Rock Drum Beats

The foundation of rock drumming. Hi-hat on 8th notes, snare on beats 2 and 4, kick on 1 and 3.

Kick drums every beat drives an unstoppable pulse — the backbone of disco, arena rock, and hard rock.

Snare lands only on beat 3, creating a slow, heavy feel. Common in metal, grunge, and hip-hop influenced rock.

Non-stop 16th-note hi-hat creates urgent forward momentum. A staple of punk and uptempo rock.

Two kick hits open each half of the bar on the 'e' subdivision. Essential in hard rock and metal.

Steady eighth-note hi-hats over a syncopated kick that skips the downbeat, creating an off-kilter, pushing groove with an extra snare hit leading into beat 4.

An extra snare ghost on the 'and' of beat 3 adds a funk-influenced syncopation to the classic rock framework.

An aggressive sixteenth-note kick engine driving under a steady eighth-note hi-hat, punctuated by open hi-hat accents on the upbeats and a hard backbeat snare on 2 and 4.