For the last several months, we have been excerpting chapters from the new and revised edition of the Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming by Bobby Rondinelli. The new and expanded edition of his book includes nine new double bass drumming chapters. This new edition covers contemporary techniques such as bass drum double strokes, feet-only exercises, binary and ternary rhythms, “skiplets”, beat turnarounds, and playing doubles with the hands while playing singles with the feet. These concepts will challenge your playing while expanding your double bass vocabulary. If practiced with intention and diligence, this material will help to prepare you for the demands of today’s music. This material is advanced, but completely attainable for anyone who has completed the previous chapters in the book. Here is how Bobby explains “The Ladder” in his book: A few months ago, I got together with Modern Drummer editor-in-chief Bill Miller to play some of […]

May 2025 Issue