Learning to play left foot hi-hat techniques on the drum set is a great way to enhance your drumming style, and it will open up more possibilities and choices in your rhythms. It doesn’t matter whether you’re playing jazz, rock, or any other genre, the development of this skill will be the basis for your entire drumming.

Techniques and Exercises

  1. Heel-Toe Method: Such an approach is perfect for maintaining a steady beat with the hi-hat, especially in jazz where one plays the ride cymbal with the right hand. It is the process of pushing the pedal with your heel to open and closing it with your toe in time with your playing.
  2. Heel Up Technique: The foot-press technique, which is widely used by professional drummers, involves playing the hi-hat with the ball of your foot pressed down, which increases the volume and intensity of the hi-hat sounds. It really goes well with the loud and harsh music genres such as rock.
  3. Incorporating Fills: When you are doing the drum fills, you can keep the hi-hat rhythm regularly with your left foot which will keep the groove steady and add a little funkiness to your playing. This skill may seem difficult to achieve at first, but it is an added professional touch to your performance.

Practice Recommendations

Regular Exercises: Every day, do the foot and leg exercises to strengthen the dexterity and control. Workouts like lifting the ball of each foot while sitting or doing heel lifts will help to build the muscles required for effective foot control.

Metronome Practice: Use a metronome to adjust your tempo and be sure that you are consistent when playing the hi-hat pedal. Begin with easy designs and then gradually add more challenging patterns as you get more and more confident.

Experiment and Improvise: When you are comfortable with the basic techniques, go ahead to include your left foot hi-hat into various drumming patterns and grooves. It can be done by playing along with the tracks of the drummers who are famous for their outstanding hi-hat work, like David Garibaldi from Tower of Power, or trying different hi-hat splashing techniques for the sake of added color.

If you can develop an independent left foot on the kit (or right foot for left-handed folks), you’ll be off to the races. Your drumming potential will open up dramatically, and you’ll thank us later.