Is burying the beater a bad thing?

Question

I've been playing the drums (acoustic set) for almost a year now and I tend to lightly rest my kick foot on the pedal in-between notes.

This means that my beater is on my drumhead in these cases.

Is this okay or should I focus on keeping the beater away from the drumhead?

Answer 1

You're resting your foot a bit more than lightly if the beater rests on the head. You're overcoming the effect of the spring, which will take some weight.

There's a subtle damping that will go on - the bass won't produce any sympathetic vibration (from that head anyway), but it's so subtle it wouldn't make much difference.

As Lazy mentions - heel up/down will be a factor. Heel down means you're expanding energy for little purpose, as your whole foot is under tension doing nothing useful. Heel up means using even more energy for nothing. And I guess you're the latter, sitting on the edge of your seat.

I guess when the next strike comes, there's the added advantage that you've unleashed the energy in the spring, so could make the strike harder/louder. But we all find (or should find!) our own peculiar ways to do things, reasoning out the whys and wherefores, of course, so you need to consider those - as well as sensibly asking others - teachers - sites such as this - and it's good you're aware of what you're doing, and questioning!

Answer 2

I think it's a good idea to learn to not rely on burying the beater.

As already discussed, holding the beater against drum head dampens the drum. It is a different sound, and if you prefer it or the music you're playing requires it, there are many ways to dampen the bass drum. On the other hand, if you play double strokes on the bass drum, you need to bounce the beater from the head and if you normally bury the beater, you will get inconsistent sound.

The second thing is that if you don't really push the pedal so that the beater doesn't bounce at all, it is all too easy to play accidental ghost notes. It doesn't sound good at all, and not burying the pedal is a great way to avoid it.

Finally, you shouldn't completely release the pedal. If the beater is swinging freely, there's a good chance it is in the wrong place for the next stroke. Burying it is the easy way to avoid it, but it's better to catch the rebound and hold the pedal somewhere near the idle position.

Answer 3

It's a personal preference. There are loads of famous and well-respected drummers who play each way. That said, I personally think it is better to play off the head, ie don't bury the beater. So, I realize I'm biased, but here are the reasons I wouldn't recommend burying the beater:

1. Assuming your spring tension is set correctly, it requires extra effort because you have to overcome the spring tension, so you're wasting precious energy.
2. It will also limit your speed. Playing double strokes or fast double kick both require the beater to bounce, and your job is to control the rebound and harness that energy for the next stroke.
3. It can often lead to accidental ghost notes or flamming because the beater rebounds a little before your foot smushes it back into the head. This will be more of a problem if you're using a hard beater (eg wood) and/or a click pad. This is the single biggest reason for why I stopped burying.