Dave Lombardo

≈ 210 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 3 — Signature techniques — fast alternating double bass

Primary technique:

Fast alternating double bass under a blast-adjacent intro

Also trains:

Explosive fills, Snare accents, Endurance

Key groove:

Relentless double-bass drive under a chromatic thrash riff

Signature fill:

The famous unaccompanied double-bass solo section

Transition:

Sudden drop from full-tempo riff into the isolated bass-drum solo

Listen for:

How the double bass stays musical even at extreme speed, not just a blur

Training:

Endurance and clean articulation of fast double bass over a full song

Challenge:

Play the double-bass solo section from memory at full tempo

• Intro: Fast alternating double bass building tension
• Verse: Driving riff with skank beat underneath
• Bridge: Tempo surge into the chromatic riff
• Solo: Isolated double-bass drum solo
• Outro: Return to full-speed riff to close

≈ 170 (surging) · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — single strokes and heel-up bass drum

Primary technique:

The thrash skank beat with tempo surges

Also trains:

Crash punctuation, Tom fills, Dynamics

Key groove:

Driving eighth-note skank groove that pushes forward through the song

Signature fill:

Rolling tom fill that opens the main riff after the rain sound effect

Transition:

Rainfall sound effect resolving into a crashing entrance on the main riff

Listen for:

How the tempo subtly pushes forward without ever feeling out of control

Training:

Sustaining a driving skank groove with real forward momentum

Challenge:

Play the whole song without a click, matching the recording's natural push

• Intro: Rain sound effect building tension
• Fill: Explosive tom fill launching the riff
• Verse: Driving skank beat under the main riff
• Bridge: Crash accents on unison riff stabs
• Outro: Return to the main riff, fading with the rain

≈ 210 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 3 — Signature techniques — fast alternating double bass

Primary technique:

Galloping double bass

Also trains:

Fast skank groove, Crash punctuation, Accent control

Key groove:

A galloping double-bass pattern that drives the verse riff relentlessly

Signature fill:

Snare-led fill launching into the double-time chorus

Transition:

Sudden lift from galloping verse into a faster double-time chorus groove

Listen for:

The looseness in the gallop that keeps it feeling human rather than programmed

Training:

Building a musical, slightly loose galloping double-bass feel

Challenge:

Switch cleanly between the galloping verse and double-time chorus without a stumble

• Intro: Galloping double-bass pattern establishing the riff
• Verse: Galloping groove under the verse riff
• Chorus: Double-time skank groove, higher energy
• Bridge: Snare-led fill building back to the verse
• Outro: Galloping pattern fading to close

≈ 90 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 4 — Fills & transitions — tribal tom patterns

Primary technique:

Tribal half-time groove

Also trains:

Dynamics, Tom orchestration, Restraint

Key groove:

A slow, tribal-feeling half-time groove built on floor toms

Signature fill:

Building tom crescendo from quiet single hits into a full roll

Transition:

Dynamic swell from a near-whisper into full band volume

Listen for:

How much tension is created purely through dynamics and space

Training:

Playing convincingly and heavily at a slow tempo without losing intensity

Challenge:

Play the full dynamic arc from pianissimo to fortissimo without rushing

• Intro: Sparse tom hits at low volume
• Verse: Tribal half-time groove building
• Chorus: Fuller groove with crash accents
• Bridge: Dynamic build into a climactic roll
• Outro: Fading back to sparse tom hits

≈ 190 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — single strokes and heel-up bass drum

Primary technique:

Start-stop riff locking

Also trains:

Snare displacement, Crash punctuation, Fast fills

Key groove:

Stabbing groove that stops and restarts tightly with the riff

Signature fill:

Quick snare-tom fill filling the gap between riff stabs

Transition:

Hard stop followed by an immediate re-entry with the band

Listen for:

How precisely the silences are held before the next hit

Training:

Locking stop-start figures tightly with a riff at speed

Challenge:

Play the stabs with a recording and never anticipate the re-entry

• Intro: Stabbing unison hits with silence between
• Verse: Fast groove with tight stop-start figures
• Bridge: Snare-tom fill bridging the stabs
• Outro: Final unison stabs closing the song

≈ 95 (building) · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 4 — Fills & transitions — tribal tom patterns

Primary technique:

Dynamic build from quiet to explosive

Also trains:

Tribal toms, Half-time pocket, Crash accents

Key groove:

A slow-building groove that layers intensity section by section

Signature fill:

Tom-led build into the final explosive chorus

Transition:

Steady dynamic climb rather than a sudden jump

Listen for:

How each repeated section adds just a little more intensity

Training:

Controlling a long dynamic build without peaking too early

Challenge:

Map out and execute the exact dynamic level for each section

• Intro: Quiet tom pulse setting the mood
• Verse: Half-time groove building gradually
• Chorus: Fuller crash-driven groove
• Bridge: Tom build into the final section
• Outro: Full-intensity groove to close

≈ 200 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 3 — Signature techniques — fast alternating double bass

Primary technique:

Fast alternating double bass under a chromatic riff

Also trains:

Snare displacement, Fast fills, Endurance

Key groove:

Dense double-bass pattern locking tightly to a chromatic guitar riff

Signature fill:

Rapid snare-tom fill bridging riff sections

Transition:

Direct cut from double-bass groove into a faster riff section

Listen for:

How the kick pattern shifts subtly to match each riff variation

Training:

Precise double-bass control at high tempo under a busy riff

Challenge:

Play the full song matching every riff-specific kick variation exactly

• Intro: Fast double-bass pattern establishing the riff
• Verse: Dense double-bass groove under chromatic riff
• Bridge: Snare-tom fill bridging sections
• Outro: Return to full-speed groove to close

≈ 160 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — single strokes and heel-up bass drum

Primary technique:

Stop-start groove precision

Also trains:

Skank beat, Crash accents, Tight ensemble hits

Key groove:

A punchy skank groove interrupted by tight unison stabs

Signature fill:

Short crash-accented fill marking each stop-start hit

Transition:

Immediate re-entry after a stab with no lag

Listen for:

How tightly the band locks together on the stop-start figures

Training:

Building tight ensemble timing on stab figures

Challenge:

Play the whole song locked exactly with the recorded stabs

• Intro: Punchy groove with early stab figure
• Verse: Driving skank groove
• Bridge: Stop-start stabs with crash accents
• Outro: Groove returns to close the song

≈ 220 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 3 — Signature techniques — fast alternating double bass

Primary technique:

Early raw speed and explosive fills

Also trains:

Fast double bass, Snare accents, Endurance

Key groove:

A relentlessly fast, almost punk-driven thrash groove

Signature fill:

Chaotic, unpredictable snare-tom fill breaking the groove's momentum

Transition:

Sudden explosive fill launching straight back into the riff

Listen for:

The rawness and near-out-of-control energy compared with later, tighter recordings

Training:

Sustaining raw speed and explosive fills without smoothing out the aggression

Challenge:

Play the whole song at full tempo while keeping the fills feeling spontaneous

• Intro: Fast, raw groove establishing energy
• Verse: Relentless driving groove
• Fill: Explosive, chaotic-sounding fill
• Outro: Groove returns at full speed to close

≈ 80 building to 190 · 4/4 with a slow intro

Prep with: Stage 3 — Signature techniques — fast alternating double bass

Primary technique:

Long-form dynamic and tempo build

Also trains:

Tribal toms, Double-bass bursts, Odd fills

Key groove:

A slow tribal groove that gradually accelerates into full thrash speed

Signature fill:

Extended tom build that spans the transition from slow to fast

Transition:

Gradual tempo increase rather than a sudden cut, requiring careful pacing

Listen for:

How the tempo climb feels natural rather than rushed or dragging

Training:

Controlling a long, gradual tempo build across a whole song

Challenge:

Play the full tempo arc from the slow intro to the fast outro without a click

• Intro: Slow, doom-like tribal groove
• Build: Gradual tempo increase with tom fills
• Verse: Full-speed thrash groove
• Bridge: Double-bass bursts under the riff
• Outro: Sustained full-speed groove to close