cant even find on the internet ? There are imbalanced in the feeling no matter what i adjust from the limited options and always develop a new problem. Like unwanted noises dead spots where you press the pedal but the beater doesn't move,and stuff like that i wonder if it will be harder for me if i learn to play with this i will not be able to adjust to a good pedal......
Sell it
Still don't understand how to practice this technique slow. My ankle motion starts from 190BPM and between 150BPM and 190BPM is nothing :/
Try practicing the transition between leg to ankle. That bpm you specified is usually where it becomes difficult to play leg only.
@@CameronFleury i am already doing this, but after 150BPM I do some sort of "flying" heel down motion (where the movement is the same as heel down, but my heels don't touch the ground), which gives me pretty fast cramps in my shins.
"If you caught on to that technique PRETTY QUICKLY"... I've been trying to learn this technique for the past 10 fucking years and I still can't do it. Don't quite understand why certain drummers pretend it just means nothing and it's easy as can be, while in fact it's extremely difficult. Is it to look cool ? Like hey, I can do this while picking my nose ? Is it to show off or something like that ? I don't know. What I do know is that playing fast double bass is the hardest and most difficult thing I've ever encountered as a drummer, and believe me, I've been playing for a long time.
Watch out for mistakes and look up tutorials! The drum technique academy by marthyn has many insanely important tutorials for the technique! It sure as hell isn't easy and building speed can be a long and tough process, you need to watch out for every little Detail, for Example, today I noticed that my Balance issue are there because Im using my upper muscle groups to help my ankles with the technique, I havent noticed that I did that for months and I think that was one of my biggest flaws, Glad I noticed it today and can work on it now ;) don't give up man and look for midtakes!
Yo this helped me alot because i use alot leg motion and i only reached clean 155 bpm top. Now im giving a shot to the ankle motion. The problem that happend to me is that i can play with the Ankle and i got the motion but it feels like spazam. I can control it but it dosent feel right? When you play does it feel like a spazam or do you actully feel the muscle?
Try slowing down the tempo. 160-170 bpm is a perfect spot to work on.
@@CameronFleury Got it thank you!!
Damn...this is hard. I can get a steady beat but I can't change it up like in the ex. Its just steady no breaks or rhythm.
Keep at it!
@@CameronFleury I got a little better at double bass. I'm working on my stamina. I get going and it falls apart but I'm getting there.
Is your thigh tensed up when doing this? Because when I relax them my heel is touching the ground too much
Yeah you're to engage your hip flexors to have complete mobility of your ankles.
Nice
DUDE YOUR AMAZING!!!!
Thank you for watching!
Hey brother just subscribe great video keep them coming!
Hey man thank you! Hope to hear more from ya!
I have trouble getting my left foot to play ankle motion controlled. My right foot I would say is really good, I have perfect control and can play ankle motion quite slowly and quite fast above the middle of the pedalboard with no strain or tension at any tempos. But my left foot just didn't develop nearly as much as my right and now I have to try to improve it. It's hard to practice ankle motion slowly because it's not a technique, at least in my opinion, that is easy to play slowly, it requires very good control to play it slowly. I can really only play around 200bpm with my left decently and that is around the middle of the pedalboard, however I do feel some strain and tension when doing it and the strokes aren't as consistent as my right nor do I have as much stamina as the right. How can I improve my left?
I think you've kind of uncovered the answer to your own question. If you've found that it's hard to control at slower tempos, then I'd suggest focusing there. Really try and build up "muscle memory" and gradually increase your tempo. The reason you may able to play fast and not slow is because that's what you feel most comfortable playing. If it's tough slow then that means it needs work. Keep at it I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. Don't stress yourself out, and chip away. 🤘🤓🤘
@@CameronFleury I just find it hard to start playing slow at all. I can barley get any hits in, I don't know how to start. Lowering spring tension alot? Making beater distance greater? Raising the beater? I tried playing 200bpm and it sounded okay but when I lowered to 190bpm I just couldn't keep it at that speed. Couldn't really get any hits to be on time. And if I try to go slower my whole leg just tenses up.
@@TheSlayerswe try the motion off the footboard like I showed in the video. See if the problem is the movement in your foot or if it's the pedal inhibiting your ability to play. If it's the motion in your foot then try practicing the motion. If you change your pedal settings you're going to have to re-adjust your playing all over again. Let me know if this helps.
@@CameronFleury I've already done a fair amount of playing with just my feet on the floor making sure my foot isn't too close to the floor and that the strokes are fairly strong, even and big motion-wise. Works well on the floor, but when I go on the pedals it doesn't really work too well.
I think the problem is my foot not being synchronized with the pedalboard, I tried playing some to a metronome and going up and at 140bpm I start feeling uncomfortable playing 8th notes with my left leg. And everything up is not good. Maybe I should play some heel down to get more familiar with the movement of the pedal since heel down is not an issue playing slowly? Ankle motion is basically heel down movement but the heel is not down, right?
Resting foot on ground. Step 1 accomplished. 300 bpm here i come.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes? 🤔
this really helped thanks bro!
glad I could help!
@@CameronFleury ya this helped alot! the fastest i can go with heel up is 170ish which for reference is around beast and the harlot for a7x. ive been trying to get faster using heel uo but i cant but usjng this technique which is similar ti the floater, im able to go 200-230 consistently. thanks!
That's great to hear! 170 BPM is that awkward tempo between transitioning from your leg to ankle. Glad you found this of use!
@@CameronFleury 👍
Help! I'm stuck on 125 bpm for 3 years now... I practice almost every day but I can't seem to get faster.
Hey man asides from the free videos on this channel, I do offer a 6 week double bass drumming course. If you're still stuck after the free stuff, you can check out the course here: www.cameronfleury.com/doublebassendurance
@@CameronFleury thanks man, will consider it.
Just dawned on me that you were in the drummer for terror horse, I still have one of your shirts from a show in London from back in 2009 or 2010.. I think it was with Devildriver! Great video by the way. Do you have any tip for trying to be able to control said ankle motion? Or just keep it slow to develop the motion?
Keep the ankle motion slow and work your way up in the speed. Practice catching the rebound on your pedal and use full motions.
Dude his face right at the end 💀 🤣
I'm 64 and doing the double bass fast I start feeling pain and fatigue in my shins and ankles
Sweet hair dude! \m/
Thank you!
Hell yeah
Thank you!
“The hip flexor is this upper region of the leg”. *Points at vastus lateralis*. The hip flexors connect your hip and lower spine. Other then that thank you for the tutorial.
Just like dribbling a ball using your feet...
Thanks for this tip man it widens my understanding by using this technique because it helps me alot specially i play death metal hahahaha 🤘
Great! Glad I could help. Drum on! 🤘
Too much talking shiy
Wanna know how to be a better drummer? Watch Morgan Rose. No one cares about light hitting techniques that impress only other musicians. Light hitting with direct drive pedals is gay. Be a man and hit those drums like Vinnie Paul or Tommy lee
Morgan's a great drummer and entertainer. Power comes with practice, and this technique can be powerful.