Dealing with Blast Beats

[kssael_XG]

This thread is created in response to the other thread.

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

A blast beat is a drum beat often associated with grindcore and death metal, although its usage predates the genre and has spread to many other forms of extreme metal. In Adam MacGregor's definition, "the blast-beat generally comprises a repeated, sixteenth-note figure played at a very fast tempo, and divided uniformly among the kick drum, snare and ride, crash, or hi-hat cymbal."

Typical blast beats consist of 8th-note patterns between both the bass and snare drum alternately, with the hi-hat or the ride synced. Variations exist such as displacing hi-hat/ride, snare and bass drum hits and/or using other cymbals such as splashes, crashes, chinas and even tambourines for accenting, for example when using odd time or playing progressively. While playing 8th or 8th note triplets some drummers choose to play in sync with one foot while others split the 8th notes between both feet.

If you have noticed the maniacal patterns after the choruses of FSW, plus the endings of Daikenkai and SAMURAI!!, those are blast beats. Other extreme examples include Over There (1:20), A.DOGMA (1:34-1:35) and (1:56), Rock To Infinity (0:52-0:53), and many others.

Since DM forces you to play those with one foot, share your experiences or techniques here!

[Jinx]

Arm exercises, really, what other help is there? It's really about having the stamina and, more importantly, knowing how to not burn through it. Minimize your motion, keep a strong rhythm, and make sure you keep breathing so your muscles get that much needed oxygen. Oh, and warm yourself into those sorts of songs, don't hop into FSW immediately on your first song of the day.