Chapter 3 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 3

Kick, snare and hi-hat

A drum kit has many sounds, but three do most of the work in almost every beat: the kick, the snare and the hi-hat. Each one has a clear job.

Kick: the foundation

The kick (bass drum) is the low thump you feel in your chest. It usually lands on beat 1 and gives the groove its weight. Where you place the kicks decides whether a beat feels steady, bouncy or driving.

Snare: the backbeat

The snare is the sharp crack, usually on beats 2 and 4. That's the backbeat, the part people clap along to. In electronic music a clap often takes the same job.

Hi-hat: the timekeeper

The hi-hat fills the space between kick and snare with a steady tick, usually in 8th or 16th notes. A closed hat is short; an open hat rings. When a closed hat plays, it cuts off a ringing open hat, just like a drummer closing the pedal. That's called a choke, and the pads here do it automatically.

Build your first beat

The grid below is empty. Press Play and build a beat step by step:

  1. Kick on 1 and 3 (the cells above the "1" and "3" in the count).
  2. Snare on 2 and 4.
  3. Hats on every "&". Then try every beat and every "&", or all 16 steps.
90 BPM

Tap a cell to add a sound, tap it again to remove it. Reset empties the grid.

Once it sounds right, experiment. Move one kick a step later. Add a snare on the last step of the bar. You'll play this exact beat with your fingers in chapter 7.

The other sounds

The rest of the pads add colour: toms for fills, a crash cymbal to mark the start of a new section, and percussion like rims, shakers or congas to decorate the groove. You'll meet them in the chapters on fills and styles.