Someone submitted my musical
multitasking post to Hacker News, where Rochus Keller saw it and left
some fascinating
comments . He's developed a method of foot drumming, using midi
organ pedals: youtube Here's another one: youtube Additional, audio-only, examples: 1 , 2 . I find this fascinating. The physical feel of organ pedals is very
different from the kick drum pedals I
play , much more keyboard-like, which means the technique is
totally different. But it clearly works well, and Keller is able to
play something musical, coherent, and (despite having only two feet!)
very full. When I imagine playing this interface I expect I'd miss
the rebound of my pedals (which feels a lot like stamping my foot on
the floor, where all of this came from), and needing to move around
horizontally would take some getting used to. On the other hand, it
would be amazing to have the broader palette, with 17 different
(virtual) drums to choose from! I've previously written about how musicians
massively underuse their mouths , and it seems clear to me
that feet are similarly undervalued. Two different videos, to give
more of a taste of what's possible here, both acoustic: youtube ( Todd Cowart ) youtube (Noah VanNorstrand in Buddy System ) Comment via: facebook , lesswrong , mastodon , bluesky
Organ Pedals for Drumming
Brief
Organ-pedal foot drumming uses MIDI organ pedals as a keyboard-like interface to play rhythmic lines: Rochus Keller’s videos and audio examples show two-foot performances that produce musically coherent, full results. The method contrasts with kick-drum pedals (different rebound and lateral movement), supports roughly 17 virtual drum mappings, and is illustrated by acoustic demos from Todd Cowart and Noah VanNorstrand.
Why it matters
Rochus Keller demonstrates a foot-drumming method using MIDI organ pedals (multiple YouTube and audio examples) that yields musically coherent, full parts played with only two feet.
Key details
- Organ pedals feel keyboard-like rather than like kick-drum pedals, require different technique and horizontal movement, and can map to about 17 distinct virtual drums for a much broader palette.
- Post by Jeff Kaufman (created 2026-03-11, last updated 2026-04-04) links additional acoustic examples by Todd Cowart and Noah VanNorstrand and notes the Hacker News discussion that highlighted Keller's approach.