It combines a shuffle with a half-time beat. This drum pattern is a fun one to program and it always sounds great. Listen to Rod Stewart’s ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy’ to hear Carmine Appice playing a definitive take on the disco groove. Like all the beats covered here, this pattern can be used in many different situations. It doesn’t matter what you think of disco as a genre. It’s another way of creating a ‘bounce’, just like using the shuffle. What changes is the addition of open hi-hats on the offbeats, which changes the emphasis and moves it away from the kicks and snares. Once again, put the kick on all the downbeats, snare on the second and fourth beats, then add a closed hi-hat on each beat. Katy Perry’s ‘I Kissed A Girl’ is one example of this beat.Įven with simple beats, the smallest changes can totally transform the feel of an entire song. Note that it’s not always hi-hats – the shuffle can happen on any part of the kit. Note that here we’re using only two of the three triplets for each occurrence, and it’s the missing one that makes it bounce. In Bandlab, you can draw in the hi-hats, then right-click on the notes and choose 1/8th quantization. Keep a kick drum on the first and third beats, a snare on the second and fourth, and add hi-hats as illustrated below. It’s the same eight hi-hat beats in a bar, but move them around a bit to create triplets. This adds a different feel to the previous beats, simply by changing the hi-hat pattern. Check out Queen’s ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ as an example of how well this popular beat can work.
You could still work with the same kit and effects as above, or you could also try it with a drum machine type of sound like Bandlab’s 808 kit for a more techno experience. This could be thought of as a disco beat, because it definitely will make people dance, but outside of the confines of genres, it’s one that gets people moving whatever style you’re working in. All you need to add to the 8th-note groove is a kick on the second and fourth beats, increasing the emphasis on each beat and the low frequencies. In programming terms, this is simply a matter of adding two extra clicks to the first beat. If you can master the 8th-note groove above, then you shouldn’t have any problem with this one, in fact, it might even be easier to play in some ways. Drum pattern two: The four-to-the-floor beat Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’ is probably the most well-known use of this beat. Make sure you experiment with different tempos (don’t get stuck in a rut with that). Load your favorite Bandlab drum kit – try the Funk Kit with the BL 1176 compressor and a little Studio Reverb – and you’re good to go. You’ve got a kick on the first and third beats, snare on the second and fourth, and those closed hi-hats on every quaver note going across the bar. Nail this one and you can start programming or recording beats immediately. It’s all about the hi-hats playing those 8th notes, including those that fall between the kick and snare hits. It’s a good starter because it’s so adaptable and works at any tempo. Read more: Six drum patterns from popular genres explained Drum pattern one: The 8th-note groove These classic beats are the building blocks of constructing your own drum patterns whether you’re working with a trackpad or a kit. Most DJs who move into production start off wanting to add custom beats, and it doesn’t hurt to learn some of the fundamentals that drummers employ. It is a really powerful and creative technique, but eventually, you’ll need to know more about how beats are made so you can construct your own.
Sometimes that means sampling taking a slice from a record and rehashing it for your own needs. You may or may not be a drummer, but if you’re a producer you need to know about drum pattern basics.