Posts: 4671
Joined: 13 Jul 2007
Location: Near Sacramento, CA
Here's Steve Smith showing it...it's a quiet video, so turn the volume up.
Here's the break down of the technique. The starting position is basically the same as heel down, foot completely relaxed on the foot board. Now you lift your leg like you would for a heel up stroke and then rock your foot forward, using the ankle. As you lift your leg the beater should either stay still or came back towards you. If it goes forward you're putting tension on the foot board. Ok, so this is the first note. The second note comes from dropping the heel back to the heel plate. It's similar to heel/toe but the heel doesn't strike the foot board.
A good way to work on the motion is to play a measure of 8th notes as heel up and then drop your heel on the 8th note. Do that for 2-4 measures and then add an 8th note rest to the end of the measure, dropping your heel on 4 and so forth until you're just playing 1&. Then, you're playing doubles.
Something else I do, which is a pretty standard exercise that you might already know, is working through 16th notes on the kick. Start by playing the quarter notes, then move it forward by a 16th to the E and so forth. Then play the first two notes of each 16th note grouping, moving it forward by one so you play all four variations. Then move to 1E& and those four variations. I play each one for four measures.
For those who don't know that exercise, here's the break down. The (-) is a rest. Play either 8th or 16th notes on the hats or ride with 2 and 4 on the snare
Posts: 3256
Joined: 30 Dec 2007
Location: austin, tx
what makes that "constant release" is that you're allowing the muscles a split second to rest by putting your heel down for that li'l bit. you're releasing the tension. I think.
Posts: 4671
Joined: 13 Jul 2007
Location: Near Sacramento, CA
^^^Pretty good explaination, Alan.
One of the main differences between constant release and heel/toe is that constant release still allows you to use the weight of your leg. The pivot point is also the ball of your foot instead of the arch like it is with heel/toe. Another difference is that you're actually lifting the ball of your foot off of the footboard with heel/toe where it stays planted with constant release. The guy who taught me said, "put your foot on the pedal and drive an imaginary nail through it all the way into the footboard, that way you can't pick your foot up". And, as Alan said, constant release allows for a great deal of relaxation because the tension is being constantly released.
It's just a different means to nearly the same end.
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