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Beginner

How to Make Drum Patterns

10 foundational drum patterns that cover every genre. Learn these and you can make almost any beat.

How to Read Pattern Notation

Each pattern is shown as a 16-step grid. X = sound plays. . = silence. Steps are numbered 1-16. Beats fall on 1, 5, 9, 13. Load a kick, snare, and hi-hat onto three pads in Padwolf, switch to the Sequencer tab, and toggle the steps shown.

1. Basic Rock/Pop (90-120 BPM)

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Kick
Snare
Hat

The most universal drum pattern in music. Four-on-the-floor kick, backbeat snare, eighth-note hats. This pattern works in rock, pop, country, and electronic music.

2. Boom Bap (85-100 BPM, swing 58-62%)

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Classic hip-hop. The kick has a syncopated pattern (the kick on step 4 creates the bounce). Add 1/16 swing at 58-62% for the authentic MPC feel.

3. Trap (140 BPM, half-time feel)

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Trap is defined by sparse kicks, a half-time snare (beat 3 only), and rapid 16th-note hi-hats. The hat pattern is the driving force. Vary the hat velocity for realism. Keep swing low or off.

4. Lo-Fi Hip-Hop (70-85 BPM, swing 54-60%)

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Slow tempo, gentle swing, and a lazy kick pattern. The off-beat kick (step 7) gives it that laid-back, head-nodding quality. Pitch your samples down a few semitones for warmth.

5. House (120-130 BPM)

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Four-on-the-floor kick drives the dance floor. The hat is on the offbeats (steps 3, 7, 11, 15) — this creates the bouncing feel. Use an open hat and put it in a mute group with a closed hat for realistic behavior.

6. UK Drill (140-145 BPM, no swing)

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Drill uses rapid, irregular hi-hat patterns with ghost notes. The snare sits on the half-time position. Keep it dead straight — no swing. The aggression comes from the precision.

7. Reggaeton / Dembow (95 BPM)

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The dembow riddim. The snare pattern (steps 4, 7, 12, 15) creates the iconic bouncing rhythm. This tresillo-based pattern drives reggaeton, dancehall, and Latin trap.

8. Phonk (130-140 BPM)

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Cowbell

Phonk is built on Memphis rap patterns with a cowbell melody. The hat pattern has rapid triplet-feel bursts. Pitch samples down for that dark, distorted aesthetic.

9. Jersey Club (130-140 BPM)

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Jersey club is all about the kick pattern — rapid doubles and unconventional placement. The kick IS the groove. Load vocal chops on extra pads for the classic bed-squeak sound.

10. Afrobeats (100-115 BPM)

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Afrobeats relies on layered percussion. The kick is sparse but punchy. Add a shaker, log drum, or clave on the perc line. The groove comes from the interplay between percussion layers.

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Frequently Asked Questions

No. These are starting points. The best beats come from taking a foundation and adding your own twist — moving a kick, adding an extra snare hit, changing the hat pattern. Learn the rules, then break them.

Listen to the genre you want to make. Find a song you like and try to recreate its drum pattern step by step. After a while, the patterns become second nature and you'll create your own instinctively.