Features

Double Bass Legends: A Short History

From Bellson to Bozzio and beyond, these are the drummers who have pushed the vocabulary ever forward in the history of double-bass drumming.

Lessons

Hot Licks: Double Bass On Record

We take a look at some of the most notable double-bass performances on record that pushed the art form forward and influenced generations of drummers.

Lessons

Basic Beats: Louie Bellson

Louie Bellson is one of drumming's greatest legends. He pioneered the double bass drum set while still a teenager. In a career spanning 60 years he performed with the greatest twentieth century musicians such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and hundreds more. He appeared on hundreds of recordings and became famed as a composer, and wrote more than a dozen drum and percussion books, including The Musical Drummer.

In Video 1 he demonstrates a basic pattern with a backbeat on 2 and 4 that works in a wide range of contemporary music. Video 2 is a treat—an absolutely killer Bellson solo. Check it out.