Risers for Foot Percussion

April 5th, 2025
music
The ideal seat height for foot percussion is significantly higher than a typical chair. I've tried a few things over the years:
  • Stacking chairs: works great, until you come to a venue without any stackable chairs.

  • Drum stool: good (unless you buy a very cheap wobbly one like I did) but heavy and not good for flying with.

  • Adjustable booster: ok, though unavoidably bulky and the one I made is also too heavy for flying.

At Hashdance Weekend Kelsey had a set of furniture risers she let me borrow, and I liked them a lot! I decided to get a pair.

They do slide around a bit, though, because they're hard plastic on the bottom:

I decided to put on a layer of silicone for better grip. I roughed them up a bit with 220 grit sandpaper:

And put on a thin layer of old silicone from what I had left in a tube from a bathroom renovation:

It's certainly grippy, but it turns out not very robust. Here's after my first gig with them:

I really like how light and compact they are, and a bit of sliding isn't a complete dealbreaker, but I would still be a lot happier if they'd stay put under me.

I was thinking of maybe using cyanoacrylate to attach a thin layer of rubber, probably from an old inner tube. But I'm worried this might mark the floor. Suggestions for things to try?

Comment via: facebook, lesswrong, mastodon, bluesky, substack

Recent posts on blogs I like:

Shoshannah Tekofsky on how AI agents suck at personality tests, don't express surprise, and lie to themselves

Can you introduce yourself for people who don’t know who you are?

via Thing of Things February 11, 2026

2025-26 New Year review

This is an annual post reviewing the last year and setting intentions for next year. I look over different life areas (work, health, parenting, effectiveness, etc) and analyze my life tracking data. Highlights include a minimal group house, the usefulness…

via Victoria Krakovna January 19, 2026

Why I Don't Think My Braces Were Worth It

A couple weeks ago, I got my braces off. I kind of wish I had never had them, though. When I was younger, two of my teeth were sticking out, and they looked kind of funny. I thought that my teeth were just fine, and I didn't want to get braces. But s…

via Anna Wise's Blog Posts January 3, 2026

more     (via openring)