Construction of a basic drum beat in 7 steps

We are going to learn a basic drum beat. It’s one that you will have heard before.

I’m going to break it down into one thing at a time, or two things, and show you how it’s constructed. It’s a great way for beginners to learn how to play it, and how to count it properly.

These are the instructions for each line of the sheet above:

Let’s start by just playing the Hi Hat. Play it closed with your right hand, and count 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +.
Now just play the bass drum. Count 1 2 3 4, but only play the bass on beat 1 and 3. You can loop this round and around.
Count 1 2 3 4 again, but this time play the snare drum on 2 and 4. Again, loop this until it’s easy.
Now it’s going to start sounding like a beat. Count 1 2 3 4. Play the bass on 1 and 3, and the snare on 2 and 4. So it will go bass, snare, bass, snare. This is probably the most used sequence in drumming, so loop it and get really comfortable playing it.
OK, let’s go back to the hi hat, and combine it with the bass drum. Hi hat on 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +. Bass on 1 and 3.
Just one more combo before the full drum beat. Hi hat on 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +. Snare drum on 2 and 4.
Finally, we will now combine everything we have learned, to make the most popular basic drum beat. Hi hat on 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +. Snare drum on 2 and 4. Bass on 1 and 3.

Related: 10 Basic Rock Drum Beats

Related (Premium): Grade 1 Rock Beats Ebook – The lesson you have just been through is featured in the ebook as an A4 printable handout for students.