← Drums · Grooves · about 15 min

Counting and reading a beat

Count along with a drum grid, and learn the language of beats.

Counting a bar

Almost all pop and rock music has four beats in each bar. Count them: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Between the numbers are the “ands”: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &. Those are eighth notes. There are eight of them in a bar.

Drum	Sound	Usually plays
Hi-hat	High, ticking	A steady pulse on every beat or every eighth note
Snare	Sharp crack	Beats 2 and 4 (the backbeat)
Kick	Low thump	Beats 1 and 3, or the main pulse

Each row is a drum. Each column is a count in the bar. Press Play, then tap the squares to add or remove hits. Try adding the snare on 2 and 4.

Tempo 80 BPM