Did you recently treat yourself to a double kick pedal for the first time? Or have you had one on your kit for a while but the slave pedal has been gathering dust? Get your feet flying with these five songs even a beginner can learn!
All of these patterns are relatively straight forward while still sounding cool, and they’re fun to play, even if you’re starting at a slower tempo. And that’s the key: start slow. You’ll be able to improve your control and lock in the muscle memory you’ll need to play faster tempos.
1. “Red Hot” – Motley Crue
238 BPM sounds really fast, but it’s just 8th notes on the kick. If you start slow, you’ll be able to pull it off, no problem. It’s a simple right left on the feet with a basic rock backbeat on your hands.
2. “The Four Horsemen” – Metallica
Imagine taking the famous double bass triplet pattern from “One” and cutting it in half. This gallop-style burst is an 8th note triplet on the kicks, followed by a snare hit.
3. “Down With The Sickness” – Disturbed
This interesting syncopated double kick pattern has a cool offbeat snare drum shot at the end. Try it yourself!
4. “Domination” – Pantera
With big open quarter notes on the hands, the double bass pattern consists of syncopated 16th notes. It’s a four bar phrase with a fun variation in the final bar. Learning this will help you work on endurance and nail those off-beat shots.
5. “Under A Glass Moon” – Dream Theater
Here’s another cool syncopated 16th note rhythm. Your hands aren’t just doing a standard backbeat this time time; it’s got a little more creativity to it.
What do you think of this list? Are there other beginner double bass songs you like to practice?