Beginner Curriculum · Stage 4 · ~2 weeks
The Feet
Now the lower half — bass-drum control and the hi-hat foot, built on Colin Bailey's Bass Drum Control principles (light touch, ball of foot, rebound).
4.1 · Bass Drum: Quarter Notes, Even Tone
Produce even, relaxed kick notes with your chosen heel technique.
Drill: Steady quarter-note kicks for endurance, controlled rebound.
Notation: Kick — 1, 2, 3, 4 (quarter notes). · Tempo: 80 BPM
✓ Advance when: 30 sec at 80 BPM, even tone, no knee tension.
Book: Colin Bailey — Bass Drum Control
4.2 · Hi-Hat Foot: The Chick on 2 & 4
Close the hi-hat cleanly with the left foot on the backbeats.
Drill: Hi-hat foot chick on 2 and 4, open on 1 and 3.
Notation: Hi-hat foot — chick on 2, 4. · Tempo: 70→90 BPM
✓ Advance when: 60 sec at 90 BPM with the chick locked precisely on 2 and 4, no chattering or early closes.
4.3 · Two Feet Together
First foot independence — the two feet alternate cleanly.
Drill: Right foot (kick) on 1 and 3, left foot (hi-hat chick) on 2 and 4.
Notation: Kick 1, 3 · Hi-hat foot 2, 4. · Tempo: 70→90 BPM
✓ Advance when: 60 sec at 90 BPM with tight, even spacing and no premature attacks.
4.4 · Single-Pedal Speed Build
Develop bass-drum speed and control across subdivisions.
Drill: Climb the subdivisions over weeks — quarters → eighths → sixteenths, heel-up, +5 BPM as control improves.
Notation: Wk1: Kick 1 2 3 4 → Wk2: Kick 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & → Wk3: Kick 1 e & a … (16ths). · Tempo: to 120 BPM
✓ Advance when: 45 sec at 120 BPM on sixteenth notes with even spacing and no loss of rebound.
Book: Colin Bailey — Bass Drum Control
4.5 · Hand–Foot Foundation Series
Sync the hands to the bass drum — the first real hand/foot independence.
Drill: RH + RF synced, then LH + RF, then alternating hands over a steady foot.
Notation: RH quarters + Kick quarters synced; then LH + Kick; then R L R L hands over a steady kick. · Tempo: 80 BPM
✓ Advance when: 30 sec at 80 BPM on each variation, controlled rebound on every kick, no tension.
Book: Colin Bailey — Bass Drum Control