Limb priority …

[Mapex Always]

Awesome. But way beyond my capabilities and concept. I have a difficult time doing "and"s with my L foot. I wonder if I can ever get there frome here, because my L foot acts like a (very simple, basic) dancer just grooving along to the music. And I like that function, I feel like it helps my feel even when I'm not actually making sounds with the pedal. But dang, that was cool

Brother Rock , it’s doing much more than just helping “YOUR” feel , it’s allowing the feel of your instrument to project in a way to your audience that carries “air” , life and a sense of seamlessness that makes your entire presentation that much more fluid. Kudos my man.

Your not “just” grooving with that left foot , your instrument is breathing because of it!

AND , keep practicing what your seeing in that video , it adds a whole world of possibilities to your drumming.

 

[1988fxlr]

My left foot is definitely my least conscious limb. I do a good bit with it, but it mostly follows my intentions with what I’m playing with my right hand.

Occasionally I will set up a kit lefty for awhile for fun and to try to force some practice on my non dominant limbs. I’m always surprised that my left foot can pull off almost everything I can with my right foot, albeit with less stamina and my doubles aren’t as clean, but I really need to consciously think of what I’m trying to accomplish with my right foot on the hi hats for even the most simple patterns.

It would take a lot of practice to get the same level of natural and instinctual interplay between my left hand on the hats and my right foot on the hat pedal.

 

[Houndog]

I’d like to see a video of you demonstrating some left foot Mapex ……

 

[Matched Gripper]

All I can say is it's never a bad thing to work on your weakest skills. My left foot and left hand are weak.
There are some basic drum grooves that require some left foot independence. I used to play a lot of independent sample parts from a pad with my left hand, while my other three limbs were sticking to the main groove.
The important thing here is keeping everything in it's rightful place. 75% of my work requires keeping my left foot firmly on a closed hi-hat. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.

I was at a John Riley clinic about a year ago. He spent a significant amount of time emphasizing and demonstrating the use of the hi hats as accompaniment on 2 & 4 while playing some pretty wild odd note stickings in duples and triples around the kit. The hi hats are what gave context and meaning to the stickings. Without the hats, the phrasing would be difficult to follow much less appreciate. For those who haven’t worked on this, it’s more challenging than some might think. But, it’s extremely gratifying when you’ve worked your tail off and can execute some of this stuff. As you say, keeping everything in the right place is essential, and is easier said than done.

In addition, if you’ve looked at his book, “Beyond Bop Drumming,” a large part is devoted to the use of hi hats in comping in the styles of Roy Haynes, Jack Dejohnette, etc. Also, a lot more challenging than some might think.

 

[rsmittee]

I think it's a bit silly to compare the importance of one limb to another. It's going to vary depending on the song and the style and the band and many other factors. That said, I saw a Mike Johnston clinic where the whole theme was the 3 roles of the hi-hat foot:
1. Open/Close the hat to get different sounds when you hit it,
2. Add a pulse to create context for grooves and fills,
3. Add a voice to grooves and fills as in 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.

I used to have no idea what my left foot was doing as it would just bounce along involuntarily on either quarter or eighth notes. I started to really pay attention to just keeping it quiet, and only adding the pulse when I wanted to. Studying jazz made me work really hard to get that chick rock steady on 2 and 4. If you watch Johnston play, you'll see/hear him do a lot of really interesting stuff with the left foot. It's definitely part of his signature sound. I just don't know if it's important enough to me to work that hard to develop that skill.

 

[shuffle]

Years ago,I saw Billy Ward,he talked about mechanisms, I realized my hh foot,right foot,lefty here,was where my mechanism lies.
16ths on a closed hh to keep the groove going.
I also used my right hand to do many fine motor skills,brushing teeth,eating,,combing my hair,etc and that helped tremendously.
I don't play dub bass pedals so no problem there.
Another thing,I always tell bandmates at least one of my appendages is on the 1! Lol

 

[Pat A Flafla]

LZ would've been a limp beast if JB had prioritized left foot and right hand over the others.

 

[BennyK]

Tap dancing lessons can widen your limitations .

I don't compartmentalize my limbs , but try to establish a conversation between them .

Whether its heard or not , my hihat foot is the governor . A good exercise I use is to start with HH foot quarters and displace them through the e and a 's while simultaneously executing a bass drum pattern . Say, four of each then I reverse the same thing with my feet i.e. bass drum displacement against a steady whatever on the hats . I am able to see and feel the effect on varying degrees of propulsion the groove undergoes . Mick Fleetwood is a master of this subtle rearrangement . I got to a point where I was doing it unconsciously . If I sense things are getting spongey , I'll snap the hats together agressively on the 'one' .

 

[Gretsch>All&Everythang]

I just imagine MAPEX rolling up in a Lambo jumping out knowing he’s about to crush the competition. No doubt in his mind, this man’s the best

Playing drums with a roomful of drummers, smiling knowing he’s the alpha drummer. Politely telling everyone good game, high five included.

Then pimp walking back out to his Lambo, patting himself on the back cause his left foot has that magic swagger that sets men like him apart from the herd

 

[Gretsch>All&Everythang]

This is a good example of how utilizing left foot hi hat work can add to the groove. When I first heard this a decade or more ago, I knew it was something I had to borrow from master Billy Martin

Or check out the more subtle broken patterns he plays in this, once he moves to the ride around starting around 1:06

On top of just the standard quarter or eighth notes I really dig broken patterns like he utilizes a lot

 

[frankmott]

Try playing a standard disco beat (which should be in every drummer's arsenal of beats, whether playing disco or not) without a decent hi-hat foot.

 

[1988fxlr]

I just imagine MAPEX rolling up in a Lambo jumping out knowing he’s about to crush the competition. No doubt in his mind, this man’s the best

Playing drums with a roomful of drummers, smiling knowing he’s the alpha drummer. Politely telling everyone good game, high five included.

Then pimp walking back out to his Lambo, patting himself on the back cause his left foot has that magic swagger that sets men like him apart from the herd

Now I know what I need to work on my left foot stamina. A lambo clutch

 

[bigbonzo]

Ever since I started working out of Carmine Appice's book, I've become better and more aware of my hi-hat foot.

 

[Squirrel Man]

Try playing a standard disco beat (which should be in every drummer's arsenal of beats, whether playing disco or not) without a decent hi-hat foot.

Translates well to techno.

 

[drums1225]

Try playing a standard disco beat (which should be in every drummer's arsenal of beats, whether playing disco or not) without a decent hi-hat foot.

I agree that everyone should have the disco beat in their arsenal, but stomping quarters to create the "pea-soup" effect on the hats is pretty much an entry-level 4 way coordination skill (four on the floor with both feet, 8ths on the hats, and 2 and 4 on snare).

 

[foxy_shazamtastic]

My limb priority is always whichever is the weakest

 

[repete]

I’d like to see a video of you demonstrating some left foot Mapex ……

You won’t

 

[repete]

I just imagine MAPEX rolling up in a Lambo jumping out knowing he’s about to crush the competition. No doubt in his mind, this man’s the best

Playing drums with a roomful of drummers, smiling knowing he’s the alpha drummer. Politely telling everyone good game, high five included.

Then pimp walking back out to his Lambo, patting himself on the back cause his left foot has that magic swagger that sets men like him apart from the herd

You can only fit so many left foot drumming apparatus’s in a Lambo. I’m guessing they were all at his place.

 

[Houndog]

You won’t

I know …

 

[repete]

After 42 years of playing I’m nowhere near 4 way independence but many of those years were spent playing double bass. Not just single LRLRLRLR stuff and song endings but actual patterns. I played in quite a few original bands that were quite progressive including a strictly instrumental band so I do find myself using my left foot more creatively at times instead of just “keeping time” with it. It’s another voice to use on the kit