Growing up playing drums in the church, Rashid Williams wasn’t allowed to have a double pedal. So he had to learn how to play quickly using just one foot. Watch this short video to pick up some of Rashid’s tips to playing crazy fast on a single pedal!
His technique involves playing with his toes (or ‘heel up’) and a higher pedal tension so the pedal moves with him and achieves better rebound when he’s playing at higher speeds. Rashid describes the motion for a triple stroke as similar to what you’d do with a double stroke, but getting your foot to ‘throw’ the third hit by using the pedal’s rebound.
So play a double stroke, and instead of pushing the beater into the head at the end of the second hit (‘burying the beater’), let the beater bounce back naturally. Then hit it again.
Once you get the motion down, practice this foot technique with just a kick, snare, and hi-hat. You can try exercises like repeating triplets on your foot (RRR RRR or RRR RRR RRR RRRRRR) while keeping the snare going on the 2 and 4. Don’t forget your metronome!
Did you enjoy this quick tip? Check out Rashid’s other lessons on Drumeo!
Looking for other lessons on improving your foot speed?
Triple Your Foot Speed In One Day (Russ Miller)
Beginner’s Bass Drum Boot Camp (Dave Atkinson)
How To Build A Better, Stronger, Faster Single Kick (Stan Bicknell)
Rashid Williams is known for his impeccable groove, chops, and timing. As a self-taught drummer with an incredible toolbox of drumming and musical facility, Rashid has been the drummer and musical director for some of the biggest acts of our time, including John Legend, Jill Scott, Alicia Keys, N.E.R.D, Diddy’s Dirty Money, Eric Roberson, Goapele, and J. Cole.
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