How to play a basic rock beat on your phone
Almost everyone learning drums starts with the basic 8th-note rock beat. It sits under countless songs, and you can learn it on a phone drum app without a real kit. You only need three pads: kick, snare and hi-hat.
Split one bar into eight
Count one bar of 4/4 as "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and". That gives you eight slots. The hi-hat plays all eight, the kick plays 1 and 3, and the snare plays 2 and 4.
| Count | 1 | & | 2 | & | 3 | & | 4 | & |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hi-hat | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Snare | ● | ● | ||||||
| Kick | ● | ● |
On beat 1 you hit hi-hat and kick together; on beat 2, hi-hat and snare together. So the app has to take two pads at once.
Build it one layer at a time
- Turn the metronome on slow, around 60 to 80 BPM
- Play only the hi-hat on all eight slots until the spacing is even
- Keep the hi-hat going and add the snare on 2 and 4
- Add the kick on 1 and 3. Beat 1 is hi-hat plus kick, beat 2 is hi-hat plus snare
- Once you can play four bars without a mistake, raise the BPM by 5
Common mistakes
Rushing: it's easy to speed up when it starts to feel good. Playing against a metronome is the best fix.
Only one sound when two should hit: practice dropping two fingers at exactly the same time. If the app can't play two pads at once, the app is the problem.
Pads in awkward places: if the hi-hat and snare are far apart, your hands cross. Move the pads you use most to where your thumbs and index fingers rest.
Play along with Snarely's grooves
The first groove in Snarely is exactly this one, Basic Rock at 80 BPM. Tap Listen to hear it once, then Start, and the next pads to hit glow on the kit. Every hit gets a Perfect, Good or Miss, and at the end you see your accuracy and up to three stars.
When it feels easy, move on to Push Rock, which shifts one kick, or the laid-back Half-Time. A new groove of the day and a streak help turn practice into a habit.
FAQ
- Does practicing on a phone app actually help me learn drums?
- It helps with timing and with which limb plays when. It won't replace real sticks or foot technique, but it's a way to drill beat patterns anywhere, any time.
- I wish there was a '1, 2, 3, 4' beat to follow.
- That's what the metronome is for. In Snarely you set the BPM and turn the metronome on from the top bar of the kit screen, and play-along grooves give you a one-bar count-in before they start.
- What BPM should I start at?
- Start at a speed where you can play four bars without a mistake. For most people that's 60 to 80 BPM, then go up 5 at a time.
Play your first beat along with Snarely
Get Snarely on Google Play