Chapter 2 of 13 · All chapters

Part 1 · Rhythm basics

  1. 01The beat and tempo
  2. 02Bars, beats and 16 steps
  3. 03Kick, snare and hi-hat

Part 2 · Your hands on the pads

  1. 04The 16-pad layout
  2. 05Which fingers play what
  3. 06Tap, don't press

Part 3 · Grooves

  1. 07The basic beat
  2. 0816th hats and finger rolls
  3. 09Syncopation
  4. 10Fills

Part 4 · Feel and style

  1. 11Accents and ghost notes
  2. 12Swing
  3. 13Beats in different styles

Learn · Part 1: Rhythm basics · Chapter 2

Bars, beats and 16 steps

Beats come in groups called bars, and each beat can be split into smaller pieces. Once you can count those pieces, every drum pattern in this course becomes easy to read.

Bars of four beats

Most pop, hip-hop, rock and electronic music groups beats in fours: "1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4". Each group of four is a bar (or measure), and music written this way is in 4/4 time. Beat 1 of each bar, the downbeat, is where patterns start and where they land after a fill.

Splitting the beat: 8ths and 16ths

Cut each beat in half and you get 8th notes, counted "1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &". Cut it into four and you get 16th notes, counted "1 e & a 2 e & a…". One bar of 16th notes has 16 slots, and that's exactly the 16-step grid of drum machines and of every example in this course.

Below, the hi-hat plays only on the four beats. Tap the empty cells under each "&" to add 8th notes, then fill every cell to hear 16ths. Press Play first; changes play straight away.

80 BPM

The count under the grid moves with the music. Say it along with the playback.

Play the 8th notes yourself

Now play 8th notes: two even hits for every click, one on the beat and one on the "&". Keep the gap between them the same; beginners tend to rush the "&".

70 BPM

Press Start, listen to four clicks, then play along.

Tap the hat, or press C. Two hits per click.

Say it out loud

It feels silly, but counting out loud is the fastest way to lock in time. Drummers do it for years. When a pattern gets tricky, slow down and speak the count: "1 e & a, 2 e & a". You'll always know exactly where the next note goes.