Basic Drum Beats for Beginners
A basic drum beat has three parts: the hi-hat keeps time, the bass drum (kick) plays on beats 1 and 3, and the snare drum plays on beats 2 and 4. With the hi-hat on every quaver, that is the basic rock beat used in most pop and rock songs. Start at about 80 beats a minute and count “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &”.
Works in the UK and the US. This version uses UK music words (bar, crotchet, quaver, stave); the US version uses measure, quarter note, eighth note and staff. · US version of this page
Updated · By the Classfern Music Department
Key facts
- The three parts of a beginner kit beat: hi-hat (right hand), snare drum (left hand), bass drum (right foot).
- Backbeat: the snare on beats 2 and 4. Bass drum on 1 and 3.
- Count quavers as “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &” – eight hi-hat notes in each bar of 4/4.
- Count semiquavers as “1 e & a 2 e & a…”, and triplets (shuffle) as “1 & a 2 & a…”.
- Good starting tempo: 70–90 beats a minute. Speed up by about 5 at a time.
- Most pop and rock is in 4/4. A waltz is in 3/4: bass drum on 1, snare on 2 and 3.
- Drummers call a repeating beat a “groove”. Each one below can be loaded, changed and slowed down.
Try it: the drum beat player
Choose a beat and press Play. After a one-bar count-in the player loops the beat and lights up each count. Press any square to add or take away a note, even while it plays. Self-assessed Can you play along on a kit, a practice pad or your knees for 8 bars without stopping?
| Instrument | 1 | & | 2 | & | 3 | & | 4 | & |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hi-hat (closed) | ||||||||
| Snare drum | ||||||||
| Bass drum (kick) |
Sounds are made in your browser. This page never uses the microphone, and nothing is recorded or sent.
What is the most basic drum beat?
The most basic drum beat is the rock beat: hi-hat on every quaver, bass drum on beats 1 and 3, snare drum on beats 2 and 4. If that is too much at first, play the hi-hat on the four beats only.
| Instrument | 1 | & | 2 | & | 3 | & | 4 | & |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hi-hat (closed) | × | · | × | · | × | · | × | · |
| Snare drum | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | · |
| Bass drum (kick) | ● | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · |
| Instrument | 1 | & | 2 | & | 3 | & | 4 | & |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hi-hat (closed) | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × |
| Snare drum | · | · | >● | · | · | · | >● | · |
| Bass drum (kick) | >● | · | · | · | >● | · | · | · |
Learn it in layers. Play the hi-hat alone until it is steady. Add the snare on 2 and 4 (the hands play together on those counts). Then add the bass drum on 1 and 3, so on every count your right foot or left hand joins the right hand.
How do you count drum beats?
Count the beats of the bar out loud – 1, 2, 3, 4 in 4/4 – and fill in the notes between them: “and” (&) for quavers, “e & a” for semiquavers and “& a” for triplets.
| Notes | Per beat | Count in 4/4 |
|---|---|---|
| Crotchets | 1 | 1 2 3 4 |
| Quavers | 2 | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
| Triplets (shuffle) | 3 | 1 & a 2 & a 3 & a 4 & a |
| Semiquavers | 4 | 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a |
Counting out loud is the fastest way to lock the limbs together. The player lights up the count for each note, so you can see that the snare lands exactly on “2” and “4”.
What are the most common drum grooves?
Beginners usually learn these nine: the first crotchet beat, the rock beat, the rock beat with an extra kick, four on the floor, half-time, the ride beat, the semiquaver pop beat, the shuffle and the 3/4 waltz.
| Groove | Time | Start at | Level | Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First beat: crotchet hi-hat | 4/4 | 80 bpm | Level 1 | |
| Basic rock beat | 4/4 | 90 bpm | Level 1 | |
| Rock beat with a kick on “and” of 3 | 4/4 | 90 bpm | Level 2 | |
| Four on the floor (dance beat) | 4/4 | 116 bpm | Level 2 | |
| Half-time feel | 4/4 | 80 bpm | Level 2 | |
| Ride cymbal beat with hi-hat foot | 4/4 | 96 bpm | Level 2 | |
| Semiquaver hi-hat pop beat | 4/4 | 84 bpm | Level 3 | |
| Shuffle beat | 4/4 | 96 bpm | Level 3 | |
| Waltz beat in 3/4 | 3/4 | 120 bpm | Level 2 |
| Instrument | 1 | & | 2 | & | 3 | & | 4 | & |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hi-hat (open) | · | × | · | × | · | × | · | × |
| Hi-hat (closed) | × | · | × | · | × | · | × | · |
| Snare drum | · | · | >● | · | · | · | >● | · |
| Bass drum (kick) | >● | · | >● | · | >● | · | >● | · |
| Instrument | 1 | & | 2 | & | 3 | & | 4 | & |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hi-hat (closed) | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × |
| Snare drum | · | · | · | · | >● | · | · | · |
| Bass drum (kick) | >● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● |
| Instrument | 1 | & | a | 2 | & | a | 3 | & | a | 4 | & | a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hi-hat (closed) | × | · | × | × | · | × | × | · | × | × | · | × |
| Snare drum | · | · | · | >● | · | · | · | · | · | >● | · | · |
| Bass drum (kick) | >● | · | · | · | · | · | >● | · | · | · | · | · |
How do you practise drum beats as a beginner?
Practise each beat slowly with a metronome, one limb at a time, then two, then all three. Count out loud, and only speed up when you can play 8 bars in a row without a mistake.
- Set the player’s tempo slider to 70.
- Right hand alone on the hi-hat for 8 bars.
- Add the left hand on the snare on 2 and 4.
- Add the right foot on the bass drum on 1 and 3.
- Play along with the player for 8 bars; then turn your own sound up and the player down.
- Go up 5 beats a minute and repeat. Aim for 100 to 120.
Can you learn drum beats without a drum kit?
Yes. Tap the hi-hat part with your right hand on your right knee, the snare part with your left hand on your left knee, and the bass drum part with your right foot on the floor. A practice pad gives a better bounce for the hands.
Everything on this page works that way: load a groove, slow it down and tap along. When you sit at a real kit the patterns are already in your hands and feet. Classfern’s free metronome and backing tracks on lessonplanner.info add bass and chords, so you can play your beats with a band.
After the basic beat: fills and crashes
A fill is a short break, often in the last bar of four, that leads back to the groove; it usually ends with a crash cymbal and bass drum together on the next beat 1. Classfern’s free drum sheet music page has a first fill written out, and the drum rudiments page has the sticking patterns that fills are built from.
Many beats share the same snare on 2 and 4 and change only the hi-hat or the bass drum. Try changing one square at a time in the player and listen to how the feel changes – that is how drummers make up their own grooves.
Quick quiz: basic drum beats
Six questions on the rock beat, counting and grooves. Marked by Classfern Your score stays in this browser.
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