108 Essential Drum Beats

2
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3
The Basics
Before you begin, here are some basics to get you started:
To read drum notation, we look at both the vertical position

of notes to determine which drum/cymbal to play, and the
appearance of the note to determine the rhythm.
It can be hard to figure out at first, but knowing how to read

drum notation is an essential skill that every drummer needs
to master.
While drum notation varies a bit depending on the author,

all Lutz Academy books and drum lessons use the same
layout.
As always, if you get stuck, theres a good chance youll find

a helpful lesson at LutzAcademy.com/learn drums. Or, you
can visit our community at forum.lutzacademy.com to get
answers to all of your music questions from drummers
around the world!
Lets get started
4
Note durations:
Here are some note durations and their value in 4/4
(common) time:
Whole 4 Heres how you count a whole

note beats note (only play on the
underlined beat):
1234
Half note 2 Heres how you count half notes
beats (only play on the underlined
beats):
1234
Quarter 1 beat Heres how you count quarter
note notes (only play on the
underlined beats):
1234
Eighth Heres how you count eighth

note beat notes (only play on the
underlined beats):
1&2&3&4&
Sixteenth Heres how you count sixteenth
note beat notes (only play on the
underlined beats):
1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
5
Rest durations:
Here are some rest durations and their value in 4/4
(common) time:
Whole rest Keep silent (rest) for 4 beats
Half rest Keep silent (rest) for 2 beats
Quarter rest Keep silent (rest) for 1 beat
Eighth rest Keep silent (rest) for beat
Sixteenth rest Keep silent (rest) for beat
To play a rest, you simply dont play!
6
Drum & Cymbal Placement:
The first note is the hi hat pedal, second is the kick drum pedal, third
notates the snare drum, and the fourth tells you to play the closed hi hat
with your stick.
Note Division:
The following chart will help you learn the different note lengths and how
they relate to each other.
As it shows:
Two half notes make a whole note
Two quarters make a half note
Two eighths make a quarter
Two sixteenths make an eighth
7
Beamed Notes:
When there are two or more notes with flags side by side, they are often
beamed together for easier reading. Remember that eighth and sixteenth
notes both have flags, heres how they look when beamed
Eighth notes
Sixteenth notes
Notice that the one flag of the eighth note becomes one beam, and the
two flags of the sixteenth notes become two beams.
You can also beam sixteenth and eighth notes together, heres how that
looks
With practice, youll be able to recognize notes easily as you read.
Good sight reading skills mean you can pick up any piece of music and
grasp the timing and rhythm as you play along. Its an important skill for
drummers of all genres and the time you spend practicing will pay off.
Remember that learning to write music correctly is just as helpful as

knowing how to read it!
8
Dotted Notes:
When placed next to a note head, a dot adds half of the notes original
duration (so, a dotted note is worth 1.5x the length).
This diagram shows the note equivalents of a dotted

whole note, dotted half note, and dotted quarter note.
As you can see, a dotted note is worth its original value,

plus half. So, a dotted whole note is worth a whole note
plus half note, a dotted half note is worth a half note
plus quarter note, and so on.
Here are some examples:

Normal duration Dotted duration In other words:
Half note = Half note = Half + Quarter
2 beats 3 beats
Quarter note = Quarter note = Quarter + Eighth
1 beat 1 and beats
Eighth note = Eighth note = Eighth + Sixteenth
beat and
Sixteenth note = Sixteenth note = Sixteenth + Thirty
beat and 1/8 Second
You can also dot rests with the same effect.
9
Simple Beats
All beats in this section use your right hand on the closed hi-hat, left hand
on the snare, and right foot on the bass pedal.
All of these beats are counted 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and (eighth notes)
with the hi-hat on every eighth note and the snare drum on beats 2 and 4.
In this first section, the only thing that varies is when you play the bass
drum.
Some tips:
Start slow, and speed up as you master the timing and coordination.
Its always better to be able to play something excellent at a slow
speed than poorly at a quicker tempo.
Use a metronome! The metronome should click on each quarter note
(1-2-3-4). Some good speeds to try are 60 BPM, 75 BPM, and up to
120 BPM. When you master those, feel free to speed it up!
If a metronome is too boring for you, using a drumless practice track
or a song with a steady beat will help you as well!
Dont just play the beats once through! Loop each and practice them
at different speeds.
10
Beat 1 (The Backbeat)
Beat 2
Beat 3
Beat 4
Beat 5
Beat 6
Beat 7
Beat 8
11
Beat 9
Beat 10
Beat 11
Beat 12
Beat 13
Beat 14
Beat 15
Beat 16
12
Beat 17
Beat 18
Beat 19
Beat 20
Beat 21
Beat 22
Beat 23
Beat 24
13
Beat 25
Beat 26
Beat 27
Beat 28
Beat 29
Beat 30
Beat 31
Beat 32
14
Beat 33
Beat 34
Beat 35
Beat 36
15
Two Measure
Exercises
These exercises each have two measures, make sure to practice them all
the way through multiple times without stopping.
Again, exercises in this section use eighth notes, so count each measure as
1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and and keep in mind that there are two measures
for each of these beats.
You are still playing the hi-hat consistently on each eighth note, and the
snare is still on beats 2 and 4.
Remember to use a metronome!
16
Beat 1
Beat 2
Beat 3
Beat 4
Beat 5
Beat 6
Beat 7
Beat 8
17
Beat 9
Beat 10
Beat 11
Beat 12
Beat 13
Beat 14
Beat 15
Beat 16
18
Beat 17
Beat 18
19
Sixteenth
Notes
These exercises (number 10 and beyond) incorporate sixteenth notes. Keep
in mind that they are counted as 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a. Always
count out a measure based on the smallest note.
Section A
(Snare + Hi Hat)
Beat 1
Beat 2
Beat 3
20
Beat 4
Beat 5
Beat 6
Beat 7
Beat 8
Beat 9
Beat 10
Beat 11
Beat 12
21
Beat 13
Beat 14
Beat 15
Beat 16
Beat 17
Beat 18
22
Section B
Beat 1
Beat 2
Beat 3
Beat 4
Beat 5
Beat 6
Beat 7
23
Beat 8
Beat 9
Beat 10
Beat 11
Beat 12
Beat 13
Beat 14
Beat 15
24
Beat 16
Beat 17
Beat 18
25
Section C
Beat 1
Beat 2
Beat 3
Beat 4
Beat 5
Beat 6
Beat 7
26
Beat 8
Beat 9
Beat 10
Beat 11
Beat 12
Beat 13
Beat 14
Beat 15
27
Beat 16
Beat 17
Beat 18
28
Moving On
So whats next? Here are some other great ways to better your technique:
Keep up with the lessons, resources, and practice tracks at
LutzAcademy.com
Master the 40 drum rudiments! Dont worry, it sounds daunting, but
we have them all broken down at LutzAcademy.com/drum-rudiments
All 108 of these beats can be played at any speed. You can also change
them up to get even more out of this book! Here are some ideas:
Go back to the first section (or any section!) and play sixteenth notes
on the hi-hat instead of eighth notes. This is a particularly popular
method with heavy rock drummers.
You can add some special sounds to your playing by practicing
opening and closing the hi-hat pedal. All of these beats are written so
you play the closed hi hat with your stick, but messing around with it
open and playing with the foot pedal will add a whole new set of
sounds to your playing!
If you have a double bass drum pedal, here are some suggestions on how
to practice with it using these beats:
1. Play all these beats again, keeping time with the left pedal and
playing the written rhythms with your right.
2. Play all these beats again, keeping time with your hands and playing
all written rhythms with both feet simultaneously.
3. Play all these beats again, keeping time with your right foot and
playing the written rhythms with your left.
29
Theres always more to learn!
Remember that our community is always online to help if you get stuck, just
visit forum.lutzacademy.com (its free!).
For more, check out:

LutzAcademy.com
YouTube.com/LutzAcademy
Facebook.com/LearnWithLutz
Twitter.com/LutzMusic
Were always posting new drum lesson videos, articles, and resources, so
visit often.
Have fun practicing!

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What are the different note durations and their values?

What are the different note durations and their values?

How are notes beamed together for easier reading?

How are notes beamed together for easier reading?

2

Copyright 2015 LutzAcademy.com

To read drum notation, we look at both the vertical position

It can be hard to figure out at first, but knowing how to read

While drum notation varies a bit depending on the author,

As always, if you get stuck, theres a good chance youll find

Lets get started

Whole 4 Heres how you count a whole

Eighth Heres how you count eighth

Whole rest Keep silent (rest) for 4 beats

Half rest Keep silent (rest) for 2 beats

Quarter rest Keep silent (rest) for 1 beat

Eighth rest Keep silent (rest) for beat

Sixteenth rest Keep silent (rest) for beat

To play a rest, you simply dont play!

Drum & Cymbal Placement:

With practice, youll be able to recognize notes easily as you read.

Remember that learning to write music correctly is just as helpful as

This diagram shows the note equivalents of a dotted

As you can see, a dotted note is worth its original value,

Here are some examples:

You can also dot rests with the same effect.

Beat 1 (The Backbeat)

Remember to use a metronome!

For more, check out:

Have fun practicing!

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