How to Play Standard Rock Beats on Drums

Rock drummers drive their bands. They hold the tempo together and if they drag, they drag their bands down with them. Good rock drummers, even the superstars, know their most important job is to keep a rock solid steady beat.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Adjust your stool so that your elbows are level with your snare and floor tom. The drumsticks should be just above the drum heads.

2. Play a 4/4 beat. Strike all 4 beats on your high hat, the first 3 closed and the fourth open. The bass drum should always sound the first (or down) beat. Strike the snare drum on the third beat.

3. Embellish once you can hold a steady beat consistently. Strike the bass drum on the first 2 beats (BBS_), then add it on the fourth beat as well(BBSB).

4. Work a cymbal in occasionally. Replace the open high hat beat with a cymbal, or try a cymbal on the second beat. You don't need to crash the cymbal to get a great sound.

5. Try several measures on the cymbal. Keep the 4-beat rhythm going. Try it on the cymbal bell.

6. Work in a simple 8-beat fill. Master the fill on the snare, then try 4 beats on the snare and 4 beats on the tom.

7. Mix things up. Play the snare beat on the cymbal, start your fill 2 beats into the measure. Work in triplets and roll your beats across 2 tom toms.

Tips & Warnings

• The number of drums doesn't matter. Great drummers can play with a 3-piece kit (bass, snare, high hat). Master the beat first then start to work in riffs with tom toms and cymbals.
• The most important element is the bass drum beat. You have to keep it steady and consistent for your band mates to follow.
• Use a metronome or plug in your headset and play to rock songs. The best way to learn to keep the beat is to follow a steady beat.