Heel or toe?

Subject: RE: Heel or toe?
From: greg stephens
Date: 28 May 04 - 06:07 AM

I have frequently had recording engineers come out and put cushions under my feet.
    This heel versus toe question is very interesting, particularly McGrath's theory of the overdrive effect of the heel. I definitely this myself. The toe is grand for vaguely joining in with the beat, but if I need to communicate the beat to a group that is falling apart rhythmically, I definitely stomp with the heel. Itis not just a volume thing, it uses more body muscles, and makes your knee, (and whole body,to some extent) move up and down, which communicates the beat much more effectively.
    I am acutely aware of this at the moment, as I am putting together(rehearsing would be too sophisticated a word) thhe multi-cultural drum band for the Newcastle-under-Lyme carnival (Bank Holiday Monday). And getting assorted asylum-seekers from Sudan Somalia, Liberia, Congo,Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, England and Pakistan (to mention but a few) is quite a task. Everybody has subtle differences in rhythm(even a basic bum-tiity bum-titty), and I find myself stamping with my heels and drumming exaggeratedly with my arms. It all helps.
   For those who like racial stereotypes, I would say Iraqis are not natural stick drummers, but stronger with the hands: compared to Afghans or Linerians, say. (McGrath from Harlow is very adept at drawing Iraq into all discussions, so I thought I would emulate him).

Subject: RE: Heel or toe?
From: Ella who is Sooze
Date: 28 May 04 - 05:40 AM

Heel and toe, rocking back and forward. and both feet too...

looks almost olympic!

Ella

Subject: RE: Heel or toe?
From: GUEST,Sandy Mc Lean (lost cookie)
Date: 28 May 04 - 04:56 AM

At Cape Breton dances before the days of amplification it was often easier to dance listening to the beat of the fiddlers feet than to hear the music.
When Buddy MacMaster would play on the radio in the early days they would place a pillow under his feet. Today he plays with a much lighter foot.
       Sandy

Subject: RE: Heel or toe?
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 28 May 04 - 03:54 AM

Steve, I do the same: let's face it you're just a washboard player in denial!

RtS

Subject: RE: Heel or toe?
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 27 May 04 - 12:30 PM

I often find I'm tapping a foot to the beat and tapping fingers or a hand on the off-beats and some of the beats too. If a leg muscle starts to ache I'll change from toe to heel. Maybe I'm just a frustrated drummer!

Steve

Subject: RE: Heel or toe?
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 27 May 04 - 12:37 AM

Hey Gargoyle, I remember seeing John Hartford in concert doing it as well.
He fiddled and danced at the same time, 25 years before Natalie McMaster thought of doing it! Then he played banjo and did a sort of a soft shoe shuffle on the board.
I believe he used an old Radio Shack contact mic for the job.
Thanks for refreshing my memory.

Seamus

Subject: RE: Heel or toe?
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 26 May 04 - 02:20 AM

One of the acts at last weekend's Brigg Fiddle Fest was the Craig Haig Quartet featuring some superb jazz fiddling. At one point I found myself standing up and keeping time with my shoulders.

It all depends how the mood takes me.

Doug C

Subject: RE: Heel or toe?
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 26 May 04 - 12:12 AM

When I was front row

Before John Hartford's left toe

He used a 50 cent mic

On a wood stage floor

To keep his beat right

He played for $100 a seating....three intimate settings that night. Box grossed about $750

Circa 1971

Sincerely,

Gargoyle

Subject: RE: Heel or toe?
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 26 May 04 - 12:04 AM

BOTH

Left

RIGHT

With a heel and toe,
And a heel and a toe
And a slide, slide slide,
Clap left, Clap right, Clap both
And an all-a-man left with ol left hand.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: RE: Heel or toe?
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 25 May 04 - 11:45 PM

Rusty Jacobs of Woods Tea Company has an amplified plywood board which he stomps on while playing guitar, or whistle or whatever, and it sounds like a bass accompaniment. Honest.

Seamus

Subject: RE: Heel or toe?
From: Joybell
Date: 25 May 04 - 09:58 PM

I've found myself keeping time with both feet - heel of left foot for on beat - toe of right for off beats. Sometimes heels on both sides. Joy

Subject: RE: Heel or toe?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 25 May 04 - 06:43 PM

For foot percussion La Bottine Souriante are the lads.

I've found, now I've started noticing it, that switching from toe to heel is a bit like changing down a gear when you are going up hill. I don't mean you go faster, but there seems to be more power.

Subject: RE: Heel or toe?
From: Don Firth
Date: 25 May 04 - 06:38 PM

There was a record of Pete Seeger floating around back in the late Fifties, bootleg, I think, taped at a live concert. Along with the singing and playing and the audience singing along, you could hear a "thump thump thump" in time with the songs. The title of the record was "Pete Seeger, his banjo, his guitar, and his left foot."

Good record. I heard a copy of it, but was never able to find one for myself.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Heel or toe?
From: freightdawg
Date: 25 May 04 - 06:17 PM

I went to see Leo Kottke in concert recently and he has you covered, McGrath. He plays sitting down, and keeps time by tapping, stomping, thumping, just generally enthusiastically moving BOTH feet. He was wearing what looked like was retro 1960's style tennis shoes (I was a long way away, and really trying to focus on his guitar playing.) When he first walked out on stage I thought he was eccentric. After about 2 minutes I realized he had to be divinely inspired.

Oh, if I could play, just for one night, anywhere close to Kottke's level.

Freightdawg

Subject: RE: Heel or toe?
From: Jim McLean
Date: 25 May 04 - 05:10 PM

McGrath, the way I heard the story was that as a torture for Scottish soldiers in Northern Ireland, they nailed their feet to the floor and played them Jimmy Shand LPs.

Subject: RE: Heel or toe?
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 25 May 04 - 03:46 PM

Way back when, a New York Radio Station (WNYC) made Oscar brand take off his shoes, becuse his tapping was too noisy. He was billed for a while as "The Barefoot Troubador"

Subject: RE: Heel or toe?
From: Pete_Standing
Date: 25 May 04 - 02:23 PM

When gigging in a ceilidh band, I'll stamp one foot to a jig, reel, polka, slip jig until I get tired and then use the other one. I've had to remove my boots before now because it made to much noise and made the stage vibrate.

In sessions or as a member of the audience, I tap my toe.

Subject: Heel or toe?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 25 May 04 - 01:29 PM

I've been looking round at other people's feet in sessions, and looking down at my own, and noticing the different ways people keep time with their feet as they are sitting

There are those who use the toe, and those who use the heel, and those who almost dance with both feet. It seems to me that, when I'm mainly listening, I tend to use the toe, but when I'm trying to drive it along I'll use the heel.

Any thoughts on this? And it set me thinking about the way the use of the feet as a percussive instrument is a key element in some traditions.

There's a saying "How do you stop a French Canadian fiddler playing?" "Nail his feet to the floor."