Beatmaking
Drum Pattern Cheat Sheet: 6 Genres, Exact Placements
Every genre is a drum dialect. Here are six patterns written in 16-step grid language (X = hit, . = rest, each line = one bar) — program them, then break them.
Trap (140 BPM, half-time)
Kick: X......X..X..... · Snare: ....X.......X... (beats 3 only in half-time feel — snare on 3) · Hats: 8ths with bursts of 16ths and one triplet roll per 2 bars. The 808 follows the kick.
Drill (144 BPM)
Kick: X..X..X...X..X.. with the 3-3-2 bounce · Snare: on 4 rather than 3 (............X... displaced late) · Hats sparse with ghost notes. Slide the 808 between kick pitches.
Boom bap (90 BPM)
Kick: X.....X..X...... varying each bar · Snare: 2 and 4 ....X.......X... · Swung 8th hats at 10–20% shuffle, vinyl layer underneath.
House (124 BPM)
Kick: every quarter X...X...X...X... · Clap: 2 and 4 · Open hat on every off-beat (..X...X...X...X.) · 16th closed hats with velocity dips on downbeats.
Afrobeats (105 BPM) & Jersey club (135 BPM)
Afro kick: X.....X.....X... leaving beat 3's gap, shaker 16ths + rim answers. Jersey: the famous X..X..X.X.X..... five-kick bounce with triplet fills every 4th bar.
Frequently asked questions
How do I read these patterns?
Each bar is 16 steps of a 4/4 grid. X means place a hit on that 16th-note step, dot means rest — identical to FL Studio's step sequencer.
Should I copy patterns exactly?
Copy them to learn the feel, then change one element per bar — patterns are grammar, your variations are the sentence.
Why do my drums still sound weak with the right pattern?
Sound choice and mixing: layer kicks for punch, tune your snare to the key, and leave headroom before slamming the limiter.