Drum beat in the style of “Billie Jean” — Michael Jackson
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Song grooves
· Simplified drum grooves in the style of famous songs — not exact transcriptions.
The 1982 groove is one of the most famous in pop: tight hi-hat 8ths, kick on 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 4, repeated with machine-like precision. The trick is to play it without a single variation.
- Tempo
- 117 BPM
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Groove
- straight pop beat
- Genre
- Pop
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Loop
- 1 bar
Drum pattern
| 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.
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.
About this groove
At about 117 BPM it has a medium tempo: one beat lasts 513 ms and a 4/4 bar takes 2.1 seconds. Use the tempo buttons to slow it down while you learn.
Practice plan
How it differs from similar beats
Compared with “Rolling in the Deep” (Adele, rock beat with 8th notes), this groove leaves out the kick on 3& — and it runs 12 BPM faster. If you can already play that one, this is your next step. Rolling in the Deep →
“Rock Me Amadeus” (Falco) uses exactly the same simplified pattern, 1 BPM slower — a good warm-up before this one. Rock Me Amadeus →
Other songs with the same straight pop beat
Similar drum beats
This is a simplified rhythm pattern in the style of “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson, written for drum practice. It is not a transcription of the recording and contains no audio, lyrics or artwork. Drums3D is not affiliated with Michael Jackson.