Double-bass drumming...

Yup, I understand. 

read my post again, MIke; i never said it is not valid. it is just not valid in about 90% of the cases . and that's something I will stick to. it is a mannerism. there are other mannerisms in music (guitar players repeating the same 3 or even only 1 note over and over again, for example). there are moments when it may be artistically validated; when it happens again and again only the word "mannerism" is appropriate. Kraftprotzerei

I see your point. I guess the whole gimmick thing is there just because double bass drumming is so intimately associated with just metal. But as you said, "Of course it is repeated, like any other beat is".

I got to the point when I couldn't stand it any more. And that's one of the main reasons to why I have a hard time appreciating a lot of the power-prog-metal bands out there. I see no problem with it when it is used occasionally, that's when it is enjoyable, but as BaldJean so quaintly put it: when it is done again and again it becomes as notorious as the duck quack.

But with that I'm not trying to say that it is silly, bad per se, or totally uncalled for in its own musical realm, it's just my position on it here and now. Hell, for some time that was what I was looking for in music. Double bass, a singer with good pipes, and a good cover on the CD! But I feel there should be possible to go around it, and make a heavy drum performance without overusing it, and I'm sure there are many examples of just that.

BaldJean wrote: a gimmick still remains a gimmick, no matter how often it is repeated. I am not against double bass drumming per se, but I am against it if it is used over and over again. I expect more ideas from a band than repeating the duck quack over and over again

Well, it seems like double bass playing is slightly more popular than the duck quack ... and while I understand why you don't like it, I still don't understand why you're ridiculing it and make fun of those who accept it as a valid pattern of drumming. In the past I would have gotten angry over this ... today I don't do that anymore, I simply let such statements speak for themselves.

I am a bit of a sucker for double bassing. However i will have to agree that it is overused in metal. The two drummers which i think use the technique effectively are probably Danny Carey and Billy Cobham, and yet they only use them at necessary times, e.g. in Tool's "Aenima" or Mahavishnu's "One Word". Portnoy is also responsible for overusing the double bass pedals.

BaldJean wrote: The T wrote: I can't understand why using double-bass drums is just a gimmick... it CAN be integrated as part or actuyally as the MOVING ELEMENT in some music... have you ever heard Meshuggah? I'm pretty sure you wouldn't like it (it's noisy as hell and really violent) but the dpouble bass drum is THE instrument, and believe me, the man has absolutely crazy feet and legs....it's AMAZING I have nothing against noisy, and I have heard Meshuggah. and no, I disagree. it is a gimmick still. they would fare much better without, IMHO

They wouldn't be Meshuggah without this type of drumming. It can hardly be a gimmick if it's an integral part of their style.

I like it when it helps accent what the guitar is doing rhythmically, and if used sparingly a good double bass roll can fit quite well

death metal is not a good example of this

The T wrote: I can't understand why using double-bass drums is just a gimmick... it CAN be integrated as part or actuyally as the MOVING ELEMENT in some music... have you ever heard Meshuggah? I'm pretty sure you wouldn't like it (it's noisy as hell and really violent) but the dpouble bass drum is THE instrument, and believe me, the man has absolutely crazy feet and legs....it's AMAZING

I have nothing against noisy, and I have heard Meshuggah. and no, I disagree. it is a gimmick still. they would fare much better without, IMHO

NaturalScience wrote: BaldJean wrote: let's face it: double bass-drumming is a gimmick, and like any gimmick using it again and again simply becomes ridiculous. since I am a keyboarder, let me use a keyboard equivalent as comparison. you can play a solo in a song using the "humorous duck quack" register, which is perfectly ok. but if you do that again and again in lots of different songs people will think you are nuts, and rightly so. also I totally agree with Friede that it does not sound aggressive at all when the bass drum becomes a blur What prompted you to resurrect this thread?

I came across it while searching for something else, and since I had not uttered my 5 cent's worth in it yet I did