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Doo-wop drum pattern

A slow 12/8 ballad: every beat three triplet eighths, the piano playing all of them. Here are its drums on a step grid, at the tempo it starts at, to hear and to change.

66 BPM · Live kit · 1 bar · 66% swing

The pattern, step by step

Each step is a triplet, three to a beat: step 1 is beat 1, 4 is beat 2, 7 is beat 3 and 10 is beat 4. A lit square is a hit; a fainter one is played softer.

  • Hit
  • Softer hit
The doo-wop drum pattern: the steps each drum plays
DrumSteps
Closed hat1 (soft), 2 (soft), 3 (soft), 4 (soft), 5 (soft), 6 (soft), 7 (soft), 8 (soft), 9 (soft), 10 (soft), 11 (soft), 12 (soft)
Cross-stick4, 10
Kick1, 7
Open these drums in the editor

They open as one drum lane on a step grid, at 66 BPM. No account needed to start.

How doo-wop drums go

Brushes or a soft kit: triplet hats, the snare on 2 and 4, the kick on 1 and 3.

Questions about doo-wop drums

What BPM is doo-wop?

Usually 55 to 80 BPM. This pattern plays at 66 BPM.

How do you make a doo-wop drum pattern?

Start with the kick on steps 1 and 7, the cross-stick on steps 4 and 10 and the closed hi-hat on every step. Each step is a triplet, three to a beat: step 1 is beat 1, 4 is beat 2, 7 is beat 3 and 10 is beat 4. Open it in the free editor to change any step.

Do doo-wop drums swing?

Its hits are written on triplets, three steps to a beat, which gives the groove its lilt without any swing setting.

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Make a doo-wop beat

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