The Four Most Important Drum Rhythms

To end up as a drummer for a big band, you can’t escape beginning with a couple of basic rhythms. While the ones you’ll want to play are likely to depend on your stylistic preference, there are a few simple beginner drum rhythms that can be used in any style. In this blog, I’ll discuss four quintessential rhythms that offer endless experimentation and variation. And, if you later on decide you want to take things a step further, you check out other blogs or our drum study books.

Counts of Four

Before jumping into the deep end, let’s dive into a little bit of background information. For this blog, it’s important to count along with the drum rhythms. Below, we’ll start with groups of 4 counts, which are common in pop, rock blues and jazz. The four counts combined are what we call one measure. In a song, the measure is continuously repeated: 1, 2, 3, 4 – 1, 2, 3, 4 – … A single count can be any note, like a quarter note for example. Quarter notes can be divided into eighth notes, which ‘move twice as fast’ and can in turn, be divided into sixteenth notes, and so on.

Drum Notations

Drum parts are notated in a special way. Rhythms can be written down in different ways and drum notations can look pretty complicated. What’s important to remember is that any symbols placed above or below another represented notes that are played at exactly the same time. Really, don’t let drum notations scare you off. They’re just tools!

Alternative Drum Notation

To keep things nice and easy, I’m going to use an alternative style of drum notation for this blog. You don’t need to be able to read notes, all you need to do is count well and look at the notations that have been written underneath each other and therefore, need to be played at the same time. Here’s a quick rundown:

> = visual aid that indicates the count
H = each H indicates a hi-hat strike
S = each S indicates a snare drum strike
B = each B indicates a bass drum strike

If you’re right-handed, the H represents your right hand, the S represents your left hand, and the B is your right foot. You actually won’t need your left foot just yet. Below the > symbol in the examples below, you’ll see the following: ‘1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and.’ This is only there to help you count, either out loud or in your head, while you drum.

The Four Drum Rhythms

Now, I’m going to show you how you can play the following rhythms:

1. Pop rhythm with eighth notes on the hi-hat
2. Pop rhythm with sixteenth notes on the hi-hat
3. Rhythm with eighth triplets on the hi-hat
4. Swing/Shuffle rhythm

#1. Pop rhythm with eighth notes on the hi-hat

Used in many styles and heard on many records, this first ‘real’ drum rhythm that most beginners are taught is also the most important one of all, not to mention it can be endlessly varied: eighth notes played on the hi-hat. Like I said, you’ll be counting “one-and-and-two-and-three-and-four-and-one-and-two-and-three-and-four” while you play the bass drum on the first and third count, and the snare drum on the second and fourth. This is what that looks like:

>     >     >     > 
1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and
H  H  H  H  H  H  H  H 
      S           S 
B           B

Example: Michael Jackson – Billie Jean

Variation

To change things up, you can add a bass drum strike on the ‘and’ of the fourth count:

>     >     >     > 
1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and
H  H  H  H  H  H  H  H 
      S           S 
B           B        B

#2. Pop rhythm with sixteenth notes on the hi-hat

After you get the hang of the first rhythm, it’s only a small step over to the next one. The bass and snare remain the same (B on 1 and 3, S on 2 and 4) but instead of eighths, you’ll be playing sixteenth notes, counting them as follows:

1-tuh-nuh-tuh-2-tuh-nuh-tuh-3-tuh-nuh-tuh-4-tuh-nuh-tuh.

There are two ways to play this beat, either with one hand or by alternating the left and right. Depending on the tempo and your preferences, this is entirely up to you. The rhythm can be used in styles like disco, funk and reggae, and looks like this:

>               >               >               > 
1  tuh nuh tuh  2  tuh nuh tuh  3  tuh nuh tuh  4  tuh nuh tuh 
H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H 
                S                               S 
B                               B

Example: Jamiroquai – Cosmic Girl

Variation

Here’s an often-heard variation of the rhythm, including an extra snare drum hit on the second ‘tuh’ of the second count and an extra bass drum kit on the ‘nuh’ of the fourth count:

>               >               >               > 
1  tuh nuh tuh  2  tuh nuh tuh  3  tuh nuh tuh  4  tuh nuh tuh 
H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H 
                S           S                   S 
B                               B                       B

#3. Rhythm with eighth triplets on the hi-hat

To play the third rhythm, you’re going to continue striking the bass on count 1 and 3 and the snare on count 2 and 4. Instead of eighths or sixteenths, however, you’ll be playing eighth triplets, meaning that rather than 2 or 4 notes, you’ll be playing 3 notes per count. The result is a 6/8 time signature, one that’s actually perfect for ballads. Write it down, and it’ll look like this:

>        >        >        > 
1  nuh muh  2  nuh muh  3  nuh muh  4  nuh muh
H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H
            S                       S 
B                       B

Example: James Brown – It’s a man’s man’s man’s world

Variation

The variation here includes an extra bass drum on the ‘muh’ of the fourth count:

>        >        >        > 
1  nuh muh  2  nuh muh  3  nuh muh  4  nuh muh
H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H   H
            S                       S 
B                       B                   B

#4. Swing/Shuffle Rhythm

Much like the third, the fourth rhythm consists of eighth triplets played on the hi-hat. The difference here is that there’s no note played on the ‘nuh’ anymore in order to create a kind of shuffle-swing beat that’s perfect for blues, and rock ‘n’ roll. The bass drum still goes on the 1st and 3rd count, the snare stays on the 2nd and 4th.

>        >        >        > 
1  nuh muh  2  nuh muh  3  nuh muh  4  nuh muh
H       H   H       H   H       H   H       H
            S                       S 
B                       B

Example: Blues Brothers – Sweet home Chicago

Variation

For the variation, I’ve added an extra snare drum strike to the ‘muh’ of the fourth count. If you’d like, you could also go for extra bass drum strike instead.

>        >        >        > 
1  nuh muh  2  nuh muh  3  nuh muh  4  nuh muh
H       H   H       H   H       H   H       H
            S                       S       S
B                       B

Finally

It’s good to know that the rhythms and variations above can be changed up infinitely. Also, drum lessons, drum books and online courses can take you a long way but, as always, start slowly and only pick up the pace when you know which notes go together nicely.

Got any solid drum rhythm practice tips? Feel free to share them in the comment section below!