Once you start to develop coordination on the drum set, playing becomes a little more exciting. The next hurdle is to learn ways to play different drum beats on songs so it doesn’t all sound the same. The following beginner drum beats were designed to introduce more variety in your playing without becoming too complicated.
As you learn these drum beats, look for them, and similar ideas, in the music you listen to. New rhythms and instrumental choices on the drum set will start to pop out at you as the patterns become more obvious.
1. Boom Whack – The Beginner Beat
The “boom whack” is the beginner drum beat that everyone starts with. But don’t let that fool you because it’s just as powerful as the smoothest odd meter groove from Vinnie Colaiuta. Just because it’s easy to learn and play doesn’t make it less exciting or important.
Related: How to Learn Drums – 10 Tips for Beginners
Some people call the “money beat,” or at least place in the category of money beats that are simple and work for most songs. I like to think of it as the beginner’s money beat because it’s so inspiring.
Although so many songs either have the “boom whack” beat or can be jammed along with this simple groove, “Back in Black” by ACDC is the most iconic example.
2. Four on the Floor Beat
You’ll hear the four on the floor drum beat on disco, rock, pop, country, funk, reggae, and several other styles of music. This beat provides such a driving foundation to the groove that it’s hard not to feel the power and move to the music.
The four on the floor drum beat is basically a “boom whack” with four kick drums, each on the downbeats. Although it is a beat that all beginners should learn, it’s not as easy to play well as the boom whack.
When you add a kick drum on the same downbeats as the snare drum backbeat, the potential to flam those hits can be a problem. Take it slowly when you practice to ensure that your hits are lining up. I always listen for this issue when I hear tracks on playback.
Perhaps some of the most popular songs with the four on the floor drum beat include “Another Brick in the Wall” by Pink Floyd, “Shakedown Street” by The Grateful Dead, “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen, and “Exodus” by Bob Marley.
Although “Exodus” does not include the backbeat on beats two and four, it honors the characteristic four kick drum hits on the downbeats. This essential rhythm is further acknowledged by Stewart Copeland as all the rhythm you ever need (source).
So try to think beyond the backbeat with these beginner drum beats.
3. Half time Drum Beat
The half time drum beat places a single kick drum on beat one and a snare hit on beat three. Like any of these beginner drum beats, you can play different cymbal patterns on top of the kick and snare patterns.
It’s a great beat to know when the song needs a dramatic change that isn’t too far off stylistically from a boom whack, for example. Some songs may use this groove during a bridge or a breakdown section of the tune, while others may carry this beat throughout the song.
The “boom boom boom” beat is one of my favorite halftime grooves. It’s funky and works for a lot of pseudo-Latin styles because it satisfies low drum syncopation from the two dominant Latin music countries — Cuba and Brazil.
4. Boom Boom Smack
This is the “We Will Rock You” beat. It’s a variation on the “boom whack” that’s heavier on the kick, making it great for rock anthems and songs move a long like “You Don’t Know How It Feels” by Tom Petty.
Variations on the “boom boom smack” expand the pattern to a full measure phrase by leaving out a kick. Additionally, you can combine this pattern with the next one on the list for what feels like another style altogether.
5. Boom Chick Boom Boom
The “boom chick boom” is like a pop / rock samba kick drum pattern. It’s one eighth note from a samba, yet it opens up the groove by leaving out a kick drum.
You’ll hear this groove in a lot of classic rock and country music. It’s a great one for adaptations of Latin rhythms on drum set, especially if the song needs more of a strong downbeat on one.
Related: 17 Latin Grooves Every Drum Set Player Should Know
6. Tom Grooves
Move the hand playing a cymbal to the floor tom, and you have a tom groove, for lack of a better name. Listen for these grooves in the bridge of a song or the second verse of a lot of country songs.
In terms of beginner drum beats, this is the kind of beat that will set you apart from the new drummers who always sound the same. It’s a fun way to add a new timbre (sound) to the groove and establish phrases for a song.
The example below is the next step after you simply move your hand playing the cymbal to the tom. This drum beat has a little more syncopation to let it shine on its own, like it has its own identity apart from the grooves that ride the cymbals.
Related: 30 Rock Drum Beats – I’ll Show You How to Make 100 More
7. One-Drop Reggae Drum Beat
The one-drop reggae pattern is not often shared on a list of beginner drum beats. But in my lessons studio it’s always one of the early lessons because it’s excellent for creativity and coordination.
This beat is one of three types of drum beats you’ll hear a drummer play on a reggae tune. The others are rockers and steppers. Check out the link below for more about all three.
Listen to a song like “Stir It Up” by Bob Marley. The hi-hat accents are on the upbeats, which means you’ll play those accents on beats 2 and 4 which feel like upbeats.
The kick drum is on beat 3 instead of beat 1, and this is the difference that throws a lot of really good beginner drummers off a bit. But once you get the coordination, it opens up a lot of doors for a long list of songs to explore.
Related: 3 Reggae Drum Beats Drummers Should Know
8. Slap Conga Drum Beat
The slap conga drum beat replaces the snare drum on beats 2 and with a cross stick on beat 2 and two rack tom hits on beat 4. The cross stick simulates the slap on the conga drum, and the rack tom simulates the open tones.
Although you won’t hear this drum beat as often as some of the others on this list, it’s one that gets fast results with beginners. When I taught private lessons weekly, considering concepts like slap conga to the beginner drum beats list led to faster improvement for most students.
This drum beat can be varied in many ways. You can use any of the kick drum patterns in the previous beats on this list, or you could change the ride pattern a bit. The variation below shows more of a ballroom rumba pattern on the cymbal.
9. Shuffle for Beginners
Shuffles are one of the drum beats that begin the bridge between beginner and intermediate. Drummers need to start playing shuffles a lot sooner than later, because it’s not easy and takes time to develop.
Once you develop this gallop feel of a shuffle — like the train is going by and the wheel spacing hits the track joint it different yet cyclical intervals — you’ll be able to play tens of thousands of songs. This beat opens doors to the blues catalogue, pop songs, and a lot of country songs.
The shuffle below is a simple shuffle for beginners to get started. It focuses the shuffle on the cymbal pattern. To take the shuffle to the next level, look out for shuffling the snare drum or kick drum, as well.
Related: Learn to Play 6 Blues Drum Beats – Shuffles and More
10. Bo Diddley Beat
This is the funkiest drum beat on the list. It’s such a fundamental groove that every rhythm player should learn sooner than later because of how common the rhythm theme is.
The Bo Diddley Beat is based on a clave rhythm. Bo Diddley used this rhythm on some songs that were popular for him. Since few other singer-songwriters were using this rhythm, his name became associated with it.
You can play this rhythm as a simple drum beat as shown below, or you can do other things with it. Try using the clave rhythm as an accent pattern on a tom groove.
Final Thoughts
Listening is the most important part of drumming. This beginner drum beats list is only a tool to help players develop their concept of beats on drum set. You’ll know you’re getting better when these drums beats become more obvious in your listening sessions.