How-to
Drum Patterns by Genre: House, Techno, Trap, Hip Hop, Garage and DnB Step Grids
Updated 4 min read
Each genre has a core drum pattern: house and techno put the kick on every beat, trap and dubstep put the snare on beat 3 for a half-time feel, boom bap and most hip hop put the snare on 2 and 4 with a swung kick, and UK garage and drum and bass use a skippy two-step kick on beat 1 and the 'and' of beat 3. The grids below show every hit on a 16-step bar, so you can copy them straight into any drum machine or piano roll.
House drum pattern (118–128 BPM)
Kick
- Steps 1–16
- x··· x··· x··· x···
- Notes
- Four-on-the-floor
Clap
- Steps 1–16
- ···· x··· ···· x···
- Notes
- Beats 2 and 4
Closed hat
- Steps 1–16
- ··x· ··x· ··x· ··x·
- Notes
- Offbeats, or 16ths for more drive
Open hat
- Steps 1–16
- ··x· ··x· ··x· ··x·
- Notes
- The classic house offbeat
Swing the 16ths by 10 to 20%, add a shaker on every 16th at low volume, and put congas or a rimshot in the gaps around beat 4. Choke the open hat with the next closed hat so it doesn't smear. The full production process is in how to make house music.
Techno beat (125–140 BPM)
Kick
- Steps 1–16
- x··· x··· x··· x···
- Notes
- Four-on-the-floor, often with a rumble tail
Clap
- Steps 1–16
- ···· o··· ···· o···
- Notes
- Soft on 2 and 4, or left out
Closed hat
- Steps 1–16
- xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
- Notes
- Driving 16ths, accent the offbeats
Open hat
- Steps 1–16
- ··x· ··x· ··x· ··x·
- Notes
- Offbeats
Tom
- Steps 1–16
- ···· ···· ···x ····
- Notes
- One syncopated hit
Rim
- Steps 1–16
- ···· ··x· ···· ··x·
- Notes
- Off-16ths for a hypnotic loop
Techno lives on repetition and small changes: automate hat decay, filter the rumble, and add or remove one percussion hit every 8 bars. Keep swing low (0 to 10%) for a mechanical drive.
Trap drum pattern (130–150 BPM, half-time)
Kick
- Steps 1–16
- x··· ···· ··x· ····
- Notes
- Beat 1 plus a syncopated hit; vary it every bar
Snare
- Steps 1–16
- ···· ···· x··· ····
- Notes
- Beat 3 only: the half-time backbeat
Clap
- Steps 1–16
- ···· ···· o··· ····
- Notes
- Layered under the snare
Hi-hat
- Steps 1–16
- xoxo xoxo xxox xoxo
- Notes
- 16ths with accents; add triplet rolls
808
- Steps 1–16
- x··· ···· ··x· ····
- Notes
- Follows the kick, tuned to the song
The hats make or break trap: switch between 8ths, 16ths and 32nd or triplet rolls every bar or two, and pitch the rolls up or down. The 808 plays the same rhythm as the kick, tuned to the chord roots, with glides between notes. Thump has a gliding 808 voice and trap kits.
Hip hop drum pattern: boom bap (85–100 BPM)
Kick
- Steps 1–16
- x··· ···x ··x· ····
- Notes
- Beat 1, the 'a' of 2 and the 'and' of 3
Snare
- Steps 1–16
- ···· x··· ···· x···
- Notes
- Beats 2 and 4, hard
Hi-hat
- Steps 1–16
- x·o· x·o· x·o· x·o·
- Notes
- 8ths, accented on the beat
Open hat
- Steps 1–16
- ···· ···· ···· ··x·
- Notes
- A lift into the next bar
Swing is the sound of boom bap: 50 to 60% on the 16ths, or nudge the hats and kicks late by hand. Use punchy, slightly crushed drums, and keep the snare loud. For a lo-fi version, slow it to 75 to 85 BPM and add tape wobble.
UK garage drum pattern: 2-step (130–138 BPM)
Kick
- Steps 1–16
- x··· ···· ··x· ····
- Notes
- Beat 1 and the 'and' of 3: no four-on-the-floor
Snare / clap
- Steps 1–16
- ···· x··· ···· x···
- Notes
- Beats 2 and 4
Closed hat
- Steps 1–16
- x·xx x·xx x·xx x·xx
- Notes
- Shuffled 16ths, heavy swing
Open hat
- Steps 1–16
- ··x· ··x· ··x· ··x·
- Notes
- Offbeats
Rim / perc
- Steps 1–16
- ···x ···· ·x·· ··x·
- Notes
- Syncopated ghost hits
Garage gets its skip from the missing kick on beat 3 and a lot of swing, around 60 to 65% on the 16ths. Move the second kick around (step 11, 12 or 15) from bar to bar, and add a shuffled shaker. Speed-garage and bassline variants go back to four-on-the-floor.
Drum and bass pattern (170–176 BPM)
Kick
- Steps 1–16
- x··· ···· ··x· ····
- Notes
- The two-step: beat 1 and the 'and' of 3
Snare
- Steps 1–16
- ···· x··· ···· x···
- Notes
- Beats 2 and 4, loud and bright
Hi-hat / ride
- Steps 1–16
- x·x· x·x· x·x· x·x·
- Notes
- 8ths, or a chopped break on top
Ghost snare
- Steps 1–16
- ···· ···o ···· ··o·
- Notes
- Quiet hits that make it roll
The kick and snare skeleton is the same as garage, but straight and much faster. Layer a chopped breakbeat over it for jungle and rollers, and keep the sub bass simple so the drums carry the energy.
All patterns side by side
House
- BPM
- 118–128
- Kick
- Every beat
- Snare / clap
- 2 and 4
- Swing
- 10–20%
Techno
- BPM
- 125–140
- Kick
- Every beat
- Snare / clap
- 2 and 4, soft or none
- Swing
- 0–10%
Trap
- BPM
- 130–150
- Kick
- 1 plus syncopated 16ths
- Snare / clap
- Beat 3
- Swing
- None, rolls instead
Boom bap
- BPM
- 85–100
- Kick
- 1, 2a, 3&
- Snare / clap
- 2 and 4
- Swing
- 50–60%
UK garage
- BPM
- 130–138
- Kick
- 1 and 3&
- Snare / clap
- 2 and 4
- Swing
- 60–65%
Drum and bass
- BPM
- 170–176
- Kick
- 1 and 3&
- Snare / clap
- 2 and 4
- Swing
- None, ghost notes instead
Tempo ranges for every other style are in our BPM by genre chart. Once the drums are in, sidechain the bass and chords to the kick with our free Pump, or hold a chord in Afterhours for a house or techno bassline and stabs that lock to your groove.
FAQ
What is the basic house drum pattern?
A kick on every beat (four-on-the-floor), a clap or snare on beats 2 and 4, and an open hi-hat on every offbeat between the kicks. Add 16th-note closed hats or shakers with a little swing, and percussion in the gaps.
How do you make a trap drum pattern?
Set the tempo around 140 BPM and put the snare or clap on beat 3 of each bar for the half-time feel. Place kicks on beat 1 and a few syncopated 16ths, run the hi-hats in 8ths or 16ths with triplet rolls, and let the 808 follow the kick.
What is a four-on-the-floor beat?
A pattern with the kick drum on all four beats of every bar. It is the foundation of house, techno, disco and most dance music, because it gives DJs and dancers a steady pulse.
What is the drum and bass beat called?
The basic pattern is usually called the two-step: a kick on beat 1 and the 'and' of beat 3, with snares on beats 2 and 4, played at around 174 BPM. Many tracks build it from chopped breakbeats such as the Amen or Think breaks rather than single hits.
How much swing should I use?
House and techno usually take 10 to 20% swing on the 16ths, boom bap and lo-fi 50 to 60%, and UK garage heavier still. Trap and drum and bass are mostly straight, with the groove coming from rolls and ghost notes instead.