Two kick hits open each half of the bar - beat 1 and the '&' of 1, then beat 3 and the '&' of 3. Essential in hard rock and metal.
Double Kick Rock doubles the bass drum at the start of each half of the bar: the kick plays beat 1 and the '&' of 1, then beat 3 and the '&' of 3. The snare stays on 2 and 4 and the hi-hat on eighth notes, so the groove keeps its rock shape while the low end pushes considerably harder.
Each column is one eighth note. x is a hi-hat or cymbal stroke, o is a drum.
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & Hi-Hat x x x x x x x x Snare . . o . . . o . Kick o o . . o o . .
Count the bar out loud as 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & and add one limb at a time.
Both kick strokes coincide with a hi-hat note, so nothing here falls between the eighth notes. If the second kick feels awkward, play kick and hi-hat only until the pair sits comfortably.
'Double kick' here means two consecutive bass-drum strokes on the eighth notes. It does not require a double bass pedal — this is played with one pedal and one foot.
Start slow enough to place every note deliberately, lock each rung in before moving up, and only raise the tempo once the pattern is clean. Each step opens the metronome at that tempo.
Ordered by difficulty — the first is the smallest step up.
No. The two kick strokes are eighth notes, played with a single pedal and one foot. A double pedal is only needed for faster consecutive strokes than this.
On the '&' — the eighth note directly after beats 1 and 3. It lands together with a hi-hat stroke, not between hi-hat notes.
Use the metronome's practice mode to ramp the tempo automatically in 5 BPM steps every 8 bars. Small increments let the foot adapt without you noticing the jump.