Skeleton sheet. This chapter has the metadata block and Core / Rotation / Reference tables but has not yet been rewritten to the shape of chapter-01.md and chapter-02.md—no first-session walkthrough, no worked advancement example, no per-exercise rationale. See chapter-template.md for the shape this sheet will take when filled, and DEVELOPMENT.md “Things to do later” for the outstanding propagation work.
Session role: focus block.
Every session opens with warm-up on the current R&L Ch. 1 exercises before you work this chapter. Baseline 30-min session: ~7–8 min warm-up (Ch. 1) → ~15 min focus (this chapter) → ~5–6 min application → ~2 min cool-down. Full detail in approach.md §6.
Application chapter (Stage 5 in approach.md §5). R&L notes that 8th-note double bass is usually played at fast tempos in the real world—but they also say explicitly that this chapter is most useful to beginning double bass drummers when played at slow tempos. Take them at their word. The point of this chapter is not speed; it is placing every 8th-note bass drum stroke evenly and audibly under whatever the hands are doing.
Because 8th-note density is coarser than the earlier chapters, an exercise here will often reach its bpm ceiling faster than a corresponding Ch. 2–5 exercise. That is fine. Do not push past clean.
There is no Warm-Ups or Fills section in this chapter—just Beats. R&L points out that fills from the 16th-note and 8th-note triplet chapters (Chs. 2–7) pair well with these beats when you want a fill; use them in the application block of the session template rather than expecting this chapter to supply its own.
The bpm defaults come from the 16th-note beats row of approach.md §4 (start 50 bpm, target ~110 bpm). Because the feet are on 8ths not 16ths, the physical ceiling is higher—but only push past the target once the placement is honest.
| Ex. | Section | Role | Start | Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beats | Continuous 8ths between the feet, strong-foot lead | 50 bpm | 110 bpm |
| 4 | Beats | 8ths with a straightforward snare backbeat | 50 bpm | 110 bpm |
| 7 | Beats | 8ths with a slightly busier hand pattern | 50 bpm | 110 bpm |
| Ex. | Section | Role | Start | Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Beats | 8ths under a syncopated hand pattern | 50 bpm | 110 bpm |
| 13 | Beats | 8ths with a shifted backbeat | 50 bpm | 110 bpm |
| 17 | Beats | Denser 8th-note groove | 50 bpm | 110 bpm |
Beats 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14–16, 18–21 are groove variants over the same continuous-8th-note foot pattern. Dip in when you want variety or when a specific beat catches your ear. R&L reminds you that these can be played either strong-foot or weak-foot lead—try both when a beat feels stuck.
Log this chapter’s work with the exercise number prefixed by 10.—for example 10.1 80 bpm 5 min pass even. See approach.md §8.