DRUMY

Learn · Feet

Bass drum exercises

Five exercises for the kick foot, easiest first: from kick on the beat to the gallop, between 80 and 100 BPM. The hi-hat keeps the same eighths throughout, and from the second on the snare holds 2 and 4.

1. Kick on the beat

Four kicks a bar under a steady hi-hat: the foot learning to keep time. Heel down or heel up, the same stroke every time.

Tempo
100 BPM
Level
Beginner 1 of 5
Time signature
4/4
Feel
Straight 16ths
Run
29 s · 12 bars
Limbs
One hand and the kick foot
Kick on the beat: one row per drum, one column per sixteenth of a bar of 4/4
Drum1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
Hi-hatxxxxxxxx
Kickxxxx

Each column is a sixteenth. x is a hit.

Play it on your kit

Count: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

Kick on every beat, hi-hat on every eighth. Said aloud: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

2. Kick doubles

Two kicks a sixteenth apart, on 1 and on 3. The second kick is the same weight as the first. Slow it down until it is.

Tempo
88 BPM
Level
Intermediate 3 of 5
Time signature
4/4
Feel
Straight 16ths
Run
22 s · 8 bars
Limbs
Both hands and the kick foot
Kick doubles: one row per drum, one column per sixteenth of a bar of 4/4
Drum1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
Hi-hatxxxxxxxx
SnareXX
Kickxxxx

Each column is a sixteenth. x is a hit, a bold X an accent.

Play it on your kit

Count: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

Kick on 1 e and 3 e, snare on 2 and 4, hi-hat on every eighth. Said aloud: 1 e & 2 & 3 e & 4 &

3. Kick on the ands

Kicks between the beats, where the hi-hat is not helping you. Kick on 1, the and of 2, 3, and the and of 4. Snare stays on 2 and 4.

Tempo
92 BPM
Level
Intermediate 3 of 5
Time signature
4/4
Feel
Straight 16ths
Run
21 s · 8 bars
Limbs
Both hands and the kick foot
Kick on the ands: one row per drum, one column per sixteenth of a bar of 4/4
Drum1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
Hi-hatxxxxxxxx
SnareXX
Kickxxxx

Each column is a sixteenth. x is a hit, a bold X an accent.

Play it on your kit

Count: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

Kick on 1, the & of 2, 3 and the & of 4; snare on 2 and 4; hi-hat on every eighth. Said aloud: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

4. Kick on the e and a

Kicks on the sixteenths either side of the beat, with the hat on the eighths. One-e-and-a: the kick takes the e and the a. Keep the hat even.

Tempo
84 BPM
Level
Advanced 4 of 5
Time signature
4/4
Feel
Straight 16ths
Run
23 s · 8 bars
Limbs
Both hands and the kick foot
Kick on the e and a: one row per drum, one column per sixteenth of a bar of 4/4
Drum1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
Hi-hatxxxxxxxx
SnareXX
Kickxxxxxx

Each column is a sixteenth. x is a hit, a bold X an accent.

Play it on your kit

Count: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

Kick on 6 of the 16 sixteenths, snare on 2 and 4, hi-hat on every eighth. Said aloud: 1 & a 2 e & 3 & a 4 e &

5. The gallop

The kick plays one-and-a on every beat: the gallop under a lot of metal. Hat in eighths, snare on 2 and 4. One pedal or two: either foot plays the same kick line.

Tempo
80 BPM
Level
Advanced 4 of 5
Time signature
4/4
Feel
Straight 16ths
Run
24 s · 8 bars
Limbs
Both hands and the kick foot
Gallop: one row per drum, one column per sixteenth of a bar of 4/4
Drum1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
Hi-hatxxxxxxxx
SnareXX
KickXxxXxxXxxXxx

Each column is a sixteenth. x is a hit, a bold X an accent.

Play it on your kit

Count: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

Kick on every beat and the & and a after it, accented on every beat; snare on 2 and 4; hi-hat on every eighth. Said aloud: 1 & a 2 & a 3 & a 4 & a

What DRUMY judges

Each note is judged on when it lands, within 140 ms, and on which drum, not on how hard: the accents are drawn, not judged. All of what DRUMY judges.

Easy songs near 89 BPM

Easy songs at 88 to 90 BPM, picked for their tempo alone, not for this pattern.

Sunflower by Post MaloneSunflowerPost MaloneBig Log by Robert PlantBig LogRobert PlantLive Forever by OasisLive ForeverOasisThe Last Song by The All-American RejectsThe Last SongThe All-American RejectsWonderwall by OasisWonderwallOasis

All easy drum songs →

Bass drum exercises: questions

Which bass drum exercise should I start with?

Kick on the beat: kick on every beat, hi-hat on every eighth. Four kicks a bar under a steady hi-hat: the foot learning to keep time.

Do I need a double pedal for these?

No: each is one kick part, and one pedal plays it. The kick doubles and the gallop put two kicks a sixteenth apart, which a double pedal can share between the feet. Every kick note is drawn as the same line across the board, so DRUMY judges the kick as rhythm only: it cannot tell which foot played.

How fast are they?

Kick on the beat at 100 BPM, kick doubles at 88 BPM, kick on the ands at 92 BPM, kick on the e and a at 84 BPM and the gallop at 80 BPM.

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