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If you’ve watched more than zero of my videos, you’ll know that there’s a kick drum technique that I endorse pretty unequivocally - simple heel up.
Sure, it takes some dialing-in, but my general feeling is it’s the most versatile/least “distance-sensitive” technique for avoiding tension at multiple speeds and dynamic ranges.
But what if I was wrong.
Today’s interview subject has the opposite take: whereas I switched to “heel up” after several frustrating years trying to coax more volume, power, and speed out of my legacy “heel down” technique, he switched to heel down, when he found heel-up made soft dynamics and playing off the head more difficult.
I’m speaking of YouTube OG Tim Metz.
In our extended interview, which you can view below, we get into his background co-teaching with Mike Johnston in Sacramento, gig scenes in general, his approach to teaching, and the like, but for purposes of the YouTube video, we went head-to-head to debate the merits of the two techniques.
I don’t want any of my students or viewers to feel like “one ‘expert’ is saying this, and another one is saying something else.” I want you to see the territory.
So I present to you this slightly-longer-form-than-usual YouTube video, in which Tim and I flesh out the pros and cons of each technique, then I test everything out.
Know you’ll enjoy.
And if you want to hear the complete interview with Tim, that’s below.