How to Play Eighth Notes on Drums

In drumming, there are no "notes" to speak of, your playing is identified strictly by time and tempo. So, you have quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, etc. The eighth note is popular, and twice as fast as quarter note play.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Count fours. If you're using a metronome, the metronome beat is your four, or "quarters" of a bar. So, when you count to four, that's one bar, and when you start over, you're on a new bar, so each bar has four beats, and that's a quarter.

2. Proceed to counting eights instead of fours. You'll notice it's twice as many beats in the same time period. If your metronome supports it, you can change its bats to eighth. Otherwise, just count to yourself.

3. Add eighth notes on drums by hitting a drum on each one of those counts, from one to eight. That way, each note you play is an eighth note.

4. Switch hands. One easy way to do eighth notes continually is to go back and forth from left to right on each beat, on a snare and tom mix, two toms, a snare and hi-hat, or any other drum combination. Keep up that consistent playing throughout multiple bars.

5. Do consistent drum patterns by using a specific drum for each count. You might do a bass kick on 1, a snare on 2,3, and 4, a bass kick on 5, a snare on 6, and a tom on 7 and 8. Any combination is good as long as you stick to it until you decide to change to a new pattern.