Shoes and playing style

[latigid on]

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.

[acorkos]

whatever you decide, just remember that practice makes perfect...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeuVwTfeBXw

[EMwhite]

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.
.

[latigid on]

whatever you decide, just remember that practice makes perfect...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeuVwTfeBXw

[And now we test the the swear-function of the new forum ]

bleep, she's amazing isn't she! I got this linked at me a year or so ago when I said insane foot-chops weren't possible with feet.

Being seated and having < one octave will help too

[superd2112]

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).

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".

[sixofthebest]

I use Japanese traditional sox.
It is softer than shoes but harder than common sox.
Thumb can control pressing switches sensitively.

[EricK]

Hey,

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.


Eric

[Voltor07]

The third and fourth answers...sometimes just socks. Always both feet.

[sixofthebest]

Hi Eric,

Let me point out your comment.
" Tobi Boot " ( upper photo ) has a slot between thumb and index finger.
It makes big trouble when we press pedals.

I use " Tabi ".
Please be awere that common " Tabi " ( moddle photo ) has the same slot as " Tobi Boot", as well.

I use " Marusaki Tabi " ( bottom photo ) which is used for traditional " Shinto " ceremony.

Kaz

[Mr Arkadin]

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.

[Mitchell Chastain]

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.

[Stick_Player]

Socks? Geeze!



Beatle Boots!

They look way cooler than white socks! Did I even need to say that?



What are you? A house-boy or a musician?

[latigid on]

The SH-101 does a good job of sequencing the T3 without any attenuation/scaling

Without any offset, you need to set Osc tune to at least an octave below to play in the bass range.

Also, the footpedal (i.e. keyboard) CV is not disconnected, so playing the pedals will transpose the sequence

[hieronymous]

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!

[metron]

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.