Supplement 20E: Bass Drum Technique (2-Stroke Ankle-Down Focus) | Part 3 of 3

Continue practicing the foot motions covered so far. The tempo needs to be fast enough to make the ankle-down motion practical; for slower practice, the leg stroke takes over instead — the ankle motion only comes into play once tempo demands it. Warm up with the lesson’s exercises by starting as fast as you can, then gradually slowing until you feel the motion transfer to the leg stroke; this helps you find and develop the various tempos where each motion applies. Use a metronome and track your progress (Supplement 20E). The first exercise is a syncopated phrase that keeps turning the beat around, so coordination and a quick prep motion for each new set of double strokes are the main focus; the second helps develop the transition between ankle and leg motion in both directions — start slow and speed up until the ankle motion kicks in, then start fast and slow down to find that same transition point.