Metal & Double Bass Drumming
Two feet, one relentless low end — double bass pedals and blast beats push tempo and aggression further than almost any other style.
Two feet instead of one
Double bass drumming uses either two separate bass drums or, far more commonly today, a single bass drum fitted with a double pedal — letting one foot trigger a beater and a linked second beater fire from the other foot. That turns the kick drum from a once-per-beat accent into a rapid, continuous low-end rhythm capable of matching or outpacing the hands.
Blast beats
At the extreme end of the tempo spectrum sits the blast beat: kick, snare, and cymbals all firing together in rapid, sustained bursts, often used in extreme metal subgenres to create a wall of continuous, overwhelming intensity rather than a groove you'd tap your foot to in the usual sense.
Common questions
What is double bass drumming?
Playing fast, continuous low-end rhythms with two bass drums, or one bass drum with a double pedal played by both feet.
What is a blast beat?
An extreme-tempo pattern where kick, snare, and cymbals fire in rapid, sustained bursts, common in extreme metal.
Do you need two bass drums to play double bass patterns?
No — a double pedal on one bass drum, played with both feet, is far more common today.
How fast are typical double bass patterns?
Continuous 16th-note double bass patterns commonly sit anywhere from around 140 BPM up into the 200+ BPM range.
Train foot speed with a real click
Melody Monkey's metronome scales from slow practice tempos up to extreme speeds as you build stamina.
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