Double Bass Pedal Fills and Patterns

Once you have started playing the double bass pedal, you will find that there is a lot more you can do with it then simple rolls and beats. The double bass drum has countless uses for every style of music. Some double bass patterns can be used in fills, solos, and beats. The double bass pedal allows you to play incredibly fast rolls around the drum set. This is done by alternating from your sticks to your double bass drum. In this lesson, I will teach you a very common double kick pattern that will have you moving around the kit in no time. This is one of the most common double bass patterns out there, so I am sure you have heard this before. Bear with me here, the concept is not actually that hard to learn!

This main pattern I am talking about is a four stroke pattern. Some people call it playing quads on the drum set. Playing 4 strokes with your sticks is fairly easy; however you can only go so fast with this. It’s like playing a single stroke roll compared to a double stroke roll; the double stroke will be able to roll a lot faster. So, alternating 2 strokes on your sticks and two strokes on your feet will allow you to play faster speeds then you ever have before. This pattern takes a bit of practice to get, however once you are fast enough at it you will be able to play a flam with your bass drum and sticks to create a super fast roll.

It is best to start with your snare drum and bass drum with this pattern to make sure you are playing everything on time. Now, depending on what hand is dominant start with that. Your feet should follow the same pattern as your hands, although I have seen some drummers who are opposite. Try playing two snare hits and two bass hits. Try this slowly at first, and then speed it up later. You can play this pattern with a single bass pedal, but practice with your double bass pedal anyways to get the motions with your feet. This is what it looks like on sheet music:

After you have developed this on the snare drum, you can move this around the drum set to get a different sound. Try this pattern around the toms, there are literally hundreds of different hand feet combinations you can make! Here is a 16th not fill using this pattern:

Another thing to try is instead of starting the pattern on the snare drum, try starting it on your bass drum. This gives you yet another totally different sound! So as you can see, this pattern is a must to learn if you play the double bass drum. If you do not own a pair of double bass pedals, you can play this on a single pedal; it will just be a bit harder to develop. Experiment with this concept in you next drum solo, or challenge yourself by incorporating it into a drum beat! The possibilities are endless!