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Disco drum pattern

Danceable four on the floor with open hats on the off-beats. Here are its drums on a step grid, at the tempo it starts at, to hear and to change.

120 BPM · Live kit · 2 bars

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 disco drum pattern: the steps each drum plays, bars 1 and 2
DrumBar 1Bar 2
Open hat3, 7, 11, 153, 7, 11, 15
Closed hat1, 2 (soft), 4 (soft), 5, 6 (soft), 8 (soft), 9, 10 (soft), 12 (soft), 13, 14 (soft), 16 (soft)1, 2 (soft), 4 (soft), 5, 6 (soft), 8 (soft), 9, 10 (soft), 12 (soft), 13, 14 (soft), 16 (soft)
Snare5, 135, 12 (soft), 13
Kick1, 5, 9, 131, 5, 9, 13
Open these drums in the editor

They open as one drum lane on a step grid, at 120 BPM. No account needed to start.

How disco drums go

A four-on-the-floor kick, snare or clap on 2 and 4, open hats on every off-beat, closed hats on the beat (sixteenths in busier parts).

Questions about disco drums

What BPM is disco?

Usually 110 to 130 BPM. This pattern plays at 120 BPM.

How do you make a disco drum pattern?

Start with the kick on steps 1, 5, 9 and 13, the snare on steps 5 and 13, the closed hi-hat on steps 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14 and 16 and the open hi-hat on steps 3, 7, 11 and 15, 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 disco 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.

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Make a disco beat

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

Make a disco beatAll drum patterns

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