Rock Beat #1
This first rock beat uses 3 aspects of your drum set: the hi-hats, kick drum, and snare. Starting with the hi-hats, we’re playing constant 16th notes using single strokes which are Right Left Right Left, or Left Right Left Right, depending on which hand your lead hand is. I play Right hand lead, which means I start with my Right hand. Sixteenth notes are counted as: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a Here’s what sixteenth note hi-hats look like on notation:
Next, we’ll bring in the snare drum. In this beat, the snare drum is played on beats 2 and 4. Here’s what that looks like:
You’ve probably noticed, the right hand no longer plays the hi-hats on beats 2 and 4. So we are simply moving the right hand down from the hi-hat, to play the snare drum on beats 2 and 4.
Finally, let’s bring the kick drum in. For this rock beat, we’ll simply play the kick drum on beats 1, beat 3, as well as the “&” of 3. Here’s what that looks like:
This beat can be played with either a closed hi-hat, or open hi-hat. An open hi-hat adds some of that loudness and presence so commonly associated with rock music!
Rock Beat #2
This second rock beat will incorporate significantly less notes than the previous beat, but that doesn’t mean it’ll sound any less powerful. In fact, this type of beat, referred to as a halftime beat, serves a great purpose in creating more tension by using more time between the snare drum, because it’s only played on beat 3. To start, we have constant quarter notes going on your ride cymbal. This is counted as “1 2 3 4” and looks like this on notation:
Now, let’s establish the halftime feel by adding in the snare drum on beat 3, which looks like this:
Finally, let’s bring in the kick drum. The kick drum pattern for this beat is a little different than what you may be used to. The kick drum is played on beat 1, the “&” of beat 1, as well as the “&” of beat 2. Here’s the full beat with the kick drum:
Quick tip - experiment with these beats! Move around the snare drum, or move around the kick drum within each beat, and you’ll be quite pleased with what you find!
Rock Beat #3
This final drum beat is the easiest one out of the bunch. In this beat, we’ll also have quarter notes on the ride cymbal, which looks like this:
Now, here’s where it gets EASY! All the notes we’re playing on our ride cymbal, we’ll also be playing on our snare drum! Here’s what that looks like:
Finally, let’s bring in the kick drum. This part may feel a bit tricky, with the kick drum being played on the “&” of every beat. Try to imagine it as if you’re filling in the space between the quarter notes with the kick drum. Here’s what that looks like:
These beats will get you rocking along to all kinds of awesome rock songs, and if you want to learn more awesome & easy rock drum beats, then click here to join DBO Academy where you’ll learn a whole lot of amazing rock drum beats, and more!
