Bury The Beater?

“Should we bury the bass drum beater?”
One of the long time debates among drummers. I also got asked the same question from time to time.
And my short answer is: It depends.

Here is my longer answer.
Burying the beater generally gives us a more powerful bass drum sound. If you are playing an energetic tune that requires more punch and volume from the bass drum, I recommend burying the beater. The punchy attack by burying the beater against the bass drumhead will complement the high energy music.

On the contrary, when we are playing a light soothing tune, besides playing softer, letting go of the beater will give us a warmer, more open bass drum sound.

But letting go is technically more difficult to execute cleanly. Because now we have 2 extra things to do:
1. letting go the beater
2. maintain the beater at a reasonable distance from the bass drumhead

The second one is important. Because if the beater is too close to the bass drumhead, it will be very likely to touch the bass drum and produce unwanted hits/sounds. And if the beater is too far from, it may affect our bass drum timing.

Having extra things to do could be a problem to some drummers. But you are one of those who are looking for a warm open bass drum sound, letting go the beater will definitely serve your need.