Two classic beats: rock and house
One beat built on the backbeat, one on a kick that never stops.
Lesson 6 of 9
You now know enough to build two of the most-used beats in popular music. Both have four beats to the bar, but they move very differently.
Rock
The rock beat is the backbeat you already know, with one more kick just before beat three. The hats play every eighth note (every other step). Countless rock and pop songs sit on this pattern or a close variation.
A rock beat
Move the extra kick around and listen to how the bounce changes.
| Kick | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snare | ||||||||||||||||
| Closed hat |
House
House music puts the kick on every beat, a pattern called four on the floor. The clap takes the backbeat, and an open hat sits exactly between the kicks: that off-beat hat is what gives house its push.
A house beat
Take the open hats out: the groove loses its lift.
| Kick | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clap | ||||||||||||||||
| Closed hat | ||||||||||||||||
| Open hat |
Rock leans on the contrast between kick and snare; house keeps the kick constant and moves everything else around it. The style lessons below take both beats further, with a full band.