{"id":13382,"date":"2019-02-25T09:00:57","date_gmt":"2019-02-25T17:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/?p=13382"},"modified":"2023-06-01T11:51:43","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T18:51:43","slug":"double-kick-drummers-worst-nightmare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/double-kick-drummers-worst-nightmare\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Stop Your Pedals From Sliding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s a double kick drummer’s worst nightmare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You launch into the fifth song of your set and things are going great. The crowd is pumped, you\u2019ve already pulled off a handful of tricky sections successfully, but then the bridge hits. You\u2019ve got a long section of haulin’ double bass ahead of you! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first few bars go great, then all of a sudden your beat starts to sound lopsided. The left notes are getting quieter! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you look down, you realize you\u2019ve pushed your slave side of the double kick pedal a few inches further forward than you like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If it slides much further, the crossbar is going to start grinding into the bass drum hoop. Worse yet, the notes are getting progressively more difficult to execute and will soon be impossible. If you\u2019re lucky, you\u2019ll make it through the section and can then pull the pedal back to where it belongs. There\u2019s always the danger that things can go worse, pulling the player out of time and possibly even train wrecking the song!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When this happens it can be a frustrating and sometimes humiliating situation to deal with. Thankfully, there are a number of great solutions to this problem!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Most pedals have little spikes stock from the factory. Unfortunately, they\u2019re rarely strong enough to stay in position under heavy double bass playing. The zero-cost solution isn\u2019t really a solution, but it can help in a pinch. You can strategically set up your crash stand so one of the feet sits snugly against the front of your slave pedal. This works best if the leg is pointing directly toward the pedal. If it\u2019s on an angle, the cymbal stand will rotate away and your pedal will still creep! Any heavy object will do. A cinder block is another way to accomplish the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond that, the least expensive way is to go to the hardware store and buy some industrial velcro strips. The great thing about these is that they\u2019re really thin, so it\u2019s easy to stick them to the underside of your pedal without really noticing them. You don\u2019t need to cover the bottom fully, just under the front and maybe down the sides in an upside-down \u201cU\u201d shape. It should be noted that this only works if there\u2019s a carpet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro tip! Have a drum rug<\/a> that lives with your live kit in case of emergencies.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a cool product if you\u2019re not able to set up with a rug called \u201cKick Strap\u201d. As the name suggests, it connects your kick pedal to your seat post with a heavy-duty strap. You can also use this for your hi-hat stand and adjust it to whatever length is right for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The solution that I use when I\u2019m playing double pedal is what\u2019s called a \u201cpedal anchor\u201d. It’s a large pair of heavy steel spikes which attach to the hoop clamp on the front of your slave pedal. Some double pedal slaves don\u2019t come with this from the factory, so you\u2019d need to order the hoop clamp as well for this to work<\/em>. I\u2019ve been using the Yamaha P80-SA for decades. They\u2019re incredibly solid and work perfectly! That particular model is no longer in production, but you may get lucky on eBay. Pearl, Dixon, and a number of other companies make a similar product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Any of the above methods should be able to help you avoid double bass disasters! If you want to get your MacGyver on, you could always try multi-clamping some dumbbells to a cymbal stand and positioning them in front of the slave pedal. You could try literally gaff taping your pedal to the ground. Better yet, you could commandeer the help of an eager fan to sit on stage and physically hold it in place for the most up-close-and-personal band experience!<\/p>\n\n\n\n