Disco · medium · 118 BPM
Disco Beat
Classic disco drumming: a four-on-the-floor kick, backbeat snare on 2 and 4, and the signature open hi-hat barked on every off-beat against busy sixteenth-note ticks. That open-and-closed hat chick is the heartbeat of the entire genre.
Press play to hear it, then open the full machine to edit, loop, and play along with your own kit.
What this teaches
Teaches the alternating closed/open hi-hat foot-and-hand coordination that defines disco.
Heard in
- Chic - Le Freak
- The Trammps - Disco Inferno
- Earth, Wind & Fire - September
More grooves
GrooveSteps practice notes · Updated 2026-10-18 · How these examples are made
Listen for this
The open and closed hat sounds need clear boundaries. Hear each offbeat opening against the steady kick, then reduce its level until the snare is still easy to pick out. Compare this pattern with the simpler house example.
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 118 BPM or lower the control until you can follow each part.
| Voice | Count positions |
|---|---|
| kick | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 |
| snare | 2 · 4 |
| hihat | 1 · 1 & · 1 a · 2 · 2 & · 2 a · 3 · 3 & · 3 a · 4 · 4 & · 4 a |
| openhat | 1 & · 2 & · 3 & · 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
Found a mismatch between the explanation and the player? Send a correction with the page address and the step or count that needs attention.