While your right foot is dedicated to the bass drum pedal, your left foot must remain in control of the hi hat pedal. Pushing this pedal is not as simple as push and release. In fact, the amount of pressure you put on this pedal has a marked effect on the sound that the instrument produces. By simply pressing down, the two cymbals present on every hi-hat vibrate against one another. However, applying even more pressure will close these cymbals and give a much brighter sound than when only some pressure was used.
A common mistake by beginning drummers is to close the hi-hats at the same time that they close the bass drum pedal. This should be avoided as it can make your sound become too uniform. Practice using the opposite feet separately before combining them. After you can use both feet successfully, try adding some snare drum to your patterns. By going in sequence, you can easily begin to construct patterns by adding the hi-hat.
A good technique to use with the hi-hat is the splash. This technique is performed by simply pushing your left foot down on the hi-hat pedal and then quickly removing it. It is important to immediately lift your foot so that the sound is not killed by the cymbals being kept together. This technique is very effective as part of a tom or cymbal pattern. While it can be tempting to use a technique that you have learned all the time, you may want to limit splashes to accentual and shot situations.
One of the final techniques that is important to any drummer's repertoire is the hi-hat step. Just as with the bass drum, this technique simply involves pushing and releasing the pedal in time. A good way to practice this technique is to step with your left foot on every beat using a metronome. This can later be transferred to playing in common time (or four beats per measure) You may then subtract the first and third beat so that the steps only occur on the second and fourth beats. This hi-hat pattern is often used in jazz and rock.