Matt Thompson has joined the outstanding list of contributing columnists to Sick Drummer Magazine! Matt has played in tons of projects, including: King Diamond, Aghora, Shaolin Death Squad and many others. We want to Thank & Welcome Matt to our team of contributing columnists, and look forward to more from him in the future.
While making notes for this article, it occurred to me that the title should be the first thing addressed (it was going to be “Heel Up vs. Heel Down”). Then I decided 
to make it the focus of the entire essay, because heel up versus heel down is the wrong way to look at it, if you are trying exploit every possibility of the drum kit.
To be sure, each lends itself to different styles. Heel up playing yields more power, greater contrast between accented and unaccented notes and the “twitch” method (for playing double bass single strokes at the fastest speeds). As a general rule, heel up is suited for the middle to highest of the dynamic range, the exception being that the “twitch” method places the beater closer to the batter head making it quieter (hence the widespread use of triggers in these styles).
Heel down playing is generally used for the lower end of the dynamic range and lends itself to situations where the bass drum must be played quieter, and also when the bass drum is tuned open (no muffling). The majority of jazz drummers play mostly heel down for this reason. “Feathering” the bass drum should logically be done with the heel down.
There are exceptions to every rule. Certainly there are drummers who play metal heel down, and drummers who play jazz heel up. What’s important is what reaches the listener’s ear. To get the most out of your playing, the pros and cons of both techniques need to be discovered through practice, trial and error; cons recognized, pros exploited.
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