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Cumbia drum pattern

Steady, swaying two-beat feel with a scraping guacharaca. Here are its drums on a step grid, at the tempo it starts at, to hear and to change.

92 BPM · Afro kit · 1 bar

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
The cumbia drum pattern: the steps each drum plays
DrumSteps
Shaker1, 3 (soft), 4 (soft), 5, 7 (soft), 8 (soft), 9, 11 (soft), 12 (soft), 13, 15 (soft), 16 (soft)
Conga3, 7, 11, 15
Kick1, 5, 9, 13
Open these drums in the editor

They open as one drum lane on a step grid, at 92 BPM. No account needed to start.

How cumbia drums go

Kick on the beats, the guacharaca (scraper) in "ch-chk" pairs, rim or cowbell on the off-beats, congas.

Questions about cumbia drums

What BPM is cumbia?

Usually 85 to 100 BPM. This pattern plays at 92 BPM.

How do you make a cumbia drum pattern?

Start with the kick on steps 1, 5, 9 and 13, the conga on steps 3, 7, 11 and 15 and the shaker on steps 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15 and 16. 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 cumbia drums swing?

No: every hit lands straight on the grid. The editor’s Steps view can add swing if you want the groove to bounce.

Make a cumbia beat

The free editor opens with a whole cumbia beat: drums, bass and chords, each part yours to change, add to or take away.