Heel-Toe Technique — Metal Drumming Technique | MetalForge

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Heel-Toe Technique?

Heel-toe technique is a bass drum pedal method that produces two beater strokes from a single downward leg motion, using the ball of the foot for an initial toe stroke and a quick heel-drop rebound for a second stroke immediately after. Rather than driving every note with a fresh leg lift, the foot rocks forward-to-back across the footboard, doubling the strokes available per motion and unlocking bursts of double bass speed well beyond what pure ankle-driven playing can sustain on its own. It is most often layered on top of a primary footwork style rather than used for an entire performance - many extreme metal drummers rely on heel-up ankle technique as their endurance baseline and drop into heel-toe only for short, demanding passages that call for an extra gear of speed. Because the technique depends on the heel having room to rock without losing contact with the board, it is closely tied to pedal choice: a short, standard-length footboard limits it, while a longer plate makes the second stroke far easier to control.

How fast are heel-toe techniques played?

Heel-Toe Technique is typically played around Any.

Who is the best heel-toe technique drummer?

George Kollias (Nile) is among the most cited Heel-Toe Technique drummers, alongside Derek Roddy, Gene Hoglan. See the full list on MetalForge.

What are the different types of heel-toe techniques?

Heel-Toe Technique has 4 main variations: Full Heel-Toe (Continuous heel-toe strokes on one foot for sustained, doubled-speed passages); Burst Heel-Toe (Heel-toe strokes used only for short bursts of extra speed within an otherwise heel-up pattern); Double Pedal Heel-Toe (Heel-toe applied to both feet on a double pedal for maximal sustained double bass output); Heel-Toe with Swivel (Combining heel-toe rocking with ankle swivel rotation for even more strokes per motion).