Straight pop 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
- 116–169 BPM
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Loop
- 1 bar
| Hi-hat | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 and 3. The snare marks the backbeat on 2 and 4.
In our catalog 6 songs use it, from 116 to 169 BPM.
Who plays what: notes per bar
| Cymbal hand | 8 |
|---|---|
| Snare hand | 2 |
| Kick foot | 2 |
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 90 BPM and play just the kick and snare along with the player.
- Add the hi-hat part. When the loop feels relaxed, move up to 115 BPM.
- Finally play the full groove at 146 BPM, then try it without the player.
Compared with the nearest groove
Compared with “Beat It” (Michael Jackson, rock beat with 8th notes), this groove leaves out the kick on 3& — and it runs 7 BPM faster. If you can already play that one, this is your next step. rock beat with 8th notes →