If you saw Russ Miller’s ‘Triple Your Hand Speed In One Day’ video, you’re really going to enjoy this one. And many of the techniques he shows on the hands transfer to your feet!

Most new drummers – and even many experienced drummers – have trouble playing double strokes or quick patterns on the bass drum pedal. And even if you’re able to get the motion you want, you might not get the sound you want.

The following tips will help you achieve pro-tier speed and dynamics using what you already know. All you need to change is how you approach movement and the placement of the beater.

If you aren’t familiar with the term ‘burying the beater’, it refers to leaving the beater ‘pushed into’ the bass drum head after playing a note and before playing another one.

Digging the beater into the head not only changes the sound of your bass drum hits, but it only allows you to play one note with two movements: one to push the beater forward, and one to pull it back.

Instead, if you let the beater bounce back right after the first hit, it’s now in the position to play a second note – and it only takes one movement. This is known as the ‘continuous motion technique’ commonly taught by Moeller advocates like Jim Chapin and Freddie Gruber and used by modern drummers like Steve Smith, Steve Gadd and Jojo Mayer.

A great way to practice (and see if you’re doing it right or not) is to try this with your bass drum foot on the hi-hat pedal. You want to splash the hi-hat with every hit (where it rings out instead of ‘chicking’ closed). After you play the first (downstroke) note, use your ankle with your heel down to play a smaller (tap) note. Then play one more note as you roll your foot back up (up stroke). You’re now playing three notes with one leg movement.

Again, every hit should splash the hi-hats. If it doesn’t, you’re still using the bury-the-beater motion, which isn’t what you want. Try to get your beater to come back to the same position every time.

Keeping the beater in continuous motion prepares you to play the next note. There’s no stopping at the head that forces you to restart the movement. If you’re playing double bass, use the same technique on your left foot.

If this video doesn’t help you immediately triple your foot speed, you’re the perfect candidate for a free 10-day course called The Fastest Way To Get Faster. Enter your email below to get started!

Exercise 1

Just like the exercise recommended for the hands, you’ll play groups of 3, 6, 9, and 12 on each foot. Start with 3 down-tap-ups on one foot, then 3 down-tap-ups on the other foot. Then do it 6 times on the right foot, then 6 on the other foot, and then move to 9 and 12. Practice this slowly with a metronome.

Exercise 2

Since most drummers are more likely to be playing duple-meter figures (groups of 2 notes), just remove the ankle tap so you have a down stroke followed by a roll up. Put on 8th notes on the metronome – starting at 65 or 70 BPM – and practice groups of two, accenting each downbeat only. Then practice groups of two where you only accent the upbeats by reversing the technique (roll your foot up first, then bring it down). If you do this every day, imagine where you’ll be in 90 days!

To take this even further, try switching between your hands and feet. Remember to focus on dynamics once you’ve nailed the motions. You’ll find that this technique make it much easier to play multiple notes in a quick sequence with much less effort.

For more lessons like this, check out Russ’ course ‘Building Open-Ended Facility On The Drums’ on Drumeo Edge!

You may already have the skills to triple your hand speed in one day – you just need to know how to use them.

The human body can only go so fast. But drummers like a good challenge, right?

Russ Miller studied with Jim Chapin and Freddie Gruber, two of Sanford Moeller’s protégés. Moeller was a pioneer in standardizing movements – notably the ‘whip’ – that allow drummers to play with more efficiency.

Russ often hears from drummers who are concerned that they’ve ‘hit the ceiling’ physically, or that they don’t feel they’re advancing sonically. In this video, Russ dares you to change the way you think about striking the drums, and shows you a few foundational concepts of the Moeller technique that will address both of these common issues.

There’s only so much movement you can achieve with one downstroke. You need to use the mechanics within that stroke to not only execute a higher number of notes, but better dynamics and articulation.

With the Moeller technique, you can create multiple notes with one movement. The key is controlling the stick height after the rebound, and leading the ‘whipping’ motion with your elbow. Try to keep your palms facing down for the most power.

There are three types of note that you need to know in this lesson:

• The downward note (after which you let the stick rebound slightly)
• The finger note/tap
• The upward note (as Jim Chapin used to tell Russ, imagine pulling the stick away like you just put your finger on a hot burner)

The three-in-one formula is down, tap, up. With a whip motion, the power ends up coming from the stick’s tip. When you have to bring up your stick after every hit, you can only go so fast. This is why you need to keep the stick height low for the second and third hits.

If this video doesn’t help you immediately triple your hand speed, you’re the perfect candidate for a free 10-day course called The Fastest Way To Get Faster. Enter your email below to get started!

While you stay relaxed and comfortable, here are three exercises to try while playing with less effort:

Exercise 1 (11:05) – The Basics

Turn on a metronome subdividing triplets at 60 BPM. Repeat after Russ: down tap up, down tap up. Not unlike a video game, right?

Exercise 2 (12:11) – Alternating Threes

In this exercise, you play 3, 6, 9, and 12 on each hand. That means 3 down-tap-ups on one hand, then 3 down-tap-ups on the other hand. You’ll then do it 6 times on the first hand, then 6 on the other hand, and so on with 9 and 12.

Exercise 3A (13:00) – Interplay/Rolls 1

Here’s where you’ll learn how to incorporate the movement into a roll. Imagine every down stroke is an accent: down right, down left, tap right, tap left, up right, up left. Buddy Rich used to refer to the visuals of this as ‘stirring the soup’.

Exercise 3B (14:20) – Interplay/Rolls 2

Now you’ll combine finger technique (on your left hand) and the Moeller technique (on your right hand). These are the moves: down on the right hand, fingers only on the left, tap right, fingers left, up right, fingers left. With this choreography, the accent is only on the first note. You can do this exercise in groups of 6 or 8.

Practice along with the video and don’t forget to keep track of your progress as you go through these exercises. Once you get them down, you’ll be able to get more speed and natural dynamics while lightening up your playing. It’ll be easier to play faster and you’ll sound better at the same time.

Voila: you can now play three notes where you were playing one note before! It’s amazing how many possibilities you can unlock with just one new technique. If your hand speed is reaching new heights, watch this lesson to triple your foot speed.

Still having trouble achieving faster speeds? Check out this free 10-day video course that’ll get you closer to your goals sooner than you ever imagined!