As we (or at least some of us) learn how to play bass pedals, I thought I’d start a discussion so advice can be shared.
I remember reading on MC’s Taurus 1 page the best shoes for playing were flat and hard-soled. I don’t have organ shoes, but my brother used to work at a bowling alley and stole some bowling shoes! And they work quite well. Nicely pointed, not too heavy and flat.
But, I don’t mind playing with bare feet either.
So what’s your preference?
I think, as a right-handed bass player, my left foot might work the best as that’s kind-of my stance while playing. I find using my right tends to move my bass around a bit much, but this is perhaps due to my developing skill set.
There are a few Rush fans here so … here it comes.
Neil Peart talks about “dancing shoes” and uses just what you described, flat bottoms (similar to the aforementioned bowling shoes).
If you watch Rush in Rio, (the 2nd disk), you’ll recall the scene where Geddy gets bent out of shape because his shoe shoes temporarily disappear. Could be superstition and unlikely that he needs them for just pedals but you want consistency.
For me (ha, stupid to mention my own experiences in the same posting) but I’ve found playing in socks, or bare feet to be a bit imprecise and though I wasn’t initially crazy about stepping in dog sh!t, then my pedals. Just kidding about the crap, but these things are my prized possession. One thing I have found that despite the same spacing as my Hammond M3, that they are a bit too tight for my 10.5 wide shoes. I don’t have a problem per se, and maybe if I was seated on a bench it would be easier via toe tapping. Just takes getting used to I suppose.
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Neil does indeed play in dancing shoes (per the advice of his drum teacher, Freddie Gruber), but he does not play any Taurus pedals - the sounds he triggers are played on his drum pedals & his glockenspiel-type MIDI “MalletKat” controller. Ged & Alex play their Taurus mainly wearing sneakers - usually classic Chuck Taylor Converse for Ged, and various brands for Big Al, including the occasional hard-soled dress-type shoe. I also play Taurus wearing Converse, not because Ged does, but because I’ve worn them for decades, and they are a narrow shoe that allows me to play bass pedals without hitting 2 pedals at once, and they have soles thin enough to let you feel the pedals. I have big feet (size 12, wide), and the Converse is the only shoe I’ve found that lets me play Taurus without hitting any “clams”.
If you are going to use traditional Japanese socks, you need the ones that are made for the Tobi boot, with the cleft. Go out like that, heh.
No I think a pair of Organ shoes would be perfect, thats what they are made for, very lightweight and thats what Neil Peart uses on his drums.
I voted Midi though because Im doing more sequencing than anything right now but Organ shoes should have ben a choise.
My ister checked out the pedals for the first time, was amazed. She tried pushing the very side part of the frame and we both laughed.
I hooked it to the crappy crate bx80 bass amp for the first time. THe unit sounds great, but I still love to sequence it. I can’ get enough of that. Soon I will share my creations with you guys.
Eventually I want to sort out some shoes for live stuff, but at home barefoot or socks is doing the trick. Having small feet (UK7) I find that I can use my big toes to switch the editing buttons quite easily too, saving me bending down.
back when i studied organ in college, one of the courses was in bass pedal studies. we were instructed to get light, hard soled shoes. as you progress, you’re going to want to develop a heel and toe technique, which requires being able to slide around very easily. it’s amazing how fast and accurate you can get with practice. the socks mentioned sounds like a good alternative too. also, if you read music, there are some great exercise books out there for bass pedals.
I thought I posted in this thread when it originally came up, but I guess not. I have wide feet and found that with my regular shoes I often hit adjacent pedals. So I finally bought a pair of pointy shoes at Aldo - a shoe store you find in malls - they were on sale - and I finally have a picture!
For me there are pros and cons to socks. You can use the edit buttons with your toes but for me the pedals slip between my toes too much to play accurately or wih any speed. A slender flat shoe works well for now. I think some type of grippy bottom sock might be ideal.
I usually play sitting down and try to use both of my feet with a little heel-toe technique. Playing standing up is pretty hard. I can only manage drones standing up. The vid posted of that Hammond player is really amazing. To play fast quarter notes like that with one foot is hard but possible. Once you want to break up the time signature at a tempo like that you have to either use two feet or heel-toe.
Playing the T3 Live in a gigging situation is a lot different to playing them at home or in a studio. In addition to be able to operate the pedals comfortably from a standing position,(and without doing a tap-dance routine!), there are 2 main factors to consider, which is balance and the width of the shoe itself.
I prefer to play in “Beatle” type boots as they have a Cuban Heel by which I find you can pivot your foot quite easily as you are lifting the toe part of the boot and are playing the pedal with your foot almost level rather than with a flat shoe whereby you have to pivot your foot to a greater angle which is not too good for balance and you find yourself standing on one leg! The boots are also quite narrow so there is less chance of hitting 2 pedals at the same time accidentally. I find trainers are generally too wide for playing the T3, (great in the house but not in a live situation).
The T1’s are a different animal as the pedals are quite a bit lower than the T3 and you would definitely be better with a flat shoe for those. Video clips of Daryll Stuermer playing a T1 show him wearing trainers.
After having my taurus pedals for less than a week I orgininally went to it with my hands.. (the keyboardist in me) but now it feels much more natural sat down with either foot in socks.. I play it stood up too although im a lot less graceful!
Nicely pointed, not too heavy and flat.
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Geeze!
