This is the next logical step in learning double bass drum fills. This time around, Dave Atkinson teaches five fun and challenging fills that will put your feet, hands, and overall coordination to the test. Expect a lot of 32nd note based drum fills here.
These free drum lessons on double bass drum fills build off of each other. So even if you’re not a beginner drummer, chances are you’ll still learn a bunch of new patterns with the free drum lesson “Beginner Double Bass Drum Fills“. You can also use that free drum lesson to brush up on your knowledge of hand-to-feet combinations, and to learn about drummers that are sure to inspire you with the double bass drum fills they have come up with.
If you’re still a beginner drummer, we encourage you to check the free drum lesson “Beginner Double Bass Drum Fills” before tackling this one. There, you’ll learn about important concepts and techniques that are essential for you to be able to play the drum fills in this free drum lesson with greater ease.
Exercise #1 is a really fun and intricate broken 32nd note double bass drum fill. It features toms, a flam, and some unison shots between the open hi-hat and the snare drum. You may find the 32nd note double bass single stroke fours on counts 1 and 3 a bit challenging to play at first. You shouldn’t have as many problems with them as a beginner drummer would. Nonetheless, start practicing this pattern slowly just to make sure you learn the stroke sequence properly.
Exercise #2 is basically a 16th note triplet single stroke roll that’s played with the feet, while the hands crash on the cymbals on counts 1, 2 and 3. This double bass drum fill ends with a unison stroke between the open hi-hat and the snare drum on count 4. Make sure you’re lining things up perfectly with the bass drum strokes, if you decide to use your weaker arm to strike the cymbals.
Exercise #3 is a combination of 16th note single stroke fours with the hands and 32nd note single stroke fours with the feet. If you’re having problems with the foot pattern, check the free drum lessons “Double Bass Speed Tips” and “Double Bass Warm-Ups” for exercises, tips and tricks on how to play fast single stroke fours with the feet.
You can use this double bass drum fill as an exercise for developing your ability to play fast single stroke fours with the feet. Just start out slowly and progressively increase the speed of the click as you get comfortable with each tempo mark at what you’re practicing this pattern.
Exercise #4 is a 32nd note double bass drum fill. You’ll want to start practicing this one real slowly to make sure the strokes are all evenly spaced. Learn the hands first by following the 32nd notes on the snare drum with 16th notes on the cymbals. Once you feel you have this under control, play 16th notes on the pedals in unison with 16th notes on the cymbals. After this, double the speed of the single strokes on the feet.
Exercise #5 presents two new challenges in regards to what we’ve seen so far with the remaining double bass drum fills. The first challenge starts with a double stroke played with the weaker hand, which is scattered between the hi-hat and the snare drum on count 3. As Dave strikes the hi-hat on count 3 with his weaker hand, he immediately moves it to the snare drum to be able to play the “e” of that same count. Dave did this to keep his stronger hand leading for the remainder of the drum fill. You can always play the double stroke with your stronger hand on the snare instead. By doing so, you’ll end up leading the rest of the drum fill with the weaker hand. The second challenge is playing 16th note unison figures between hands and feet. You have to be very careful when performing those unison figures to avoid playing flams between limbs.
Once you’ve mastered these intermediate double bass drum fills, check the free drum lesson “Double Bass Drum Beats“. These are challenging drum beats that work great with the double bass drum fills from this free drum lesson. You can also use them to take your double bass drum technique to whole new level.