Double bass drum techniques have increased the repertoire of drummers, both in playing beats and soloing. Here are some ideas which can give a player with a single bass drum setup the opportunity to effect double bass drum sounds. By alternating between the floor tom and bass drum, a drummer can play 16th-note patterns such as these: Now, let’s incorporate these rhythms in beats. The following exercises are to be played with left-hand lead on the hi-hat, and the right hand moving between the floor tom and snare. Make sure that the right hand makes a strong accent on beats 2 and 4. (Left- handed drummers will reverse the hands.) In the following example, the left hand moves between open and closed hi-hat and snare, while the right hand and foot play continuous 16ths. The next two beats are shuffles. In the first, the left hand plays quarter notes on […]

January 1985 Issue