Waltz beat in 3/4: drum pattern and how to play it

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Time signature
3/4
Tempo
176–176 BPM
Difficulty
Intermediate
Loop
4 bars
Main groove × 3
Hi-hat
Snare
Kick
Fill × 1
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. The snare accents fall on 2 and 3. The loop is 4 bars long, and the fourth bar ends with a short fill on the snare.

In our catalog it is used at 176 BPM.

Learn Songs on this beat run from 176 to 176 BPM; the median of all 150 songs on Drums3D is 118 BPM. Song tempos compared →

Who plays what: notes per bar

Cymbal hand6
Snare hand2
Kick foot1

Every kick lines up with a cymbal stroke, which makes this one of the easiest coordination patterns to start with.

How to practice it

  1. Press Play and listen to a few loops while counting out loud: 1 & 2 & 3 &.
  2. Lower the tempo to 105 BPM and play just the kick and snare along with the player.
  3. Add the hi-hat part. When the loop feels relaxed, move up to 140 BPM.
  4. Finally play the full groove at 176 BPM, including the fill, then try it without the player.
  • This groove is in 3/4: count all 3 beats out loud until the bar length is in your body.
  • At this tempo, economy of motion matters: keep the sticks low and let them rebound.

Songs that use this groove