PDF : www.artofdrumminghq.com/product-page/ultimate-double-bass-drumming-routine-2-0-pdf How to use this routine : You must do every part. Do not be tempted to skip any because they're more difficult. Find your bpm limit. Just try the video at the suggested percentages in the beginning explanation, Then take note of how difficult was it. Did you manage to complete it or you died trying. You want to do this routine at 50-70% comfort, meaning it has to make you sore, it has to make your heart pump. But you can't feel like you ran a marathon at the end of it. That's too much intensity. After you've found the right intensity for you. Keep doing the same intensity 3x a week. Then increase the bpm by 2-4 next week. Do that for 3 months non-stop. The more you train, the more your muscles and nervous system levels up, the more you can train to go even faster. So crank it up to 4-5x a week, or double the volume in a single session. You want to be challenging your body as it moves forward. But again factor in recovery periods. Recovery periods : These are days where your muscles get an opportunity to repair and grow. If you keep training with the same intensity every day, your muscles will not be able to grow. So have days where you either don't do any double bass drumming at all, or lessen the tempos by 20-30bpm. Or work on other stuff that will force you to slow down (new fill or coordination ideas) or even just practice more hand intensive stuff. I like to take 2 days off a week(this is when I work on youtube videos/social media/answer community questions), and train hard the other 5 days. So if it starts to feel like you're at 30-40% comfort, stop increasing the bpm. It's too intense for you. If it starts to feel like you're getting 80-90% comfortable, the workout is becoming easier and your body is adapting fast, so add more bpm. Always take 2 days to rest your legs completely every week. They will overload if you don't rest, and you will plateau. Stretch your legs at the end of your practice, or at the end of the day. I prefer doing that at night when I'm not doing anything intense anymore for the day. After your 3 month cycle, take a break of 2 weeks. This is necessary to avoid your body going into cell exhaustion phase. After the good rest, start another 3 month cycle. For those of you who did my first ultimate double bass drumming routine 1.0 ruclips.net/video/4nBC8inxlh8/видео.html . You can alternate between 2.0 and 1.0. Alternating routines every cycle helps the body adapt better. If you keep doing the same exercises for a really extended period, your body gets better at doing the exact exercises and you'll need to push way more to see growth. Practice + Patience = Progress
In just three days I’ve had an instant gain in the quality and consistency of my feet. I’m gobsmacked, I never expected it. I’ve worked so hard in the wrong ways but this very recent course correction feels velvety. The other thing I did was ‘get intimate’ with my pedal, adjusting the foot boards to my liking and comfort, resetting beater angles, adjusting beater throws, lowering tension and making the beater responses more even. I had never even considered the extra mass the left pedal has to move so I was just lazy and ignored it. No longer. It’s like Formula One, every detail matters, regardless of how simple it may seem.
You nailed it on the head. We're trying to go fast like those F1 drivers, man and machine indeed needs to come together. Oh anyway, the regular double pedal shafts causes a lot of friction, so you might want to invest in an inexpensive shaft upgrade ruclips.net/user/shorts7dacaTqWOhc?si=55DcdIOi1R1fRQzd in that video, I show the mechanical difference before and after. Cheers Bruce, I'm glad you're all fired up. Let's keep this burning for a 3 month cycle and see what happens :D
Thank you so much for this new video. I’ve been struggling with my double bass lately as I have to re-learn it due to bad technique caused by negligence. It’s quite humbling since I used to be able to play at 200bpm but now I can’t even play 100bpm without spasming out of control. Hope this video can help me re-achieve my formal glory
It is difficult to take the step you just took. But a lot of the times it is necessary for us to break ourselves down to properly build back up again. One example of me doing this was when I was fixated with just training my calves, because that's the general wisdom online. I was stuck and frustrated because I could play some tempos well, but others were unstable. Later I realized that I could use my shins and I have very strong ones from practicing many years without understanding it. So I tore down my old self, and started training all my muscle groups, and chanced upon an article that talks about muscle synergy. Muscles working together in a team to produce movement. And here I am today getting all my students to do this. Because full muscle control really helped me lock in my speed and have that absolute control at all tempos slow medium and fast. All the best to you!
Same here. I'm struggling with double b 6 months ago BC I didn't practice enough to maintain shape. Now I feel like I forget everything and I'm just starting from scratch almost. Very very sad and frustrating tbh
This routine made me realize on just how much I need to work on for my doube bass. and be CONSISTENT as well. Something I've lacked for many years now.
Hey I just wanna let you know that this has so far been really helping me not just with drumming, but also full-on mobility issues (I almost lost my ability to walk at all). I had tried so many options for the physical exercise, including ehab/physiotherapy/etc. but even the gentle ones were either too boring or too painful to maintain. But when I came across this maybe a month ago - I mean, as a musician (including a former drummer), it gave me that extra push to keep going - made extra helpful by the fact that I can control my own pace, *and* actually have the satisfaction of improving my drum skills! Sure, my progress is probably slower than most people’s, but *any* progress at all after years of deterioration bad enough to make me drop the instrument entirely… well that’s pretty damn satisfying. So thank you!
That's a wonderful story. Pretty sure it will motivate others in similar circumstances. I'm also surprised it would help someone like you too but I'm so glad it did. And you've definitely got the best attitude and mindset to this. All the best to the journey!!
This is fantastic. I can rip some quads and do some fun double bass chops, but when I isolated the three parts of the leg (leg and ankle, just heel, and just ankle...my just heel is where my weak link was. Been doing it at my desk since watching this and am already improving. Can't wait to get behind my kit later today to take them out for a test drive. Thanks man!
hello i just found this video and im loving these muscle exercises in the first 2 stages. nobody else seems to talk about this but man are these kicking my ass! ive recently joined a metal band and realized ive been neglecting my double bass for about 3 years now. i used to be able to play 200 bpm but now im more stuck at shorter bursts of 150 bpm. my band practices for hours 2 days a week so for now ill be doing this 3 days a week and taking 2 rest days. i hope these exercises can help me play upwards of 200 bpm but i understand that will take time. thank you for the great lesson.
I drummed for over 15 years. I am returning from a 3 year hiatus and a thigh injury and I can't believe how much work I need to put into it after all this time. I can't even double kick with my thighs at 120bpm anymore. Looks like I'm gonna have to dial it back even further. Amazing breakdown. Thank you for reigniting my hope.
@@ArtOfDrummingHQ Your videos have helped so much that 120bpm with my thighs already feels like a piece of cake after just two weeks. My injury has gotten better. Conditioning. Thank you!
This is fucking brilliant, thanks so much for sharing! I've paid for a few double kick courses over the years and have never managed to improve but you're putting at this amazing free content that really helps focus on muscle strength and technique!
I hope to be able to help you improve with this routine. Feel free to ask me any questions or join my discord. Lots of discussions and sharing of double bass there.
Used this video for a while now. Shamefully not as regular as one should, and as I'm often away from my drums so I've mostly just done the floor stuff. But I see a clear difference! It really showed how much I've neglected my shins and how much control I get from them now that they are stronger!
The muscle stuff is where most people's weaknesses are at. I exclusively do them more than I even touch the drumset on some days. That's why you're finding a difference :) I also recommend keeping up all the muscle groups! And thanks for sharing your experience!
The time scaling is pretty on point, im able to play ~190 bpm and I found the 1.25x speed to be a perfect challenge while not burning me out completely.
Wow didn't expect you to still wanna use my routine at 190bpm. I hope you get even faster with these in time, thanks for sharing your experience :) I learn from you too
I'v been double bass drumming for almost 10 years now. All over this time I have experienced difficulties in like "engaging" my left foot into fast patterns. I could play at high speeds for long periods but I struggled when starting those patterns after some bars without kiks. At the begginning I used to think that increasing the speed and putting more pressure in my left foot would solve the problem but over a certain speed that didn't work. During all this past year I've searched for routines to improve my left foot. When I found this one I thought that it would be easy for me since all of it was below 160bpm but nothing short from reality: I realized that I didn't have any control in my left foot so I decided to restart from the very beggining. I put my metronome back in 100bpm and started to relearn all my technique all over again. I found that I didnt have any control in my left hip flexors and I spent several weeks creating that neuromuscular conection from the very beggining. It's been 6 months since I started this routine mixing exercises from routines 1 and 2 and some from my own. I've been doing it 4-5 times a week between 1-2 hours per day focusing in proper activation of my left foot when starting the patterns. I've been increasing my metronome between 3-5 bpms every week when I felt my technique was controled. Here are some things I've learned durint these months: - Warming up is key. There is a big difference between jamming for 10-15 minutes before starting techinque excercises and a proper muscle groups warm up. - A proper ankle technique involving the hip flexors will bring you 2 advanteges: you need less time warming up until you reach your struggling speed tempo and you need less sessions to maintain a maximun speed over time. You can just play 1-2 times per week at maximum speed and that's enough to not going back in your kicks. - Shoes aren't holding you back. I used to play barefoot since I felt my feet where hevier and slower but I've found that my old vans gime be an even platform to attack the kick in a more symetrical way. And it also heps you when you're not playing your own kit. Since I started drumming I can say this period has been the most productive one in my feet technique. Right now, more than 80bpm over where I started in March, I can feel my left foot is almost as good as the right one and my drumming has improved way more than expected. For the first time ever I'm playing things that where imposible a year ago, I don't know how far I can push with this technique but the journey is being incredible. Maybe I'll post back in another 6 months Thank you and keep it up!
Thanks for sharing your experience and struggles! I was also in the same spot with my left foot not being able to engage properly, especially after resting a few bars. Which is why I built this routine in the first place. I've got way more experience with students struggling with double bass over the past 2 years, and I'm on the verge of making a more advanced routine. But more testing first. Thank you again! Glad you're finding joy in this journey! It can be very frustrating
I really like your approach. I am re-drumming at 70 after a 50 year pause and I realized the biggest mistake I ever made (drumming wise) was that I never consistently practiced routines. Sounds ridiculous now. I am determined to play a decent double before I can’t 😮 and just using your 5 min ea foot then 5 min both showed immediate improvement the next day! I mean seriously. Thanks for making your vids and please keep up the good work.
Oh my goodness, Bruce you're inspirational. Shared your comment on my social media. So many people are afraid to restarting after such a long break and they're not even 70 years old yet. I wanna help you, so can I give you some advice about double bass? All my experience, teaching and research have convinced me that it really does get harder as we get older. It's like how a 17 year old can hit 160bpm with just a year of correct training. And I only got really good at double bass in the past 3 years, from training better. prior to that I played drums for 16 years so I already had a couple of steps built. This is not meant to discourage you, I think we can get you decent and playing some cool songs with double bass. Because I didn't understand the proper training years ago. But now I do. So I'm pretty sure with a proper consistency for your body, fine tuning your technique and getting the ideal pedal settings. You can do this to your liking too 💪. From what you said, I gathered that you're in this for the rest of the journey no matter what happens. So Let's go!!!
@@ArtOfDrummingHQ Thanks for your reply! I think I have set realistic goals in my mind and understand that a 70 yo is not going to develop the skills and speed of a younger man (or woman). At the end of the day I just want to play my best and I don’t want to diminish the experience chasing a few bpm’s at the end of the rainbow. A big part of the journey for me is experiencing those subtle moments when you know you’ve made real progress at something, if only very slightly. It is a new accomplishment in your drumming skills. Leg strength and consistency were never my approach to the bass drum; I never understood it. I can play tunes and enjoy it very much however there are always those tentative moments where you ‘just hope’ you can get through certain parts. Those are the moments I want to put behind me. Say… are you going to put together a hand speed exercise vid?
I have older hand routine videos but I intend to make an updated super one. Currently I need a break from making content for 2023 so it will be out first month of 2024! If you're interested in trying my older hand workouts, they're here ruclips.net/p/PLqB3qW_j0ovJddH4LVCQsk8v304ZMoOX5 Keep being amazing Bruce💯👍
I’ve been struggling with learning faster singles for about seven years. I’d do long practice sessions regularly, just trying to squeeze out 170 bpm and have my ankles learn how to do it. But with almost no gains, all that time. Finally starting to break through after applying some of your mini lessons, like the workouts to do on a bare floor.So thanks friend!
Can you tell me what pedals you use and the spring settings and beater angle, could be something there you can try to help the pedals work for you instead of against you too
I bought my first drumkit in August. Because of previous mistakes in learning musical instruments, this time I decided to focus almost uniquely on technique and be patient. I'm learning only one song, the rest of the time it's technique technique technique and try to get it right. Following your double bass routines, I managed to get decent 16th at 130bpm and now trying to push 140bpm!
Just remember, instant improvement is not what you gonna get, progression is what you seek. Dedication and practice will give you that! Enjoy your journey! Cheers!
Wow this video is the real deal!!! 100% and I was skeptic before I watched the first one (which also helped me improve). But this 2.0 version helped me go to the next level in everything (consistency in both sound and feeling, stamina for my bottom parts that are used (thighs, calf’s, ankle, etc..) and best of all…Other people noticed the difference! I’m not embarrassed to let go and groove. Check out this video, it’s only 10 min a day which can be worked into a 30 min practice session so there are no excuses!!!!
I'm so happy it helped. You must have put in super consistent effort 😉👍💯 thank you for being so kind and sharing your experience here. All the best to your drumming journey!
@@ArtOfDrummingHQ ohh it’d be great to have like an elementary or introductory routine to double bass. Starting from 90 - 130 bpm. To develop speed and control.
I start my journey here, never played double bass before. My first goal is a part in a song of my band with double basse (low bpm almost doable with single) and polyrythme cymbals. I need to be ready for the next gig. So far I manage to do the whole video at 50%.
Hey just want to say how great I think your videos are. I have been playing a long time (10 years now) and I am still weak on double bass. My main problem is that I literally lose balance when I play double bass. I notice you have a perfect center of gravity around your throne where you play double bass with your legs and your torso from the hips up doesn't even move. I just cannot seem to get a setup that allows me to do this. Would you be open to making a video showcasing how to set up your kit (throne, pedals, snare, hat-stand) to where you can acheive good balance? That would immensely help me out and hopefully others as well. Thank you sir.
@ArtofDrummingHQ Brother, thank you very much, I've been stuck on the double pedal for a long time because the routine I had in mind doesn't take me further, I've been looking for samples of a video like this and I finally found you! what you are doing is practically a double pedal course but free. Thank you very much, one day later I will send you a message thanking you and telling you about my results!
More important than this routine is your own practice approach, check out my latest short about it, it's called "if you are still STUCK - Double Bass Drumming" has a very important point about practice. Hope it helps, any questions feel free to ask!
Thank you very much your video really helped me out, especially your ss roll to develop each hand ,Im a beginner to drumimg i play along everyday I can see very Huge improvement on my left hand( my weak) , am also a hardcore gamer so Your video made me want to beat every stage 100% as possible :)
Thanks for sharing the success you've had with my videos. and thank you so much for using them ! I hope you 100% clear them all. It would be a great honour.
Week 1 done with 0.5x speed here on youtube - pretty doable, maybe even to slow so the slower tempo was the "issue" now I started week 2 on 0.6x speed and feels much better. I will update it every monday.
Week 2 done with 0.6x speed here on youtube - that's my sweet spot, everything was perfect. Now I started week 3 on 0.7x speed and first problems arrived. So the main problem is stage 3, or burst exercises, I lose control, I seem to tend to speed it up, and have cramps fast. Single legs were fine and again problem on last exercise, I can do it for some time but not with hands, hands throw me off. Any tips or advice for this week? that says that my limit is around 100bpm still, from which tempo you should switch to ankle technique usually?
week 3 done with 0.7x speed I struggled on the first day, on the second it was easier and on a third it was almost perfect, only challenging exercise was last one. Today I started week 4 with 0.75x speed and feel similar to first day last week but this time even the single leg exercises are challenging. Last one also, I have trouble with "staying on the bike" seems like I could fall down after 1 bar so longer ones are tough.
hi just wanted to say thanks for making this video, I am a returning drummer after 15 years and just now picking up double bass, long way to go but I like the way I can start at 50%. keep the videos coming :) P.S ankles and calves is hard :O
The goal I've set is to be able to play 'Silent Jealousy' by X Japan. Right now, I'm at the point where I lose my balance at 130 bpm if the blasts last longer than 4 bars. I'm also having a hard time choosing the right technique for me at this tempo (full leg or ankle technique). I've learned a lot from your channel, it has significantly improved my drumming this year. I'm going to follow this routine because I find it dynamic and very fun to play. I love changing things in what I practice, it helps me avoid feeling stuck in my drumming journey. Thank you so much for the knowledge you provide to us.!!
I love X Japan and I love that song!!! It's 185bpm if I remember correctly. You know I used to think it's either full leg or ankle, but my whole philosophy has changed to using your body in synergy. And that's what I failed to realize many years ago. Our body tries to recruit multiple muscles as a team when we do any movement. Especially one such as playing double bass, we not only use our calves and shins for faster movements, but the hamstrings also need to work to stabilize the legs otherwise they will slide forward unintentionally, the core and hips need to help maintain our balance even at higher speeds. The body will automatically try to adjust for optimal movement, for example when we play slow the body tries to switch more to bigger muscle groups and everything else becomes the supporting cast of the team. At medium tempos a synergy between ankle and thigh must be present for comfortable control. And at high speeds it switches more and more into smaller muscles groups with the big muscles helping stability. That's why my personal training, my students' training, and this workout incorporates the 3 motions to help you realize which muscle groups are lacking and help you to balance all of them out. It's also likely you spasm at certain tempos because your body is unable to recruit the muscle types necessary to make that speed happen and it fails. Either your hips and hamstrings can't keep your balance, or your small muscles are too weak to push the pedal and everything fails. So give this a good shot. Like a 3month, 3x a week program and increase your intensity every week (I recommend this in the pinned comment) and let me know how it goes at the end of this cycle :)
I like the way you explain how our bodies try to work instead of telling us to just use one technique for each tempo. Just one question. Can I add the snare on beats 1, 2, 3, and 4, or on the "e" beats like in trash metal grooves? Or is it better to stick with the placement of the snare you are showing in the video? Thank you so much for your time. I'll try to come back in 3 months or even sooner to let you know how it's working for m :DD @@ArtOfDrummingHQ
@@Ivi1812feel free to do whatever you want with your hands! They're just a placeholder for basic groove coordination. If you already got that down, definitely go for other hand patterns! All the best to the burn !!
I will make an awesome one in 2024. For now I need a good break for the rest of the year to make sure I don't overwork myself. But I already have 3 hand speed workouts. The first one is here ruclips.net/video/U1CGcOtfUqM/видео.htmlsi=XnduQQ_a0OfKZ8mC
Haha prioritize this one. It's better, then alternate with the other one every 1-3 months. Alternating workouts makes sure your body doesn't stop wanting to adapt. If it gets too used to a workout, it will adapt less and grow less as a result. Cheers!
I have not tried this method (which seems great by the way) but I will soon. in the meantime I am struggling to maintain (the endurance part) for songs with continuous double bass such as this: ruclips.net/video/sRXbEt0otHg/видео.html or this: ruclips.net/video/ERAnDKcTl70/видео.html I can easily play that comfortably, the problem is after 2 min I am running out of gas (my legs that is) I can play this: ruclips.net/video/e1m_EqaKIFI/видео.html Barely but much shorter time The goal is to have the endurance to play this not so ridiculously fast but very long song: ruclips.net/video/6bqwNo5f4qg/видео.html
Oh they're just ahead switch kick beaters. I got them purely cos of their look hahaha. I didn't consider the weight differences etc but they must be quite minor.
Firstly, this might be the single best double bass approach to practice i;'ve ever seen. so excited. I was wondering how much money did you spend to have the A2E setup? Curious mostly about triggers, skins, & rim triggger. I have a ATV e kit have been thinking of buying cheap shells and converting. Love your stuff this genuinely blown away.
Ah this is just a Gewa G5 drumset which will cost $5000. I got it for free though as part of a sponsorship deal. And to be perfectly honest there are better options from other brands.
You can experiment with them on the pedals though the calves would be harder depending on your pedal settings and experience. So floor is best till you get further along in your journey
I talk about it a bit here ruclips.net/user/shortsOYcnJWhlguk?si=7iYnqNDJtwSmL9n1 and here ruclips.net/user/shortsAbr1OzI_Ovk?si=xqi5SYmLDpVbrbJV To summarize, you gotta find your balance between ( beater momentum speed + foot position + support weight of your leg + how strong are your leg muscles right now ), and what pedal you use. I use max tension on my dw5000 and 50% tension on the pearl demon drive. Don't recommend max tension unless you've already got well developed muscles, best to start at medium and tinker with the tips from above 2 short videos I linked. Cheers!
Great approach, I never realized how weak my calf and shin muscles are for this kind of activity. I always thought ‘well if you build them up they’ll be bulky and slow’ but clearly that is not the case. The appropriate muscles must be strengthened to push that pedal around with authority, and absolute consistency.
yes totally. You don't want the pedal's spring and natural rebound momentum to help you. It's all raw muscle strength that we need to build. Hence on the floor. After that, you get on the pedal with your trained muscles and then learn to sync up with the springs and rebound. raw muscle power + pedal technique = great speed and control. It takes time though. Make sure you read the pinned comment thoroughly to be able to use this routine most effectively.
What are your thoughts on the swivel side to side technique? It appeals in that it is not so intense on the same muscles (=less injury?), but at a certain point does that extra movement actually slow you down at some point somehow? ( and/ or cause just different RSI injuries? Lol)
I like it, lots of pros I know including a friend of mine uses it to play faster than me. Haha I don't have a particular desire to play above my levels right now so I never experimented with it. But for sure it's a solid metal technique that works well 240bpm +++
I just bought a double pedal and started doing these exercises, they are awesome, exactly what I wanted. Went from 100 to 120 BPM in 4 days. But I have a couple of questions. Should I sit so that my legs can rise freely without falling out of the chair? Wouldn't it be better to swap stages 3 and 4 so that the legs can be warmed up before main exercises? How much time should you devote to exercise? I do all stages except 1 for 5 minutes and then increase the BPM by 1-5 depending on whether it is difficult for me or not and repeat the stages again. If I understand that it turns out sloppy, then I repeat it in the same BPM the next day. Is this the right approach?
Definitely sit so you are well balanced and don't lean to any side. The warmup is first 2 stages. Alternating is how you would play most songs so we start with that. But feel free to change around the exercises from cycle to cycle. Not letting the body adapt too quickly to your workout is key for more growth. Totally can clean up the sound before proceeding but don't wait too long. Once your body adapts it plateaus especially in the middle cycle of the stage. Instead I ask my students to add 1-2 bpm every week regardless of how satisfied with their sound they are. You can practice as much as your current physique, threshold and genes. Some people get injured faster, some don't. Those limits are for you to test every 3 month cycle. If 5mins per exercise works well for you keep going for it. If plateaus start happening, tweak the minutes for next cycle etc.
Do you use 'heel-down' for fast double bass drumming? Seems like you're using heel down, with the balls of your feet slightly farther back on the footboard at the 'sweet spot.' I'm aware that you max out your spring tension, also. I noticed that I can do double bass drumming very fast on the floor without a pedal using a simple heel-down technique.. But whenever I incorporate an actual pedal, they seem to add too much resistance/weight for me to drum the same way I do on the floor without pedals. Is this normal? Any advice?
I'm doing heel up. My heels often come up off the pedal, watch closely when you slow the video down. Heel down means the heels never leave the pedal. I just only lift no more than necessary because it's more efficient. You shouldn't max out your tension if you have that problem. Start at medium(halfway spring) and work on that for a month first. Then each and every month adjust it by 2 full turns with your fingers. It's the same as gradually adding resistance to weight training and not trying to lift maximum(it will be impossible or lead to injury) Also find a comfortable spot to place your foot. I like it further back because I don't have to move my feet a lot for each activation. bUT the further back u r on the pedal, the more muscle effort you need for the initial stroke. So you can try 3/4 way up the pedal and do that for a month first. Also important to not constantly change what you try and stick to it for a month at least before changing things slightly
A few questions: how often should you practice this routine? And what if you can play the first 4 stages at 0.75 but the final stage is too fast? Is it ok to slow it down?
Read my pinned comment! Also if you can't do the last exercises it's likely because you've been doing the first few stages too quickly. Lower the whole program down to 0.7x also you could just try the last stage slower too.
@@ArtOfDrummingHQ Thanks! I feel like the problem is less with taking longer breaks and more with not being able to play a certain speed for a bit longer. Like I can play 4 consecutive beats at a certain speed, but not 16 at that same speed.
This is awesome! I have been using your Routine 1.0 and have already improved from 130 BPM to 145 BPM at the moment. I needed exactly this new routine! I want to be able to play the intro of Painkiller (Judas Priest) or Laid to Rest (Lamb of God) which have fast Quad-Double-Kick bursts. Do you think it is a good idea to combine both routines? Or would that be too long?
If your body is able to take the intensity without falling apart, combine the exercises. Though I advice alternating between them. You can swap them every cycle (3 months). Swapping them too quick will make it hard for your body to adapt and for the muscle groups(floor exercises) to not get enough practice. Swapping them every 3 months helps your body not get too used to the same exercises which is great for long term growth
Friend, I have a question, is the practice so short? I feel like it's too little time (no offense), or would I be overpracticing if I did the practice again on the same day? But if the practice is just that, I'll do my best to keep improving, thanks for the help :) . PS: Do you take breaks? yes yes how long do they last? For three months I was doing a routine that lasted 3-4 hours a day, and I got stuck at 100bps. I think this is over practicing, although I feel that 10 minutes is not enough, because of the big difference there is. So thank you very much for this routine friend, I will do it trying my best. I would like you to give me your opinion
Try to factor in everything else you do with your legs for the rest of the day. For example if you gym, do sports like running cycling swimming etc, do you teach or work on the drums, all other stuff you practice on the drums. All these take into account how much your legs work in total everyday. So 10 minutes is a good starting point for most people's lifestyles. And we're not talking just 10 minutes a day. 10 minutes consistently over 6 months with 1-2 rest days per week. And it depends from person to person. Some of my students I push them to do 2-3x more than this because I see that they can take it and their bodies perform well. Others after just 2 weeks of this run into roadblocks and get very sore in their leg muscles, and I have to tone it down for them. SO you gotta test drive this for 2 weeks and see how you respond to it, and tweak. And keep tweaking until you see a good flow. When I first practiced, I went the same as you. Many hours. I did a 30minute non stop double bass stamina run included in the routine. But I got stuck at 150bpm for 2 years. And then I gave up. I came back and I toned it down to 30 minutes a day. Then I realized I was improving, then I got stuck again, and I toned it down to just 15 minutes a day, and now I do 10minutes a day. It's also the most important to be doing the correct exercises and working on the correct muscle groups than to waste your time practicing wrong exercises for so long. (which is probably what most people are doing wrong) My routine ensures that you always target the 3 muscle groups in your legs in the beginning of the workout, then applying them differently and balancing out both legs in the remaining exercises.
thank you so much!!!!!!! I really needed to know. I tried doing it 3 times (3 days before asking you) in one day, and I see that my body receives it well, my muscles don't feel excessively tired. and I have noticed a significant improvement in my left foot control and control when playing with both feet. Really, thank you so much:). How much rest would you recommend to do it again the same day? PS: Thank you very much for the help :) And how would it be better to work on it? For example, I repeat the first exercises 3 times before going to the next one and that's it with all of them? Or do I do the routine as usual and then repeat it again? which would be better? :)
If you heel toe allows you to play anything you want, then it's fine isn't it 👍 If you go through just the first 2 stages of the routine you'll understand one of the principles of my technique. Muscle synergy.
Hey man thanks for this video just wondering lately I’m noticed my left foot which is my week foot can play high tempos with hood conistancy but my main foot carnt and just speed up or is to slow do u have a solution to this issue :)
You can start by testing out the muscle groups. See how fast each foot can play for 1 min non stop using upper/lower leg as per the exercises in the video(but feet separately). Then note the differences and close the gap between them. 2nd check how much weight is needed to move either pedal. Can get a 5kg dumbbell and put it on both pedals at the same spot and see where the beaters go to. On double pedals the shaft complicates the force needed. And also how smooth the swings go. Try to adjust the spring tension first to get the same weighted effort required for both pedals. It's very hard to get them the same feel though. You know when you try to play both the pedals with your stronger foot. Even it can feel the difference. So get that as close as possible (gear is a factor)
Do you have any good exercises to isolate the calves. I can play 220 bpm singles but when I use the double pedal everytime I hit the 180bpm mark my calves flex or tense up and I lock up and can't play that bpm. I go back immediately to quick singles and I'm fine, but switch to double pedal again and same thing happens my calves tense up and I can't go any further.
Your problem is a coordination issue between two legs. Your calf and shin works fine separately on a single pedal. But the combination of both upsets your coordination and perhaps other things like balance and core muscles. When you have both legs playing simultaneously, it puts more strain on the entire body, muscle wise and coordination wise. I had the same problem when I switched from single pedal to double pedal. It works out once I make sure I prioritise both feet together every time I practice and doing less of single leg stuff.
I have a little problem, for example, in the part of Alternate ankles/shin, my left foot tends to do the exercises faster but in a low tempo, it's difficult to control it at slow tempos, how can I fix this problem?
Try going a lot slower then. It's very normal to have weak shin muscles. My students hate this exercise the most because it burns and is very hard to control. but it gets results once you keep to it. Sometimes they go as slow as 50bpm in the beginning stages
Yes try this one. Read my full pinned comment. There's a part that says that when you repeat the same workout for an extended duration of time, usually beyond 3 months. Your body becomes very adapted to it and won't grow as much, unless you increase your intensity a lot. One easy way to make sure the body still tries to adapt is to change the workout, and do this in cycles. So I would do this routine for 3 months, then switch to the other one for 3 months. Etc until I reach my target. You could even try 1 month switches. Hope that helps!
How hard is it to learn double pedals. I'm a beginner drummer with only about 20 hours of practice. I'm wondering if I should start trying to get familiar with double pedals or first learn how to actually play drums first lol.
Double bass is actual drums. If you want this skill by all means start with this. The songs you wanna play should factor in too. I wish I started with double bass too so that my weak leg wouldn't be so prominent haha. Craft your own path based on where you wanna go 😉
PDF : www.artofdrumminghq.com/product-page/ultimate-double-bass-drumming-routine-2-0-pdf
How to use this routine :
You must do every part. Do not be tempted to skip any because they're more difficult.
Find your bpm limit. Just try the video at the suggested percentages in the beginning explanation,
Then take note of how difficult was it. Did you manage to complete it or you died trying.
You want to do this routine at 50-70% comfort, meaning it has to make you sore, it has to make your heart pump. But you can't feel like you ran a marathon at the end of it. That's too much intensity.
After you've found the right intensity for you. Keep doing the same intensity 3x a week. Then increase the bpm by 2-4 next week. Do that for 3 months non-stop.
The more you train, the more your muscles and nervous system levels up, the more you can train to go even faster. So crank it up to 4-5x a week, or double the volume in a single session. You want to be challenging your body as it moves forward. But again factor in recovery periods.
Recovery periods : These are days where your muscles get an opportunity to repair and grow. If you keep training with the same intensity every day, your muscles will not be able to grow. So have days where you either don't do any double bass drumming at all, or lessen the tempos by 20-30bpm. Or work on other stuff that will force you to slow down (new fill or coordination ideas) or even just practice more hand intensive stuff.
I like to take 2 days off a week(this is when I work on youtube videos/social media/answer community questions), and train hard the other 5 days.
So if it starts to feel like you're at 30-40% comfort, stop increasing the bpm. It's too intense for you.
If it starts to feel like you're getting 80-90% comfortable, the workout is becoming easier and your body is adapting fast, so add more bpm.
Always take 2 days to rest your legs completely every week. They will overload if you don't rest, and you will plateau.
Stretch your legs at the end of your practice, or at the end of the day. I prefer doing that at night when I'm not doing anything intense anymore for the day.
After your 3 month cycle, take a break of 2 weeks. This is necessary to avoid your body going into cell exhaustion phase.
After the good rest, start another 3 month cycle.
For those of you who did my first ultimate double bass drumming routine 1.0 ruclips.net/video/4nBC8inxlh8/видео.html . You can alternate between 2.0 and 1.0.
Alternating routines every cycle helps the body adapt better. If you keep doing the same exercises for a really extended period, your body gets better at doing the exact exercises and you'll need to push way more to see growth.
Practice + Patience = Progress
In just three days I’ve had an instant gain in the quality and consistency of my feet. I’m gobsmacked, I never expected it. I’ve worked so hard in the wrong ways but this very recent course correction feels velvety. The other thing I did was ‘get intimate’ with my pedal, adjusting the foot boards to my liking and comfort, resetting beater angles, adjusting beater throws, lowering tension and making the beater responses more even. I had never even considered the extra mass the left pedal has to move so I was just lazy and ignored it. No longer. It’s like Formula One, every detail matters, regardless of how simple it may seem.
You nailed it on the head. We're trying to go fast like those F1 drivers, man and machine indeed needs to come together.
Oh anyway, the regular double pedal shafts causes a lot of friction, so you might want to invest in an inexpensive shaft upgrade ruclips.net/user/shorts7dacaTqWOhc?si=55DcdIOi1R1fRQzd in that video, I show the mechanical difference before and after.
Cheers Bruce, I'm glad you're all fired up. Let's keep this burning for a 3 month cycle and see what happens :D
Thank you so much for this new video. I’ve been struggling with my double bass lately as I have to re-learn it due to bad technique caused by negligence. It’s quite humbling since I used to be able to play at 200bpm but now I can’t even play 100bpm without spasming out of control. Hope this video can help me re-achieve my formal glory
It is difficult to take the step you just took. But a lot of the times it is necessary for us to break ourselves down to properly build back up again. One example of me doing this was when I was fixated with just training my calves, because that's the general wisdom online. I was stuck and frustrated because I could play some tempos well, but others were unstable.
Later I realized that I could use my shins and I have very strong ones from practicing many years without understanding it. So I tore down my old self, and started training all my muscle groups, and chanced upon an article that talks about muscle synergy. Muscles working together in a team to produce movement.
And here I am today getting all my students to do this. Because full muscle control really helped me lock in my speed and have that absolute control at all tempos slow medium and fast. All the best to you!
Same here. I'm struggling with double b 6 months ago BC I didn't practice enough to maintain shape. Now I feel like I forget everything and I'm just starting from scratch almost. Very very sad and frustrating tbh
Literally the most disheartening thing, I'm going through it too. Now I'm not even sure I sit at my set correctly, it's actually making me insane
Right there with you! But this training technique has helped me soooo much! @Shinryakugun
THE MUSCLE WARM UP! Everyone forgets how important that is!
Right, good warmup especially for lower leg muscles can turn your worst practice session into the best practice you ever had
This routine made me realize on just how much I need to work on for my doube bass. and be CONSISTENT as well. Something I've lacked for many years now.
Happy to help! All the best to your double bass journey!!
Hey I just wanna let you know that this has so far been really helping me not just with drumming, but also full-on mobility issues (I almost lost my ability to walk at all). I had tried so many options for the physical exercise, including ehab/physiotherapy/etc. but even the gentle ones were either too boring or too painful to maintain.
But when I came across this maybe a month ago - I mean, as a musician (including a former drummer), it gave me that extra push to keep going - made extra helpful by the fact that I can control my own pace, *and* actually have the satisfaction of improving my drum skills! Sure, my progress is probably slower than most people’s, but *any* progress at all after years of deterioration bad enough to make me drop the instrument entirely… well that’s pretty damn satisfying. So thank you!
That's a wonderful story. Pretty sure it will motivate others in similar circumstances. I'm also surprised it would help someone like you too but I'm so glad it did. And you've definitely got the best attitude and mindset to this. All the best to the journey!!
Just wanted to chime in and say thank you from a beginner to double bass! Slowly improving, gone from 50% to 70% speed in a couple of weeks
Bro has the loudest vans in the world.
Hahaha I like'em
Lol😂
All drummers should have a vans😊
This routine is much better than the first one.
Easy to get into, well explained and not overly taxing if you do it daily.
Thank you
Hope it helps you!!! Thanks for sharing your feedback
The muscle warmup is a KILLER dude, but I can feel it working!
This channel has the best double bass videos on RUclips. Thanks!
Hey you're super kind!! Appreciate the mega support!
This is absolutely good ive been doing this 5 months and it improved my double bass skill , thank you for the video!
Glad to know it's been useful and you've put in the work for 5 months!!! Many give up after 1-2 months. Way to go!!
You know, i think i ever talk to you in instagram!
When you tell me too use shoes!
Thanks!
Thank you!!
This is fantastic. I can rip some quads and do some fun double bass chops, but when I isolated the three parts of the leg (leg and ankle, just heel, and just ankle...my just heel is where my weak link was. Been doing it at my desk since watching this and am already improving. Can't wait to get behind my kit later today to take them out for a test drive. Thanks man!
Thank you so much! Your vids help me a lot and encourage me:) greetings from germany
hello i just found this video and im loving these muscle exercises in the first 2 stages. nobody else seems to talk about this but man are these kicking my ass! ive recently joined a metal band and realized ive been neglecting my double bass for about 3 years now. i used to be able to play 200 bpm but now im more stuck at shorter bursts of 150 bpm. my band practices for hours 2 days a week so for now ill be doing this 3 days a week and taking 2 rest days. i hope these exercises can help me play upwards of 200 bpm but i understand that will take time. thank you for the great lesson.
I drummed for over 15 years. I am returning from a 3 year hiatus and a thigh injury and I can't believe how much work I need to put into it after all this time. I can't even double kick with my thighs at 120bpm anymore. Looks like I'm gonna have to dial it back even further.
Amazing breakdown. Thank you for reigniting my hope.
That must be one of the toughest things to do. But you got back here man. Welcome back to the drums!!!! You need any help, feel free to ask away!
@@ArtOfDrummingHQ Your videos have helped so much that 120bpm with my thighs already feels like a piece of cake after just two weeks. My injury has gotten better. Conditioning. Thank you!
This is fucking brilliant, thanks so much for sharing! I've paid for a few double kick courses over the years and have never managed to improve but you're putting at this amazing free content that really helps focus on muscle strength and technique!
I hope to be able to help you improve with this routine. Feel free to ask me any questions or join my discord. Lots of discussions and sharing of double bass there.
Love the layout of this video thanks
Seriously thank you for sharing this video free of charge! You're the best :D
You are so welcome! I just sincerely hope it helps.
Used this video for a while now. Shamefully not as regular as one should, and as I'm often away from my drums so I've mostly just done the floor stuff. But I see a clear difference! It really showed how much I've neglected my shins and how much control I get from them now that they are stronger!
The muscle stuff is where most people's weaknesses are at. I exclusively do them more than I even touch the drumset on some days. That's why you're finding a difference :) I also recommend keeping up all the muscle groups! And thanks for sharing your experience!
The time scaling is pretty on point, im able to play ~190 bpm and I found the 1.25x speed to be a perfect challenge while not burning me out completely.
Wow didn't expect you to still wanna use my routine at 190bpm. I hope you get even faster with these in time, thanks for sharing your experience :) I learn from you too
@@ArtOfDrummingHQ If it got me this far then it works like a charm! 🤘🙏
Been doing the alternating ankle/shin stuff for years at school. It was weird how easy those felt compared to everything else.
I'v been double bass drumming for almost 10 years now.
All over this time I have experienced difficulties in like "engaging" my left foot into fast patterns. I could play at high speeds for long periods but I struggled when starting those patterns after some bars without kiks. At the begginning I used to think that increasing the speed and putting more pressure in my left foot would solve the problem but over a certain speed that didn't work.
During all this past year I've searched for routines to improve my left foot. When I found this one I thought that it would be easy for me since all of it was below 160bpm but nothing short from reality: I realized that I didn't have any control in my left foot so I decided to restart from the very beggining.
I put my metronome back in 100bpm and started to relearn all my technique all over again. I found that I didnt have any control in my left hip flexors and I spent several weeks creating that neuromuscular conection from the very beggining.
It's been 6 months since I started this routine mixing exercises from routines 1 and 2 and some from my own. I've been doing it 4-5 times a week between 1-2 hours per day focusing in proper activation of my left foot when starting the patterns. I've been increasing my metronome between 3-5 bpms every week when I felt my technique was controled.
Here are some things I've learned durint these months:
- Warming up is key. There is a big difference between jamming for 10-15 minutes before starting techinque excercises and a proper muscle groups warm up.
- A proper ankle technique involving the hip flexors will bring you 2 advanteges: you need less time warming up until you reach your struggling speed tempo and you need less sessions to maintain a maximun speed over time. You can just play 1-2 times per week at maximum speed and that's enough to not going back in your kicks.
- Shoes aren't holding you back. I used to play barefoot since I felt my feet where hevier and slower but I've found that my old vans gime be an even platform to attack the kick in a more symetrical way. And it also heps you when you're not playing your own kit.
Since I started drumming I can say this period has been the most productive one in my feet technique. Right now, more than 80bpm over where I started in March, I can feel my left foot is almost as good as the right one and my drumming has improved way more than expected. For the first time ever I'm playing things that where imposible a year ago,
I don't know how far I can push with this technique but the journey is being incredible.
Maybe I'll post back in another 6 months
Thank you and keep it up!
Thanks for sharing your experience and struggles! I was also in the same spot with my left foot not being able to engage properly, especially after resting a few bars. Which is why I built this routine in the first place. I've got way more experience with students struggling with double bass over the past 2 years, and I'm on the verge of making a more advanced routine. But more testing first. Thank you again! Glad you're finding joy in this journey! It can be very frustrating
@@ArtOfDrummingHQ Hoping to hear from you soon so. In the meantime keep pushing!
I really like your approach. I am re-drumming at 70 after a 50 year pause and I realized the biggest mistake I ever made (drumming wise) was that I never consistently practiced routines. Sounds ridiculous now. I am determined to play a decent double before I can’t 😮 and just using your 5 min ea foot then 5 min both showed immediate improvement the next day! I mean seriously. Thanks for making your vids and please keep up the good work.
Oh my goodness, Bruce you're inspirational. Shared your comment on my social media. So many people are afraid to restarting after such a long break and they're not even 70 years old yet.
I wanna help you, so can I give you some advice about double bass? All my experience, teaching and research have convinced me that it really does get harder as we get older.
It's like how a 17 year old can hit 160bpm with just a year of correct training.
And I only got really good at double bass in the past 3 years, from training better. prior to that I played drums for 16 years so I already had a couple of steps built.
This is not meant to discourage you, I think we can get you decent and playing some cool songs with double bass. Because I didn't understand the proper training years ago.
But now I do. So I'm pretty sure with a proper consistency for your body, fine tuning your technique and getting the ideal pedal settings. You can do this to your liking too 💪.
From what you said, I gathered that you're in this for the rest of the journey no matter what happens. So Let's go!!!
@@ArtOfDrummingHQ Thanks for your reply! I think I have set realistic goals in my mind and understand that a 70 yo is not going to develop the skills and speed of a younger man (or woman). At the end of the day I just want to play my best and I don’t want to diminish the experience chasing a few bpm’s at the end of the rainbow. A big part of the journey for me is experiencing those subtle moments when you know you’ve made real progress at something, if only very slightly. It is a new accomplishment in your drumming skills. Leg strength and consistency were never my approach to the bass drum; I never understood it. I can play tunes and enjoy it very much however there are always those tentative moments where you ‘just hope’ you can get through certain parts. Those are the moments I want to put behind me. Say… are you going to put together a hand speed exercise vid?
I have older hand routine videos but I intend to make an updated super one.
Currently I need a break from making content for 2023 so it will be out first month of 2024! If you're interested in trying my older hand workouts, they're here ruclips.net/p/PLqB3qW_j0ovJddH4LVCQsk8v304ZMoOX5
Keep being amazing Bruce💯👍
@@ArtOfDrummingHQ Definitely, thanks. Take sometime off.
Looks GREAT! Just stumbled on this. Watched it while in the shower lol. Heading to the garage in a min
😁 let me know how it goes in the garage!
Very good exercises. I can do it at 100% tempo except the calve exercise. I have to tone it down to almost 60%...i just have no control over them lol
There you go! You found out what's getting in the way of your faster tempos!
Awsome channel🤘
Great video! Followed along the whole way thru and I feel warmed up!
Fantastic! Let me know how it goes if you use it 3-4x a week
I’ve been struggling with learning faster singles for about seven years. I’d do long practice sessions regularly, just trying to squeeze out 170 bpm and have my ankles learn how to do it. But with almost no gains, all that time. Finally starting to break through after applying some of your mini lessons, like the workouts to do on a bare floor.So thanks friend!
Can you tell me what pedals you use and the spring settings and beater angle, could be something there you can try to help the pedals work for you instead of against you too
@@ArtOfDrummingHQ Pearl Demonator, beaters 45 degree, medium tension.
I bought my first drumkit in August. Because of previous mistakes in learning musical instruments, this time I decided to focus almost uniquely on technique and be patient. I'm learning only one song, the rest of the time it's technique technique technique and try to get it right. Following your double bass routines, I managed to get decent 16th at 130bpm and now trying to push 140bpm!
Yes 💯 wonderful commitment, you'll get to 140bpm for sure !!
Just remember, instant improvement is not what you gonna get, progression is what you seek. Dedication and practice will give you that! Enjoy your journey! Cheers!
I noteiced a BIG difference between warming up and just start to play fast, thank you so so much for the video.
Glad you found it helpful and thanks for sharing your experience with this!!
Wow this video is the real deal!!! 100% and I was skeptic before I watched the first one (which also helped me improve). But this 2.0 version helped me go to the next level in everything (consistency in both sound and feeling, stamina for my bottom parts that are used (thighs, calf’s, ankle, etc..) and best of all…Other people noticed the difference! I’m not embarrassed to let go and groove. Check out this video, it’s only 10 min a day which can be worked into a 30 min practice session so there are no excuses!!!!
I'm so happy it helped. You must have put in super consistent effort 😉👍💯 thank you for being so kind and sharing your experience here. All the best to your drumming journey!
This is great stuff
Great lesson made my calf muscles hate me.... keep up your great drumming!!!
Let's go!!!
Your channel is helping me a lot with my learning process, I really appreciate it
Thanks for sharing that:) what else can I help you with, just curious?
@@ArtOfDrummingHQ ohh it’d be great to have like an elementary or introductory routine to double bass. Starting from 90 - 130 bpm. To develop speed and control.
I start my journey here, never played double bass before. My first goal is a part in a song of my band with double basse (low bpm almost doable with single) and polyrythme cymbals. I need to be ready for the next gig.
So far I manage to do the whole video at 50%.
Let's go!!! All the best 👍 ask me anything if you got difficulties!
Wow! Fantastic workout. Thanks a lot. Keep them coming, please. Your videos and training are consistently helpful and educational.
Thank you! More to come in 2024!
@@ArtOfDrummingHQ It's also good to do these leading with the weaker foot.
Hey just want to say how great I think your videos are. I have been playing a long time (10 years now) and I am still weak on double bass.
My main problem is that I literally lose balance when I play double bass. I notice you have a perfect center of gravity around your throne where you play double bass with your legs and your torso from the hips up doesn't even move. I just cannot seem to get a setup that allows me to do this.
Would you be open to making a video showcasing how to set up your kit (throne, pedals, snare, hat-stand) to where you can acheive good balance? That would immensely help me out and hopefully others as well.
Thank you sir.
THIS please. :) We know you're busy!
@ArtofDrummingHQ
Brother, thank you very much, I've been stuck on the double pedal for a long time because the routine I had in mind doesn't take me further, I've been looking for samples of a video like this and I finally found you! what you are doing is practically a double pedal course but free. Thank you very much, one day later I will send you a message thanking you and telling you about my results!
More important than this routine is your own practice approach, check out my latest short about it, it's called "if you are still STUCK - Double Bass Drumming" has a very important point about practice. Hope it helps, any questions feel free to ask!
That make my left foot power up. thak you.
Cheers! Good to hear
you are the best thank you so much
You're welcome!
This was fucking Metal in and of itself!!! I love it!!! The control is SUPERB!!!! 🔥
Thank you very much your video really helped me out, especially your ss roll to develop each hand ,Im a beginner to drumimg i play along everyday I can see very Huge improvement on my left hand( my weak) , am also a hardcore gamer so Your video made me want to beat every stage 100% as possible :)
Thanks for sharing the success you've had with my videos. and thank you so much for using them ! I hope you 100% clear them all. It would be a great honour.
Love your vids and teaching 🤘
I appreciate that!
dude i love this. wow my legs are on fire lfg!
LFG!!!!
Week 1 done with 0.5x speed here on youtube - pretty doable, maybe even to slow so the slower tempo was the "issue" now I started week 2 on 0.6x speed and feels much better. I will update it every monday.
cheers! keep us updated!
Week 2 done with 0.6x speed here on youtube - that's my sweet spot, everything was perfect. Now I started week 3 on 0.7x speed and first problems arrived. So the main problem is stage 3, or burst exercises, I lose control, I seem to tend to speed it up, and have cramps fast. Single legs were fine and again problem on last exercise, I can do it for some time but not with hands, hands throw me off. Any tips or advice for this week? that says that my limit is around 100bpm still, from which tempo you should switch to ankle technique usually?
@@ZoranRadovanovDrums Try doing 0.65 speed
@@tzaluke1968 believe it or not, I concurred the third session, don’t know should I push it for 0.75 next week or stay on 0.7 to get it down 100%?
week 3 done with 0.7x speed I struggled on the first day, on the second it was easier and on a third it was almost perfect, only challenging exercise was last one. Today I started week 4 with 0.75x speed and feel similar to first day last week but this time even the single leg exercises are challenging. Last one also, I have trouble with "staying on the bike" seems like I could fall down after 1 bar so longer ones are tough.
hi just wanted to say thanks for making this video, I am a returning drummer after 15 years and just now picking up double bass, long way to go but I like the way I can start at 50%.
keep the videos coming :)
P.S ankles and calves is hard :O
I hope it helps :D Thanks for trying this out, ask me anything along the way!
Your tutorials are absolute masterpieces! Keep it up!!!
Thanks for the support all the time Josh!!!
this is amazing bro! thank you!
Hope it helps!
The goal I've set is to be able to play 'Silent Jealousy' by X Japan. Right now, I'm at the point where I lose my balance at 130 bpm if the blasts last longer than 4 bars. I'm also having a hard time choosing the right technique for me at this tempo (full leg or ankle technique). I've learned a lot from your channel, it has significantly improved my drumming this year. I'm going to follow this routine because I find it dynamic and very fun to play. I love changing things in what I practice, it helps me avoid feeling stuck in my drumming journey.
Thank you so much for the knowledge you provide to us.!!
I love X Japan and I love that song!!! It's 185bpm if I remember correctly. You know I used to think it's either full leg or ankle, but my whole philosophy has changed to using your body in synergy. And that's what I failed to realize many years ago.
Our body tries to recruit multiple muscles as a team when we do any movement. Especially one such as playing double bass, we not only use our calves and shins for faster movements, but the hamstrings also need to work to stabilize the legs otherwise they will slide forward unintentionally, the core and hips need to help maintain our balance even at higher speeds.
The body will automatically try to adjust for optimal movement, for example when we play slow the body tries to switch more to bigger muscle groups and everything else becomes the supporting cast of the team. At medium tempos a synergy between ankle and thigh must be present for comfortable control. And at high speeds it switches more and more into smaller muscles groups with the big muscles helping stability.
That's why my personal training, my students' training, and this workout incorporates the 3 motions to help you realize which muscle groups are lacking and help you to balance all of them out.
It's also likely you spasm at certain tempos because your body is unable to recruit the muscle types necessary to make that speed happen and it fails. Either your hips and hamstrings can't keep your balance, or your small muscles are too weak to push the pedal and everything fails.
So give this a good shot. Like a 3month, 3x a week program and increase your intensity every week (I recommend this in the pinned comment) and let me know how it goes at the end of this cycle :)
I like the way you explain how our bodies try to work instead of telling us to just use one technique for each tempo.
Just one question. Can I add the snare on beats 1, 2, 3, and 4, or on the "e" beats like in trash metal grooves? Or is it better to stick with the placement of the snare you are showing in the video?
Thank you so much for your time. I'll try to come back in 3 months or even sooner to let you know how it's working for m :DD
@@ArtOfDrummingHQ
@@Ivi1812feel free to do whatever you want with your hands! They're just a placeholder for basic groove coordination. If you already got that down, definitely go for other hand patterns!
All the best to the burn !!
Sick 👍
cheers!
Thank you for sharing this! How many times per day/week or whatever frequency do you recommend doing this exercises?
Hope you can do a vid for hand speed 🙌
I will make an awesome one in 2024. For now I need a good break for the rest of the year to make sure I don't overwork myself. But I already have 3 hand speed workouts. The first one is here ruclips.net/video/U1CGcOtfUqM/видео.htmlsi=XnduQQ_a0OfKZ8mC
Awesome tips and gamification! ❤
What about adding some triplets or more complex patterns?
That would be great for a more advance workout, interesting think I might do one in the future cheers!
@@ArtOfDrummingHQ Awesome, looking forward to it!!
Keep up the great stuff you’re doing :)
120bpm to 160bpm in 2 weeks!!! though i still need practice on my left foot as its noticeably weaker
That's incredible. Keep it up!!!
Remember guys, tension is your worst enemy. Play at a tempo that you barely struggle to play cleanly at and slowly move it.
Absolutely agreed gradual steady progress👍
Thanks for this vid.
My pleasure!
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Thanks
You're welcomeN
was about to do the first then this dropped !
Haha prioritize this one. It's better, then alternate with the other one every 1-3 months. Alternating workouts makes sure your body doesn't stop wanting to adapt. If it gets too used to a workout, it will adapt less and grow less as a result. Cheers!
Can anyone tell me what the red parts of his beaters are? Are they beater weights? Looks pretty futuristic and cool!
thanks a lot~
You're welcome 😊
I have not tried this method (which seems great by the way) but I will soon. in the meantime I am struggling to maintain (the endurance part) for songs with continuous double bass such as this: ruclips.net/video/sRXbEt0otHg/видео.html
or this:
ruclips.net/video/ERAnDKcTl70/видео.html
I can easily play that comfortably, the problem is after 2 min I am running out of gas (my legs that is)
I can play this:
ruclips.net/video/e1m_EqaKIFI/видео.html
Barely but much shorter time
The goal is to have the endurance to play this not so ridiculously fast but very long song: ruclips.net/video/6bqwNo5f4qg/видео.html
Then you wanna 3x length whatever is in this routine. To go further and longer on top of not sacrificing the speed.
I can try for ages and fail. Blessed are you who succeed. I do not know how to do.
Follow this routine 4x a week. Get back to me after a month :)
Great stuff. Can you tell us what are the red arms on the beaters? Some sort of quick adjustment for length? Or weights? Thanks.
Oh they're just ahead switch kick beaters. I got them purely cos of their look hahaha. I didn't consider the weight differences etc but they must be quite minor.
Amazing!😀
Thank you! Cheers!
Firstly, this might be the single best double bass approach to practice i;'ve ever seen. so excited.
I was wondering how much money did you spend to have the A2E setup? Curious mostly about triggers, skins, & rim triggger. I have a ATV e kit have been thinking of buying cheap shells and converting.
Love your stuff this genuinely blown away.
Ah this is just a Gewa G5 drumset which will cost $5000. I got it for free though as part of a sponsorship deal. And to be perfectly honest there are better options from other brands.
Very nice thanksssss
Most welcome
Awesome video! Is it important to do stages 1 and 2 on the floor or would it be just as effective to do them on the pedals?
You can experiment with them on the pedals though the calves would be harder depending on your pedal settings and experience. So floor is best till you get further along in your journey
very helpful, thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
thank you so much sir. do you have a single pedal exercises video?
thank you❤
Not yet, I will in 2024 😉
Lol im using this for the rest of my drumming career😂
Hey! Thanks for the detailed video. What is the recommended spring tension as you see it? For this training let's say. Thanks!
I talk about it a bit here ruclips.net/user/shortsOYcnJWhlguk?si=7iYnqNDJtwSmL9n1 and here ruclips.net/user/shortsAbr1OzI_Ovk?si=xqi5SYmLDpVbrbJV
To summarize, you gotta find your balance between ( beater momentum speed + foot position + support weight of your leg + how strong are your leg muscles right now ), and what pedal you use.
I use max tension on my dw5000 and 50% tension on the pearl demon drive.
Don't recommend max tension unless you've already got well developed muscles, best to start at medium and tinker with the tips from above 2 short videos I linked. Cheers!
Are Stages 1 and 2 meant to be praciced on the floor or it is just for demo?
Yes on the floor. It’s a way to train the muscle groups without using pedals. Martyn from Drum Technique Academy also has lessons about this.
Great approach, I never realized how weak my calf and shin muscles are for this kind of activity. I always thought ‘well if you build them up they’ll be bulky and slow’ but clearly that is not the case. The appropriate muscles must be strengthened to push that pedal around with authority, and absolute consistency.
yes totally. You don't want the pedal's spring and natural rebound momentum to help you. It's all raw muscle strength that we need to build. Hence on the floor. After that, you get on the pedal with your trained muscles and then learn to sync up with the springs and rebound. raw muscle power + pedal technique = great speed and control.
It takes time though. Make sure you read the pinned comment thoroughly to be able to use this routine most effectively.
What are your thoughts on the swivel side to side technique? It appeals in that it is not so intense on the same muscles (=less injury?), but at a certain point does that extra movement actually slow you down at some point somehow? ( and/ or cause just different RSI injuries? Lol)
I like it, lots of pros I know including a friend of mine uses it to play faster than me. Haha I don't have a particular desire to play above my levels right now so I never experimented with it. But for sure it's a solid metal technique that works well 240bpm +++
I just bought a double pedal and started doing these exercises, they are awesome, exactly what I wanted. Went from 100 to 120 BPM in 4 days.
But I have a couple of questions.
Should I sit so that my legs can rise freely without falling out of the chair?
Wouldn't it be better to swap stages 3 and 4 so that the legs can be warmed up before main exercises?
How much time should you devote to exercise?
I do all stages except 1 for 5 minutes and then increase the BPM by 1-5 depending on whether it is difficult for me or not and repeat the stages again. If I understand that it turns out sloppy, then I repeat it in the same BPM the next day. Is this the right approach?
Definitely sit so you are well balanced and don't lean to any side.
The warmup is first 2 stages. Alternating is how you would play most songs so we start with that. But feel free to change around the exercises from cycle to cycle. Not letting the body adapt too quickly to your workout is key for more growth.
Totally can clean up the sound before proceeding but don't wait too long. Once your body adapts it plateaus especially in the middle cycle of the stage. Instead I ask my students to add 1-2 bpm every week regardless of how satisfied with their sound they are.
You can practice as much as your current physique, threshold and genes. Some people get injured faster, some don't. Those limits are for you to test every 3 month cycle. If 5mins per exercise works well for you keep going for it. If plateaus start happening, tweak the minutes for next cycle etc.
yeah its never the lack of practice and using the noddle in the head cavity to figure out simple things
If everyone was like that. We wouldn't need education 😉
What electronic kit are you playing on?
Do you use 'heel-down' for fast double bass drumming? Seems like you're using heel down, with the balls of your feet slightly farther back on the footboard at the 'sweet spot.' I'm aware that you max out your spring tension, also.
I noticed that I can do double bass drumming very fast on the floor without a pedal using a simple heel-down technique.. But whenever I incorporate an actual pedal, they seem to add too much resistance/weight for me to drum the same way I do on the floor without pedals.
Is this normal? Any advice?
I'm doing heel up. My heels often come up off the pedal, watch closely when you slow the video down. Heel down means the heels never leave the pedal. I just only lift no more than necessary because it's more efficient.
You shouldn't max out your tension if you have that problem. Start at medium(halfway spring) and work on that for a month first. Then each and every month adjust it by 2 full turns with your fingers. It's the same as gradually adding resistance to weight training and not trying to lift maximum(it will be impossible or lead to injury)
Also find a comfortable spot to place your foot. I like it further back because I don't have to move my feet a lot for each activation. bUT the further back u r on the pedal, the more muscle effort you need for the initial stroke. So you can try 3/4 way up the pedal and do that for a month first.
Also important to not constantly change what you try and stick to it for a month at least before changing things slightly
AHHHH MY LEGS HURY SO MUCHHHH
You triggering the bass drum at all? Just curious, sounds good.
It's e-drums 👍
What pedal are you using?
Pearl Demon drive on ekit and dw5000 on the acoustic drum
A few questions: how often should you practice this routine? And what if you can play the first 4 stages at 0.75 but the final stage is too fast? Is it ok to slow it down?
Read my pinned comment! Also if you can't do the last exercises it's likely because you've been doing the first few stages too quickly. Lower the whole program down to 0.7x also you could just try the last stage slower too.
@@ArtOfDrummingHQ Thanks! I feel like the problem is less with taking longer breaks and more with not being able to play a certain speed for a bit longer. Like I can play 4 consecutive beats at a certain speed, but not 16 at that same speed.
This is awesome! I have been using your Routine 1.0 and have already improved from 130 BPM to 145 BPM at the moment. I needed exactly this new routine! I want to be able to play the intro of Painkiller (Judas Priest) or Laid to Rest (Lamb of God) which have fast Quad-Double-Kick bursts. Do you think it is a good idea to combine both routines? Or would that be too long?
If your body is able to take the intensity without falling apart, combine the exercises. Though I advice alternating between them. You can swap them every cycle (3 months). Swapping them too quick will make it hard for your body to adapt and for the muscle groups(floor exercises) to not get enough practice. Swapping them every 3 months helps your body not get too used to the same exercises which is great for long term growth
Thank you!
Friend, I have a question, is the practice so short? I feel like it's too little time (no offense), or would I be overpracticing if I did the practice again on the same day? But if the practice is just that, I'll do my best to keep improving, thanks for the help :) .
PS: Do you take breaks? yes yes how long do they last?
For three months I was doing a routine that lasted 3-4 hours a day, and I got stuck at 100bps. I think this is over practicing, although I feel that 10 minutes is not enough, because of the big difference there is. So thank you very much for this routine friend, I will do it trying my best.
I would like you to give me your opinion
Try to factor in everything else you do with your legs for the rest of the day. For example if you gym, do sports like running cycling swimming etc, do you teach or work on the drums, all other stuff you practice on the drums. All these take into account how much your legs work in total everyday.
So 10 minutes is a good starting point for most people's lifestyles. And we're not talking just 10 minutes a day. 10 minutes consistently over 6 months with 1-2 rest days per week.
And it depends from person to person. Some of my students I push them to do 2-3x more than this because I see that they can take it and their bodies perform well. Others after just 2 weeks of this run into roadblocks and get very sore in their leg muscles, and I have to tone it down for them. SO you gotta test drive this for 2 weeks and see how you respond to it, and tweak. And keep tweaking until you see a good flow.
When I first practiced, I went the same as you. Many hours. I did a 30minute non stop double bass stamina run included in the routine. But I got stuck at 150bpm for 2 years. And then I gave up. I came back and I toned it down to 30 minutes a day. Then I realized I was improving, then I got stuck again, and I toned it down to just 15 minutes a day, and now I do 10minutes a day.
It's also the most important to be doing the correct exercises and working on the correct muscle groups than to waste your time practicing wrong exercises for so long. (which is probably what most people are doing wrong)
My routine ensures that you always target the 3 muscle groups in your legs in the beginning of the workout, then applying them differently and balancing out both legs in the remaining exercises.
thank you so much!!!!!!! I really needed to know. I tried doing it 3 times (3 days before asking you) in one day, and I see that my body receives it well, my muscles don't feel excessively tired. and I have noticed a significant improvement in my left foot control and control when playing with both feet. Really, thank you so much:).
How much rest would you recommend to do it again the same day?
PS: Thank you very much for the help :)
And how would it be better to work on it? For example, I repeat the first exercises 3 times before going to the next one and that's it with all of them? Or do I do the routine as usual and then repeat it again? which would be better? :)
Is this using just full leg strokes? Cos i can do 270bpm using heel toe but stuggle to do 120 full leg 😂
If you heel toe allows you to play anything you want, then it's fine isn't it 👍 If you go through just the first 2 stages of the routine you'll understand one of the principles of my technique. Muscle synergy.
@@ArtOfDrummingHQjust done it with full legs and 100bpm is my limit 😮 very humbling lol
It's a good starting place and congrats on finishing a full set!!
In highspeed(for me like 180bpm 16th), which move in warmups 1 2 3 should I choose to play in song? The second or the third one? Thank you
In the song? I still do the entire routine anyway. Always good to do all 3 muscle groups
yup look at comments and "lack of practice" is most ppl's problem
Yeah true, but you want to play, not practice.
So it's handy to be reminded that you must work on the basics and warm up.
People's comments online don't tell you the whole story. Could be like 1% of what they're going through in life.
Hey man thanks for this video just wondering lately I’m noticed my left foot which is my week foot can play high tempos with hood conistancy but my main foot carnt and just speed up or is to slow do u have a solution to this issue :)
You can start by testing out the muscle groups. See how fast each foot can play for 1 min non stop using upper/lower leg as per the exercises in the video(but feet separately). Then note the differences and close the gap between them. 2nd check how much weight is needed to move either pedal. Can get a 5kg dumbbell and put it on both pedals at the same spot and see where the beaters go to. On double pedals the shaft complicates the force needed. And also how smooth the swings go. Try to adjust the spring tension first to get the same weighted effort required for both pedals. It's very hard to get them the same feel though. You know when you try to play both the pedals with your stronger foot. Even it can feel the difference. So get that as close as possible (gear is a factor)
I have the exact same problem
My feet aren't able to move this fast yet for the warmups. Should I just do them at the speed I'm comfortable with and able to do the fastest?
It's in the explanations at the intro :)
Do you have any good exercises to isolate the calves. I can play 220 bpm singles but when I use the double pedal everytime I hit the 180bpm mark my calves flex or tense up and I lock up and can't play that bpm. I go back immediately to quick singles and I'm fine, but switch to double pedal again and same thing happens my calves tense up and I can't go any further.
Your problem is a coordination issue between two legs. Your calf and shin works fine separately on a single pedal. But the combination of both upsets your coordination and perhaps other things like balance and core muscles. When you have both legs playing simultaneously, it puts more strain on the entire body, muscle wise and coordination wise. I had the same problem when I switched from single pedal to double pedal. It works out once I make sure I prioritise both feet together every time I practice and doing less of single leg stuff.
I have a little problem, for example, in the part of Alternate ankles/shin, my left foot tends to do the exercises faster but in a low tempo, it's difficult to control it at slow tempos, how can I fix this problem?
Try going a lot slower then. It's very normal to have weak shin muscles. My students hate this exercise the most because it burns and is very hard to control. but it gets results once you keep to it. Sometimes they go as slow as 50bpm in the beginning stages
I am currently using your old Routine and i am not sure, if I should switch to this Routine because i am really used to the old one
Yes try this one. Read my full pinned comment. There's a part that says that when you repeat the same workout for an extended duration of time, usually beyond 3 months. Your body becomes very adapted to it and won't grow as much, unless you increase your intensity a lot.
One easy way to make sure the body still tries to adapt is to change the workout, and do this in cycles. So I would do this routine for 3 months, then switch to the other one for 3 months. Etc until I reach my target. You could even try 1 month switches. Hope that helps!
lol that one with shins sure feels
Fr I felt my whole ankle cramp up 😭😭
but when do i need thights/hips and when ankles/calves? i don't get it
Here ruclips.net/user/shortsPllECKvwbYY?si=RInXAvB8o2INnmhE
How hard is it to learn double pedals. I'm a beginner drummer with only about 20 hours of practice. I'm wondering if I should start trying to get familiar with double pedals or first learn how to actually play drums first lol.
Double bass is actual drums. If you want this skill by all means start with this. The songs you wanna play should factor in too. I wish I started with double bass too so that my weak leg wouldn't be so prominent haha. Craft your own path based on where you wanna go 😉
so hard man
Even when you slowed it down?
no@@ArtOfDrummingHQ
ok cool work your way up!@@tymest6042
thank you bro
@@ArtOfDrummingHQ
👍🖤
I Subscribed in the Hope's your count would immediately show 66.6k...didn't happen yet 😂
Hahaha you have my thanks 👍👍