Keeping the kick from sliding!

[warhead]

Thick carpet isn't always the answer, and the rubber feet with spikes isn't either.

What ways do you control a kick drum sliding away from the drummer?

War

[Igotsoul4u]

as a bass player, I have sat on the kik of several crappy house kits. Sand bags can be effective.

[staudio]

I tie the kick to the throne with twine. The drummer has to be reminded not to trip when he gets up.

[joeq]

take off the rubber feet and let the sharp spikes dig into the rug

with spike spurs, thick carpet is the answer

as long as the throne is also on the carpet weighing it down, it is in a sense "tying" the kick drum to the seat.

If carpet is acoustically undesirable, you can cut out a 'footprint' of minimal carpeting to connect the spurs, the seat and the hi-hat.

I can't imagine any situation in which a drummer could effect relative movement of his kick given the above parameters, but if could, I would recommend putting some bolts with washers through the carpet from underneath and screwing them into a 2x4 that would block the kick's movement.

[drmmrboy]

Originally Posted by joeq

as long as the throne is also on the carpet weighing it down, it is in a sense "tying" the kick drum to the seat.

Yup..

If all else fails, I'll go here.. Provided a few nails won't matter to you..

[paperplanepilot]

i used to drum quite a bit and always found that a small piece of carpet big enough to sit under the bd pedal and at least two legs of the throne (like a triangle or trapezoid) works well. guess this is just a more portable version of the big-rug-under-kit thing.

[Jax]

Originally Posted by warhead

Thick carpet isn't always the answer, and the rubber feet with spikes isn't either.

What ways do you control a kick drum sliding away from the drummer?

War

I have a 1.5" thick wood sub floor (atop the regular parquet wood tile floor), no carpet, and the kick doesn't slide. Maybe I've been lucky, but every kick drum has had spikes that were sharp and long enough to keep the kick in place.

On my own kit, the only thing that does move is the 16" crash. I need to get some 'non-shiny' finish rubber feet on that stand, or just get a new stand.

If/when I get a kit that starts creeping, I have a 9x12 rug just in case.

If not even carpet is working, fire the drummer.

Or try a rubber mat from Home depot.

I've also heard you can tie a rope around the front of the kick and the drum throne.

[Nutmeg II.]

Stick Velcro on the baseplate of the pedal and use a small ruget were it can stick too.

Anyway, wood flooring with bassdrum spickes or a rugget should do the job.

If it doesn't you might start rethinking your foot technique.
It's possible that you push the pedal to thefron rather than down.
That is a waste of energy! Down is the only way you should push.

[joeq]

Originally Posted by Nutmeg II.

It's possible that you push the pedal to thefron rather than down.
That is a waste of energy! Down is the only way you should push.

I used to be so bad about pushing forward that once I got my kick drum anchored, I used to bend the steel attachment on the pedal where the rod connected to the rim under the foot plate. My forward motion just manifested itself in a different problem. With the drum anchored, it had nowhere to go, so it would bend this piece of steel.


I would bend it back, but eventually it would fatigue and break off, so I would have to buy a new one. At one point, I was breaking them so often, I ordered 3 so I would have some spares handy. Finally one day, I brought it to an auto body shop and had them weld a big hunk of metal on top of it to stop the bending.

At last the rim attachment stayed put, but then I started bending the steel rod going into this attachment.

Simple physics...

I finally got the hint and started changing my technique and as a side benefit, my foot got a lot faster.

[HeavyG]

Originally Posted by Nutmeg II.

Stick Velcro on the baseplate of the pedal and use a small ruget were it can stick too.

Anyway, wood flooring with bassdrum spickes or a rugget should do the job.

If it doesn't you might start rethinking your foot technique.
It's possible that you push the pedal to thefron rather than down.
That is a waste of energy! Down is the only way you should push.

Dude...no offense...but are you a drummer? If you play heel up or heel down...the simple motion of depressing the bass drum pedal produces a forward motion. If you thump your bass drum with any authority at all, it will move. This is accentuated by how high or low you sit (your leg angle). I sit high, so I do tend to move my bass drum because I "dance" on my bass drum pedal for quicker doubles and triplets (see Jeff Porcaro's Star Licks video for a visual on this). I really do need to use the metal spike on my spurs to eliminate the dreaded CREEP....with wood floors you can get a piece of carpet large enough to go under the bass drum (from spur to spur) and deep enough to go under the bass drum pedal. Don't be afraid to REALLY set them into the carpet....

[Nutmeg II.]

Originally Posted by HeavyG

Dude...no offense...but are you a drummer? If you play heel up or heel down...the simple motion of depressing the bass drum pedal produces a forward motion. If you thump your bass drum with any authority at all, it will move. This is accentuated by how high or low you sit (your leg angle). I sit high, so I do tend to move my bass drum because I "dance" on my bass drum pedal for quicker doubles and triplets (see Jeff Porcaro's Star Licks video for a visual on this). I really do need to use the metal spike on my spurs to eliminate the dreaded CREEP....with wood floors you can get a piece of carpet large enough to go under the bass drum (from spur to spur) and deep enough to go under the bass drum pedal. Don't be afraid to REALLY set them into the carpet....

Yes, I play since I was 6. Heel up and heel down.
I do need a carpet to keep the kick from moveing, but with a carpet there is zero problem.

[HeavyG]

Its Cool. I have gouges in my Living Room wood floor from where the spikes on my spur punched throught the carpet...so be careful about that when you set the depth. Move the kit on the carpet between takes to avoid it digging too far into the carpet and damaging the floor underneath.

Tear it up...

Heavy G

[Pfhuck]

Try countersinking a couple of holes into plyboard with a forstner drill bit.

Please and thank you,
Pfhuck

[Animal2612]

I use a mat with a wood block firmly mounted in the front. Because of that and my icon rack NOTHING EVER MOVES! EVER!
I put in capitals because for years I struggled with kick drums, floor toms and hihats moving around like there on a washing machine. I had tried every idea in this thread until I landed on my current setup and never looked back!

[VacuousZounds]

On gigs, I've helped other drummers out with sandbags or the occasional cinder block, followspot ballast, or box of truss bolts. Anything that ties the throne to the kick, such as a wood block mounted to a rug, or twine between the petal and a leg on the throne is super effective. On my kit, my kick (and hats and snare, for that matter) is attached to my rack via a tom arm between the rack and the tom mount on the kick.

[twincities]

nice strong piece of wood attacked firmly to a full sized (whole kit, not just kick) drum rug. nothing will ever move, the wood won't get in the way of your sound like large cinder blocks will and you can mark positioning around the rest of the kit with tape or markers. best choice i've ever made regarding keeping a kick in place.

[Nikbeat]

Woodblock screwed to the carpet is the answer simples

[biggator6]

A rug does the job for me.. but I would think that rubber gym-flooring would work very well if you don't want carpet. The spikes can dig into it and not go anywhere.

[ScumBum]

I picked up a really cheap thin rubber mat from the hardware store . They have a big roll and cut it the length you want . I think it cost $5 , it was really cheap and works perfectly , my kick doesn't move .

[biggator6]

Originally Posted by ScumBum

I picked up a really cheap thin rubber mat from the hardware store . They have a big roll and cut it the length you want . I think it cost $5 , it was really cheap and works perfectly , my kick doesn't move .

Nice kit, ScumBum..

[trevoire520]

For studio work I have the kit sitting on a sheet of plywood, screw a long block of wood to the edge of the plywood and place your kick pegs against it.

[timothyclee]

Something I haven't heard yet is angle the bass drum with the front slightly lifted off the ground. This will help the front spurs dig into the drum rug. If you have your bass drum completely flat depending on the quality of the spurs they may not dig into the carpet and thus you will be sliding on the bottom lugs all night.

Tim

[biggator6]

Originally Posted by timothyclee

Something I haven't heard yet is angle the bass drum with the front slightly lifted off the ground. This will help the front spurs dig into the drum rug. If you have your bass drum completely flat depending on the quality of the spurs they may not dig into the carpet and thus you will be sliding on the bottom lugs all night.

Tim

There are those (I recall seeing it in a Bob Gatzen video) who say that angling it up flexes the batter-side hoop and messes with the sound of the drum. I'll try to find the video, but when he demonstrates it - it's pretty remarkable.

Found it. Here's the part where he explains it.. looking for the one where he demos it.

[frott]

Originally Posted by warhead

Thick carpet isn't always the answer, and the rubber feet with spikes isn't either.

What ways do you control a kick drum sliding away from the drummer?

War

Is this thing "too lame?" You can DIY make one...

Kaces KCP-5 Crash Pad Drum Rug and more Drum Rugs at GuitarCenter.com.

I use this concept just fine, stool on rug + velcro under pedals + that wedge = bassdrum doesn't creep at all.

Cut a triangular wedge of wood, wrap it with a cheap rug, screw it to another rug. I have two, one for bass drum and one for hihat in narrow strips that meet in a V under my drum seat.

I've cut it down a bit so that reflections aren't soaked up by the carpet, and added two eyelets for the drum spikes to go into.

[John Suitcase]

Originally Posted by frott

Is this thing "too lame?" You can DIY make one...

Kaces KCP-5 Crash Pad Drum Rug and more Drum Rugs at GuitarCenter.com.

I use this concept just fine, stool on rug + velcro under pedals + that wedge = bassdrum doesn't creep at all.

Cut a triangular wedge of wood, wrap it with a cheap rug, screw it to another rug. I have two, one for bass drum and one for hihat in narrow strips that meet in a V under my drum seat.

I've cut it down a bit so that reflections aren't soaked up by the carpet, and added two eyelets for the drum spikes to go into.

I used to play with a drummer who had one of these, it worked nicely. Last time I saw him, though, he had given it up, I guess the block tore out eventually...

[dontfearthringo]

Originally Posted by Nutmeg II.

Stick Velcro on the baseplate of the pedal

This has worked so well for me for so long that I sometimes forget to do it when I buy a new pedal. That first gig is always exciting.

[frott]

Originally Posted by John Suitcase

I used to play with a drummer who had one of these, it worked nicely. Last time I saw him, though, he had given it up, I guess the block tore out eventually...

yup, it will, my DIY version with the eyelets for the bass drum spikes alleviates some of the pressure on the wedge, and honestly the crash pad is a bit cheaply made. you could accomplish the same thing with a thin sheet of wood with the carpet to cover it while controlling reflections, and have more than fabric to attach the wedge to.

[GordoBot]

The Neil Peart trick - tie rope round the 2 legs of your bass drum and the bottom of your drum stool.

It ain't goin nowhere!

[erniegrinds]

Start by covering your grounds. Don't for get that most modern kick pedals also have stability spikes on them. This may be out of the picture for some people but I take those out and re-sharpen them every so often. And if the kick spurs just aren't doing it, try sharpening a couple generic cowbell hoop mounts and using those as spurs. Works like a charm for me!

[erniegrinds]

Originally Posted by timothyclee

Something I haven't heard yet is angle the bass drum with the front slightly lifted off the ground. This will help the front spurs dig into the drum rug. If you have your bass drum completely flat depending on the quality of the spurs they may not dig into the carpet and thus you will be sliding on the bottom lugs all night.

Tim

that is a very good point, and it helps for projection purposes.