Basic Drum Beat (4/4 Rock Beat)
The 4/4 backbeat: kick on 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 4, eighth-note hats. Almost every other pattern is a variation of this.
110 BPM0% swingRock
Round boomy kick, snappy snare, metallic hats
808 bass & chords
F → C → Dm → A#
The 808 follows the chord root in each bar; set a step's offset to walk the bassline. Pads hold until the next chord hit. Stabs are short.
Click a step once for a hit, twice for an accent, three times to clear. Space plays/stops, T taps tempo, R makes a random beat.
Saved beats (0)
Nothing saved yet. Beats stay on this device only.
How to program it
- Hi-hat on every 8th note: steps 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15.
- Kick on beats 1 and 3: steps 1 and 9.
- Snare on beats 2 and 4: steps 5 and 13.
- Once it feels solid, add a kick on step 11 or step 4 for the next most common variation.
The grid above is already loaded with this pattern: press Play, change a step, then download it as WAV or MP3. Want a different version? Open it in the full beat maker with the AI pattern writer and coach.
Questions
What is the most basic drum beat?
Kick on beats 1 and 3, snare on beats 2 and 4, and a hi-hat on every 8th note. Drum teachers often call it the "money beat" because it fits a huge share of rock and pop songs.
What tempo should I practise a basic beat at?
Start slow, around 70–90 BPM, until every hit lines up with the hats, then raise the tempo a few BPM at a time. Most rock songs sit between 100 and 140 BPM.
More drum patterns
Four on the floorBoom bapTrap: half-timeTrap: hi-hat rollsUK drillLo-fi hip hopReggaeton (dembow)AfrobeatsFunky breakbeatDiscoTechnoHalf-time grooveShuffleDrum and bass (two-step)UK garage (2-step)Jersey clubPhonkFunk groove