Rock ballad beat: drum pattern and how to play it
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Practice
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Song grooves
· Simplified drum grooves in the style of famous songs — not exact transcriptions.
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Tempo
- 70–96 BPM
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Loop
- 8 bars
| Hi-hat | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-stick | ||||||||||||||||
| Kick |
| Hi-hat | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snare | ||||||||||||||||
| Kick |
| Hi-hat | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floor tom | ||||||||||||||||
| Snare | ||||||||||||||||
| Kick |
Each row is one drum, each column one step. Large dots are accents, small dots normal hits, faint dots ghost notes.
About this groove
The time is kept with straight 8th notes on the hi-hat. The kick plays on 1, 3 and 3&. The cross-stick marks the backbeat on 2 and 4. The loop is 8 bars long, and the 8th bar ends with a short fill around the toms.
In our catalog 5 songs use it, from 70 to 96 BPM.
Who plays what: notes per bar
| Cymbal hand | 8 |
|---|---|
| Snare hand | 2 |
| Kick foot | 3 |
Every kick lines up with a cymbal stroke, which makes this one of the easiest coordination patterns to start with.
How to practice it
- Press Play and listen to a few loops while counting out loud: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &.
- Lower the tempo to 45 BPM and play just the kick and cross-stick along with the player.
- Add the hi-hat part. When the loop feels relaxed, move up to 60 BPM.
- Finally play the full groove at 76 BPM, including the fill, then try it without the player.
- For the cross-stick, lay the stick across the snare and click the rim with the butt end.
Compared with the nearest groove
Compared with “Back in Black” (AC/DC, basic rock beat), this groove adds kick notes on 3& — and it runs 18 BPM slower. If you can already play that one, this is your next step. basic rock beat →