Drum Patterns by Genre
14 genre drum patterns in an online drum machine. Pick a genre, press play, edit the beat and download it as MIDI for FL Studio, Ableton, Logic or any other DAW.
Each genre has its own page with a second pattern, a step-by-step breakdown and programming tips. Built-in sounds are simple synth drums; in your DAW the MIDI plays your own kit.
Drum patterns for 14 genres
| Genre | Tempo | What defines the beat |
|---|---|---|
| Trap | 130–150 BPM (felt in half time, 65–75) | half-time clap on 3, rolling hi-hats, 808 kicks |
| Drill | 138–145 BPM (felt in half time) | half-time snare, 3-3-2 hi-hats, sliding 808s |
| Boom Bap | 85–95 BPM | swung 16ths, hard snare on 2 and 4 |
| Lo-fi Hip-Hop | 70–90 BPM | lazy swing, soft kick, rim or snare on 2 and 4 |
| House | 118–128 BPM | four-on-the-floor kick, clap on 2 and 4, open hat on the off-beat |
| Techno | 125–140 BPM | driving four-on-the-floor, off-beat hats, rim and percussion loops |
| Drum & Bass | 165–176 BPM | two-step: kick on 1 and the "and" of 3, snare on 2 and 4 |
| Reggaeton | 88–100 BPM | dembow: kick on every beat, snare on the 3-3-2 off-beats |
| Afrobeats | 95–115 BPM | syncopated kick, skipping rim pattern, busy shakers |
| Pop | 95–128 BPM | kick and snare backbeat, steady 8th hats, claps layered on the snare |
| Rock | 100–140 BPM | kick on 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 4, 8th-note hats |
| Funk | 90–115 BPM | 16th hats, ghost notes on the snare, syncopated kick |
| R&B | 65–95 BPM | laid-back swing, 16th hats with ghosts, clap or snare on 2 and 4 |
| Disco | 110–125 BPM | four-on-the-floor, open hat on every off-beat, snare on 2 and 4 |
The Drum Patterns Cheat Sheet + Chord MIDI Pack
The main pattern for all 14 genres as printable step grids with tempo and swing (PDF), plus 72 chord progressions from hit songs in all 12 keys (864 MIDI files) to put on top of the beat.
Your downloads are ready. The MIDI pack link is on its way to your inbox too.
DRUM CHEAT SHEET PDF → CHORD MIDI PACKWant full grooves with chords, bass and drums already written? See the Song Starter MIDI Kit ($19) →
How to use the drum machine
- Pick a genre and press play (or the space bar). The pattern loops two bars.
- Edit it. Click a square to add or remove a hit. Choose Accent, Ghost or Roll first to add those instead. "All instruments" shows every drum.
- Set tempo and swing. Swing delays every second 16th note; 54–62% gives a hip-hop bounce.
- Download the MIDI and drag it into your DAW. The file keeps your tempo, swing and edits.
How to use the MIDI in FL Studio, Ableton and Logic
The MIDI file is two bars long, at the tempo you set, with the drums on channel 10 in the General MIDI drum map. Swing is written into the file, so it plays the same in your DAW.
- FL Studio: drag the .mid file into the playlist or onto a channel, then point the notes at your own kick, snare and hat samples (or use a kit that follows the General MIDI map).
- Ableton Live: drag the file onto a MIDI track with a Drum Rack. Ableton's drum kits follow the same layout (kick C1, snare D1, closed hat F♯1), so most kits play it straight away.
- Logic Pro: drag the file onto a Software Instrument track with Drum Kit Designer or a Drum Machine Designer kit. Logic's kits use the General MIDI layout.
| Instrument | MIDI note | Ableton / Logic | FL Studio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kick | 36 | C1 | C3 |
| Rim | 37 | C♯1 | C♯3 |
| Snare | 38 | D1 | D3 |
| Clap | 39 | D♯1 | D♯3 |
| Closed hat | 42 | F♯1 | F♯3 |
| Low tom | 45 | A1 | A3 |
| Open hat | 46 | A♯1 | A♯3 |
| Crash | 49 | C♯2 | C♯4 |
| High tom | 50 | D2 | D4 |
| Ride | 51 | D♯2 | D♯4 |
| Shaker (maracas) | 70 | A♯3 | A♯5 |
DAWs name octaves differently: MIDI note 60 is C3 in Ableton and Logic and C5 in FL Studio. The MIDI number is the same everywhere.
Get the beat with chords and bass already on it
The Song Starter MIDI Kit turns 48 chord progressions from hit songs into ready-to-play grooves: a genre-style chord part, a bassline and a drum beat for pop, EDM, hip-hop, R&B, rock, indie, country and K-pop. 1,824 royalty-free MIDI files.
Quick answers
What are the most common drum patterns?
The basic rock/pop backbeat (kick on 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 4), four-on-the-floor (a kick on every beat, used in house, techno and disco), the half-time beat (snare or clap on beat 3, used in trap and drill), the dembow (reggaeton) and the drum and bass two-step.
What is four-on-the-floor?
A kick drum on every beat of the bar: 1, 2, 3 and 4. It is the base of house, techno, disco and most dance-pop, usually with a clap on 2 and 4 and an open hi-hat on the off-beats.
What is a half-time drum pattern?
A beat where the snare or clap lands on beat 3 instead of on 2 and 4, so the beat feels half as fast as the tempo. Trap and drill at 140 BPM feel like 70 BPM because of it.
Are these drum patterns free to use?
Yes. The MIDI is free to use in your own music, commercial or not, with no credit needed.