Reggae · easy · 76 BPM
Steppers Drum Beat
A driving four-on-the-floor reggae feel with the kick stepping on every beat, giving it a relentless forward militancy. The snare still lands on beat 3 to keep the reggae backbeat intact. This is the marching, insistent cousin of the one drop.
Press play to hear it, then open the full machine to edit, loop, and play along with your own kit.
What this teaches
Teaches steady four-on-the-floor bass-drum endurance while keeping the snare anchored on the off-beat 3.
Heard in
- Burning Spear - Marcus Garvey
- Bob Marley & The Wailers - Exodus
More grooves
GrooveSteps practice notes · Updated 2026-10-18 · How these examples are made
Listen for this
Let the kick mark every numbered beat while the snare keeps its distinct place in the reggae phrase. Compare this with the one-drop exercise at the same tempo to hear how added low-drum pulses change the motion.
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 76 BPM or lower the control until you can follow each part.
| Voice | Count positions |
|---|---|
| kick | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 |
| snare | 3 |
| 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
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