Power Metal Double Kick drum pattern
A two-bar power metal groove at 170 BPM: nonstop 16th-note double kick, the snare on 2 and 4, eighth-note ride and a crash at the top of the phrase. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 170 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Power Metal Double Kick
Count it as: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a · two bars. The pattern is a 2-bar phrase in 4/4 (two-bar 16th-note double kick under a backbeat).
The Power Metal Double Kick pattern, hit by hit
Each character is one step of the grid and each group is one beat. X is an accented hit, x a normal hit, o a quiet or ghost note and - a rest.
| Voice | Bar 1 | Bar 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Kick | XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX | XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX |
| Snare | ---- X--- ---- X--- | ---- X--- ---- X--- |
| Open hat | X--- ---- ---- ---- | ---- ---- ---- ---- |
| Ride | --x- x-x- x-x- x-x- | x-x- x-x- x-x- x-x- |
Tempo and feel
Galloping and bright. The feet are an even engine underneath; the backbeat and ride keep the song feel on top. The default tempo is 170 BPM. Slow it down until every hit is controlled, then raise the tempo a few BPM at a time.
How to practise the Power Metal Double Kick
Play 16ths on the kick, right-left, at 100 BPM until both feet sound the same. Add the snare on 2 and 4 without the feet speeding up. Add the ride eighths, then raise the tempo a few BPM at a time.
Variations to try next
Play a crash on every beat for the chorus. Drop the left foot for eighth-note kicks in the verse. Play the kick as 16th-note triplets for a bar before the chorus.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include European power metal from the late 1980s on. A practice study of the power metal double-kick groove: unbroken 16th notes on the kick, right and left foot alternating, under a snare on 2 and 4 and an eighth-note ride. The one kick sample stands in for a double pedal or two bass drums, and the open hi-hat stands in for the crash at the top of the phrase. The ride eighths are an informed choice; choruses often move to a crash or china on every beat. It is authored for practice, not transcribed.