3Step drum pattern
Between amapiano and afro house: three kicks a bar and a hole where the fourth should be, shuffling shakers slightly off the grid, the log drum answering the gap. Here are its drums on a step grid, at the tempo it starts at, to hear and to change.
118 BPM · Afro kit · 2 bars · 56% swing
The pattern, step by step
Each step is a sixteenth note, four to a beat: step 1 is beat 1, 5 is beat 2, 9 is beat 3 and 13 is beat 4. A lit square is a hit; a fainter one is played softer.
- Hit
- Softer hit
| Drum | Bar 1 | Bar 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Shaker | 1 (soft), 2 (soft), 3 (soft), 4 (soft), 5 (soft), 6 (soft), 7 (soft), 8 (soft), 9 (soft), 10 (soft), 11 (soft), 12 (soft), 13 (soft), 14 (soft), 15 (soft), 16 (soft) | 1 (soft), 2 (soft), 3 (soft), 4 (soft), 5 (soft), 6 (soft), 7 (soft), 8 (soft), 9 (soft), 10 (soft), 11 (soft), 12 (soft), 13 (soft), 14 (soft), 15 (soft), 16 (soft) |
| Clap | 5, 13 | 5, 13 |
| Snare | – | 13 (soft), 14 (soft), 15, 16 |
| Conga | 11, 15 | 11 |
| Kick | 1, 5, 9 | 1, 5, 9 |
They open as one drum lane on a step grid, at 118 BPM. No account needed to start.
How 3Step drums go
Kicks on 1, 2 and 3 with beat 4 left empty; a light clap on 2 and 4; a shuffling sixteenth shaker; congas and woodblocks on the offs; a quick snare roll at the end of a phrase.
Questions about 3Step drums
What BPM is 3Step?
Usually 112 to 126 BPM. This pattern plays at 118 BPM.
How do you make a 3Step drum pattern?
Start with the kick on steps 1, 5 and 9, the clap on steps 5 and 13, the conga on steps 11 and 15 and the shaker on every step, then follow the grid for bar 2. Each step is a sixteenth note, four to a beat: step 1 is beat 1, 5 is beat 2, 9 is beat 3 and 13 is beat 4. Open it in the free editor to change any step.
Do 3Step drums swing?
Yes, about 56% swing: every second step comes a little late, so the groove bounces. The editor plays it that way, and its Steps view can change it.
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