First drum beats: 5 patterns to learn first

How to read the rhythm tables

Each column represents a beat of the measure and its subdivisions. For eighth-note beats, count “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and”: the number falls on the beat and the “and” halfway between beats. Each row corresponds to a limb:

• Hi-hat: right hand (if you are right-handed), with the cymbals held closed by your left foot.
• Snare: left hand.
• Kick drum: right foot.
• Symbols: x = closed hi-hat, o = open hi-hat, ● = hit, · = rest.

If coordination is still difficult, build each beat one layer at a time, as we explain in how long it takes to learn drums. Before sitting down at the kit, warm up your hands with the basic rudiments.

Basic rock: the beat that opens every door

Notice that the hi-hat never stops: it sounds on every number and every “and.” The snare and kick always line up with a hi-hat hit, so the hands sometimes play together and sometimes separately, but the foot plays only on the numbers.

First variation

Add a kick on the “and” of 3: the pattern becomes “boom – cha – boom boom – cha.” This is the first time the foot plays between beats, and it almost always makes the hi-hat hand hesitate. If that happens, lower the tempo until the hand keeps ticking steadily.

Ballad: less volume, more control

The main change in a ballad is the sound. Instead of hitting the drumhead, lay the stick across the snare and strike the rim with its thick end: this is a cross-stick, a dry “tock” that does not overpower the voice. The kick adds a hit on the “and” of 2, pushing toward beat 3.

The challenge here is the slow tempo: at 60 BPM, there is plenty of space between hits, making it easy to rush. Count out loud and imagine each note lasting until the next.

Disco: kick drum on all four beats

This is the famous “four on the floor” of 1970s disco and much of today's dance pop. The trick is in your left foot: release the hi-hat pedal on every “and” so the cymbals sound open, then close them on the next number, together with the kick. This gives the hi-hat a “chick-tsss” sound on each beat. First practice with just your feet, without your hands, until the alternating motion feels automatic.

Shuffle: the lilt of the blues

Here, the subdivision changes. Each beat is split into three equal parts, and the hand plays only the first and third: the result is an uneven “taa-ta, taa-ta,” typical of blues and 1950s rock and roll. Count “one-and-a, two-and-a” and play on “one” and “a.”

To feel it, set the metronome to triplet subdivisions and sing all three notes before playing two of them. The most common mistake is letting the shuffle “straighten out” into rock eighth notes.

A Latin beat to start with: cumbia on drums

Cumbia is in duple meter and is written in 2/4 or cut time. This version adapts the roles of a traditional ensemble to the drum kit: the bass drum keeps the pulse, like the bass or tambora, and the cross-stick falls on every “and,” in a role similar to the llamador. Once the groove is steady, switch the hi-hat to soft sixteenth notes to imitate the guache or maracas.

This is an adaptation for drum kit; traditional cumbia drumming has its own technique and much greater richness. If that world interests you, read about Colombian rhythms and how the roles are shared in a traditional cumbia group.

How to practice them and in what order

1. Play each beat for four consecutive measures without stopping; if you stop, lower the tempo.
2. Once you can play four clean measures, play for a full minute while counting out loud.
3. Record a minute on your phone and listen to whether the kick and snare line up exactly with the hi-hat.
4. Increase by 2 to 5 BPM per session, never in large jumps.
5. Put on a song in that style and play along, even if you only play the beat without fills.

A teacher can correct your posture on the throne, hi-hat height and hand-foot independence early on. In percussion lessons, you can work on drums at home in Bogotá or online, as well as Latin and Colombian rhythms.

Frequently asked questions