Rock · easy · 120 BPM
Basic Rock Beat
The foundational rock groove and the first beat almost every drummer learns. Kick on beats 1 and 3, snare on the backbeats 2 and 4, with steady eighth notes on the hi-hat. It feels solid, square, and driving.
Press play to hear it, then open the full machine to edit, loop, and play along with your own kit.
What this teaches
Teaches limb independence and locking the kick, snare, and hi-hat into a steady eighth-note grid.
Heard in
- The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
- AC/DC - Back in Black
More grooves
GrooveSteps practice notes · Updated 2026-10-18 · How these examples are made
Listen for this
Use the hi-hat as the steady ruler. Isolate kick on 1 and 3 with snare on 2 and 4, then put the hats back. When all three line up, try removing one hat note without changing the backbeat.
Practice the arrangement
- Start with the sparsest row. Count every subdivision, including the silent positions.
- Add one voice at a time on your kit, or listen to the full loop and clap just one part. Keep the main pulse unchanged.
- Play four loops at a comfortable tempo. Change one note, then compare the variation with the displayed pattern before adding another.
Read the final example without sound
This loop has 16 steps, with 4 steps per main beat. Count each beat as number, e, and, a. The table lists the occupied positions; every unlisted position is a rest. Start at 120 BPM or lower the control until you can follow each part.
| Voice | Count positions |
|---|---|
| kick | 1 · 3 |
| snare | 2 · 4 |
| hihat | 1 · 1 & · 2 · 2 & · 3 · 3 & · 4 · 4 & |
These positions describe the programmed example, not an artist recording. Playback uses synthesized sounds. A real performance also involves touch, dynamics and phrasing.
Keep practicing
Build a practice routine · Read drum notation · Browse the lesson path
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