Afro-Cuban · hard · 100 BPM
Songo Drum Beat
Songo is the modern Cuban drumset groove pioneered by Changuito with Los Van Van, fusing the conga tumbao and 2-3 clave feel onto a single kit. The kick plays the tumbao 'and' accents while the snare and cross-stick weave the clave-based comping over a quarter-note hat. It is funky, syncopated, and demanding, sitting between Afro-Cuban folklore and funk.
Press play to hear it, then open the full machine to edit, loop, and play along with your own kit.
What this teaches
Teaches four-way independence translating tumbao and clave phrasing onto the drumset.
More grooves
GrooveSteps practice notes · Updated 2026-10-18 · How these examples are made
Listen for this
Read the kick and cross-stick placements together before adding timekeeping. Mark where they coincide and where one answers the other. The goal is controlled interlocking parts; this programmed study does not claim to transcribe a particular performance.
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 100 BPM or lower the control until you can follow each part.
| Voice | Count positions |
|---|---|
| kick | 1 & · 2 & · 3 & · 4 & |
| snare | 2 · 2 a · 4 · 4 a |
| rim | 1 & · 2 a · 3 & · 4 e |
| hihat | 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
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