R&B drum pattern
Mid-tempo and laid back, as written at 85-115 with the backbeat on 2 and 4 (a slow jam is 60-80, trap-soul is written at 120-150 with the snare on 3); hats swung lightly. Here are its drums on a step grid, at the tempo it starts at, to hear and to change.
90 BPM · 808 kit · 2 bars · 54% 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
- Roll: quick hits inside one step
- Lands between two steps
| Drum | Bar 1 | Bar 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Closed hat | 1, 3 (soft), 5, 7 (soft), 9, 11 (soft), 13, 15 (soft) | 1, 3 (soft), 5, 7 (soft), 9, 11 (soft), 13, 15 (roll, soft), 16 (between steps) |
| Clap | 5, 13 | 5, 13 |
| Snare | 5, 13 | 5, 13 |
| Kick | 1, 8, 11 | 1, 8, 11 |
They open as one drum lane on a step grid, at 90 BPM. No account needed to start.
How R&B drums go
A punchy, warm kick on 1, the a of 2 and the and of 3; the clap and snare on 2 and 4; eighth hats; every second bar a sixteenth-triplet roll into the bar line.
The bass, chords and sounds are on the R&B page.
Questions about R&B drums
What BPM is R&B?
Usually 85 to 115 BPM. This pattern plays at 90 BPM.
How do you make a R&B drum pattern?
Start with the kick on steps 1, 8 and 11, the snare and clap on steps 5 and 13 and the closed hi-hat on steps 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 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 R&B drums swing?
Yes, about 54% 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.
More R&B drum patterns
Make a R&B beat
The free editor opens with a whole R&B beat: drums, bass and chords, each part yours to change, add to or take away.
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