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Heel Tone

©Artdrum

The heel tone can also be called an heel stroke, they are one in the same.

Heel Stroke

 Body Awareness for Heel Stroke

The heel of your hand is used to strike the drum head.

The fingers and palm is extended; fingers are straight and together.

The wrist, elbow & shoulder control the movement.  

Drum Awareness

The sweet spots for the Heel Stroke is in the middle of the drum, to the left & right of the center.

Performing the Heel Stroke

The heel should comes down like an airplane upon the drum head and bounces off the head with the hand moving away from the body.

The fingers should be pointed in an upward direction while the heel hits the head.

Unlike the other strokes the heel stroke does not follow the invisible pole that runs perpendicularly from the head to the sky. 

Unlile the other strokes the hand moves away from the body as it lowers, strikes and bounces off the head.

In the other strokes the hand remains essentially at the same distance from the body, traveling up and down the invisible, perpendicular pole. 

With the heel stroke the hand is like an airplane come in for a landing and then bouncing of the runway and flying away.

The left heel should strike to the left of the center; the right heel should strike to the right of the center of the drum head.

Heel Rhythms & Exercise Part I

Heel Rhythms & Exercises Part II

Afro-Cuban Drum Strokes

Rhythms

LP Drums