Free lesson
Your first drum beat in 5 minutes
The first beat almost every drummer learns is the basic rock beat: the hi-hat on every count, the snare on 2 and 4, and the kick on 1 and 3. Count “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &” out loud and add one limb at a time. Slow is fine. Steady is the goal.
Before you start
Sit at the kit, or with a pad in front of you and your right foot flat on the floor. If you're right-handed, your right hand plays the hi-hat, your left hand the snare, and your right foot the kick. Your right hand crosses over the left; that's normal.
No kit? Tap along on the player below: F for the kick, J for the snare, space for the hi-hat. On a phone, tap the shapes.
1. Count out loud
Say “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &” evenly, over and over. Every beat has a number, and the “&” sits exactly halfway between them. Counting out loud feels silly for about a day, and then it's what keeps you steady.
2. The kick on 1 and 3
Keep counting. Press the kick on “1” and on “3”. Let the pedal come back up by itself.
3. Add the snare on 2 and 4
Now the left hand plays the snare on “2” and “4”. Kick, snare, kick, snare. This is the backbeat, and it's in nearly every song you know.
4. Add the hi-hat on every count
The right hand plays the hi-hat on every number and every “&”: eight even notes a bar. On 1 and 3 it lands with the kick; on 2 and 4 with the snare. That's the whole beat.
Press play, then slow it down with − until you can play along without stopping. Four bars clean at a slow tempo beat one bar fast.
Common mistakes
- The hi-hat stops when the snare hits. Both hands play at the same moment on 2 and 4. Play it slower until they do.
- Speeding up. Most beginners rush, especially into the snare. Keep counting out loud; the count holds you back.
- Squeezing the sticks. Hold them loosely, about a third of the way up, and let them bounce off the drum.
- Burying the kick. Let the beater come off the head after each note, or the kick sounds choked.