easy lesson
16th-Note Hi-Hat Groove
Sixteenth notes on the hi-hat create the busy, funky texture under funk and modern pop. Keep the tempo slow at first — it is the hi-hat hand that needs the practice.
Play it yourself — keyboard or your own kit
Play the hi-hat on all sixteen subdivisions: count '1-e-and-a, 2-e-and-a...'. Alternate hands if it helps. Keep it quiet and even.
Add the kick on beats 1 and 3.
Add the snare on beats 2 and 4 for a tight funk-pop groove.
GrooveSteps practice notes · Updated 2026-10-18 · How these examples are made
What to focus on
Sixteenth notes split each quarter note into four positions: number, e, and, a. This gives the hi-hat more notes without changing where beats 2 and 4 land.
Build a short practice session
Speak 1-e-and-a-2-e-and-a slowly and play the hat alone. Add kick and snare only after that four-part subdivision is even. On a physical kit, compare one-handed and alternating-hand approaches at a comfortable volume.
Listen, check, then progress
Avoid treating the last sixteenth of each beat as a pickup that must be rushed. Keep four equal spaces. A lower BPM with consistent spacing is more useful than a fast loop with a tense hand.
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 74 BPM or lower the control until you can follow each part.
| Voice | Count positions |
|---|---|
| kick | 1 · 3 |
| snare | 2 · 4 |
| hihat | 1 · 1 e · 1 & · 1 a · 2 · 2 e · 2 & · 2 a · 3 · 3 e · 3 & · 3 a · 4 · 4 e · 4 & · 4 a |
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.