Playing tip

[matthew medeiros]

I wanted to post a playing tip. There are many questions about how to physically play the cocktail drums. Let me first qualify my tip by saying that this is something that helps me, obviously this tip is not going to hold for everybody. Second, I'm going to cheat and refer people to the "set up" section of the home page, and then click on "remote hi-hat" by Dinkus. He's got great pics of his feet. If you notice his feet are "splayed" that is, one foot is set further back than the other, this helps in over-all stability. I set my left foot (hi-hat foot) behind my right foot( this gives me more stability) Try to "stand" in a "normal" stance and then lift the fronts of your feet off the ground while keeping your heels on the ground, it's hard. That is why if you "splay" your feet it will give more stability. Also, look at the 2nd & 3rd pics of Dinkus' feet He stands his (left) foot off to the side of his hi-hat pedal (this gives the body more stability) For myself, I do the oposite; I hang my right foot (bass pedal) off to the side, and I put a small piece of wood under my right heel so the bottom of my right foot is just about level with the pedal board. I find this gives my body better balance when playing. I'll bet alot of you cocktail players compensate in various ways without even realising that you are doing so. Please feel free to comment on my tip, and to share your own "style" of playing; chances are, someone will be able to pick up a tip ot two from you.

[Dinkus]

I've lately been using about 1" of foam matting to lift me up a bit higher. The pedals remain on the floor and I stand on the mat. It's similar to the idea of the wood block in which evens your feet out and gives you better stability. The padding also eases the shock on the knees so you can play a lot more relaxed. If I would stop spending money on other adventures I would really like to try a type of pedal ofset like DW's or the one John posted one time. I'd like to be more centred on the drum. I'm currently left of it. I think this would be a huge improvement to playing the upper half of the drum and adding stability again to the stance.

Dink

[Bruce (the K)]

I too wanted to be more centered over my kit so I got a DW Sidekick pedal. I also got the heel blocks DW sells for their pedals so my ankle isn't bent at a funny angle and my heel can rest on the pedal. It makes a big difference in how comfortable I am and how long I can play while standing without fatigue.

Having the pedal to the side of the drum just feels right. I tend to splay my feet naturally with this setup, as opposed to the typical Club Jordan foot pedal clamped directly beneath the main drum.

I had some wobble issues with the drum at first when I switched to the Sidekick but now it's solid. I don't remember doing anything specific to fix it. (I have a Peace Manhattan cocktail kit.)

Bruce (the K)