Rhythmic pattern played on drums
This article is about many hits together. For one hit, see
drum stroke
. For marching hit patterns, see
drum cadence
.
A
drum beat
or
drum pattern
is a rhythmic pattern, or repeated
rhythm
establishing the
meter
and
groove
through the
pulse
and
subdivision
, played on
drum kits
and other
percussion
instruments. As such a "beat" consists of multiple
drum strokes
occurring over multiple
musical beats
while the term "drum beat"
[1]
may also refer to a single drum stroke which may occupy more or less time than the current pulse. Many drum beats define or are characteristic of specific
music genres
.
Many basic drum beats establish the pulse through alternating
bass
(on the
on-beats
) and
snare drums
(on the
off-beats
) strokes while establishing the subdivision on the
ride cymbal
(thus its name) or
hi-hat
:
Simple quadruple drum pattern, "Straight blues/Rock groove":
[2]
divides each of two beats into two.
This establishes a quarter note pulse in (quad)
duple time
: each
measure
is formed from (two groups of) two quarter note pulses, each pulse divided into two eighth notes.
Simple triple drum pattern: divides each of three beats into two.
This establishes a quarter note pulse in
triple time
: each measure is formed from three quarter note pulses, each divided into two eighth notes.
Compound [quadr]duple drum pattern: divides each of two beats into three.
This establishes a dotted-quarter note pulse in duple time: each measure is formed from two dotted-quarter note pulses, each pulse divided into three eighth notes.
Simple duple drum pattern but
with triplets
: divides each of two beats into three.
Compound triple meter is equivalent to simple duple meter with
triplets
on every beat.
Compound triple drum pattern: divides each of three beats into three
This establishes a dotted-quarter note pulse in triple time: each measure is formed from three dotted-quarter note pulses, each pulse divided into three eighth notes.
A "
fill
" is played in between the regular strokes of a pattern and/or signals the end of a
phrase
:
Since a phrase is multiple measures long, a fill signaling the end of one would come at the end of the last in a series of repeated measures.
In
double
and
half-time
patterns the pulse and ride are either doubled or halved, respectively, occurring twice or half as often:
Double-time: the snare moves to the "&" beats while the hi-hat begins to subdivide sixteenth notes. Also, the eighth notes 'sound like' quarter notes in two tiny measures.
Half time: the snare moves to beats 3 of measure one and two (beats 3 & 7) while the hi-hat plays only on the quarter notes. Also, the quarter notes 'sound like' eighth notes in one giant measure.
A
blast beat
drum pattern features all
drums
on the eighth note subdivision or variants with one or more drum's pattern displaced by a sixteenth note:
This resembles a combination of double-time (bass-snare pattern) and original time (ride pattern).
Despite the difference in notation, there is no difference in
interonset intervals
and this pattern is nearly identical to the first simple duple pattern except for the second onbeat being divided into two eighth notes and the second backbeat being delayed an eighth note.
The heavy metal
gallop
, named for a horse's
canter
, is based on a bass drum pattern of one eighth followed by two sixteenths.
This resembles a combination of double-time (bass-snare pattern) and original time (ride pattern).
Heavy metal gallop drum pattern
See also
[
edit
]
Sources
[
edit
]