Sick Drummer Magazine

im trying to play double bass for over a minute without messing up too bad(flamming) and its so hard! its not so bad for my muscles, but keeping that speed consistently WITHOUT messing up is way harder than it should be...

i dont think i can even play a slow beat for 60 measures without messing up!


part of it i think has alot to do with me zoning out... i guess i could get used to playing to a metronome, but i dont like knowing how fast im playing... it becomes competitive/mentally intimidating... id rather play fast and find out later

anyways - tell me what you think...

You will never be a solid "fast" double bass player, if you can't master slower tempo playing... Start slow and get faster with practice. It's the only way to build a solid foundation, if you are looking to do this for more than just a hobby....

well this is my first time really attempting to play for a minute...(well that was prolly my 6 or 7th lol) its not hard on my muscles, its just like... playing straight double bass for that long you start to "zone out"...


i can play much faster... but not for a minute... however, id say that regardless of ancient wisdom - there is no real application for it... if there is a song that double basses for a minute straight it cant be a good one...

now if i were allowed fills every once and a while it would be alot easier... but still - i should NEVER have to keep it going that long... id say like... 32 measures max?(assuming im in 4/4)




maybe if i had a song to play to or something it would be easier to keep... but without that i just zone out...(thats why i switched up the beats a little, to keep me on my toes) and granted changing the beat around messed me up a bit, i couldnt play the same beat for a minute, let alone not mess up my double bass in that time





this was mainly for the people who thought i couldnt do cleaner doubles...

1 minute? have you ever watched that Derek Roddy home-made instruction video? he is doing exercises on there for 10 minutes, I highly recommend it. You can probably find it on Youtube. I don't even think he's trying to sell it anymore since its been so bootlegged and its older.
I'd try lowering your spring tension, I know Kollias plays with max tension. But, he's a freak.
IMO there is defiantly a point where max spring tension damages your playing at any other tempo then your fastest.
One of my bands older songs is a slower one and I'm playing constant slower double bass at about 155-160bpm? for the entire song, that's a good workout because I can't screw up, or the song sucks.

Yea im practicing playing to a click starting at 200bpm and playing for 1 minute then rest for 20sec and increase click by 5bpm til i get to 250 bpm,can only just get through 1min 245 and 250 starts getting sloppy after about 20sec!good work out though,i do the same with blasts but i can't get past 225bpm for a whole minute.Igot the idea from a article i read with Trym from Emperor.

vht4me wrote:

I'd try lowering your spring tension, I know Kollias plays with max tension. But, he's a freak.
IMO there is defiantly a point where max spring tension damages your playing at any other tempo then your fastest.


That's what worked for me too. I have the springs on my cobra's set at about 4/5 of their max tension. When they are set at max tension, the springs tend to take over the control of the footboard, making them feel nervous and wobbly.

Also the '1 minute' goal is great for exercise, but it's also really hard to get to higher speeds if you won't allow yourself to raise the tempo if you can't make the full minute at the speed you're currently working on.

I'm having a really hard time pushing over 200 bpm, for example. I can maintain that speed for about 45 sec. When i'm warmed up properly, I set the metronome like 5 or 10 bpm higher just to see if I can reach the speed. NOT for a full minute, but for like 2 or 4 measures. This helpes me get the motion required for those higher speeds. Then when I set set the metronome back to 200, it feels easier and steadier.

Keep in mind that you do want to make full, solid strokes and none of the tapping, that is amplified by triggers alone. I do play with triggers, but i'm making sure the strokes are nice and solid.

What also helps a lot is playing to songs like 'Metal Meltdown' or 'Hellrider' from Judas Priest. Or 'Beneath the Hollow' from the Morbid Angel album 'Heretic'. Both Pete Sandoval and Scott Travis are masters when it comes to laying down endless double bass carpets.

The songs mentioned are not too fast, but will have you play 16th notes at like 180 to 190 bpm for like 3 to 5 minutes. When you play these songs, bite down hard and play through the 'burn' in your legs. However, if it really starts to hurt stop immediatly. But the burning in your muscles is just something you have to get trough, in order to train your legs.

Find out what the highest tempo is you do play solid for like 30 sec. and then lower it with 5 or 10 bpm. Start with that and play that for like 30 sec. working your way up to a minute. Then after a few days, raise the bar with just 5 or 10 bpm. See what workes out for you, but always make sure that you make good, solid strokes and no mistakes!