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Drum patterns are often among the most important elements for placing a song in the context of different genres.
In the tutorial above, we walk through how to create drum patterns in a wide array of genres including Jersey club, synthwave, lo-fi hip hop, jazz, big room, metal, alt rock, jungle, and drill. Watch along to learn about the rhythmic seeds that constitute each genre, and read highlights below—feel free to use the table of contents to quickly navigate to a specific section, and grab our complementary MIDI files at the bottom of this guide.
Drum patterns for different genres:
Let’s dive in!
1. Jersey club
Jersey club’s central drum pattern is marked by a rhythmic concept called the tresillo, a three-three-two grouping that drives the genre’s energy forward. In common time, the tresillo could look like two dotted quarter notes followed by a quarter note.
In Jersey club, the tresillo shows up in the second half of the pattern—the kick goes on the downbeat of beats one and two, and then the tresillo pattern occupies beats three and four.
If you’re making your own Jersey club beat in the DAW, try a tempo of around 170 BPM and consider using sounds like electronic kicks, claps, toms, and percussion one-shots like tambourines.
Go to 1:40 in the tutorial to hear this drum pattern in action, and check out our in-depth guide with UNIIQU3 for more on Jersey club sampling and sound selection:
2. Synthwave
Generally speaking, a straight four-on-the-floor-style beat around 90 BPM with the kick on odd downbeats and the snare on even ones works well for synthwave. You can double the snare with kicks on every beat for further low-end support.
For additional movement, try filling out your groove with tambourine one-shots, using velocity variations to keep them from feeling robotic. Occasionally breaking things up with a syncopated kick before a downbeat can also give your drum pattern more character.
Go to 3:52 in the tutorial to hear this drum pattern in action, and see our synthwave speedrun for more:
3. Lo-fi hip hop
Lo-fi hip hop drums are all about a swung, organic feel—set your DAW to a gentle tempo (~85 BPM), and instead of quantizing, try moving your rhythms slightly off the grid, or play them in yourself with a MIDI keyboard or your DAW’s built-in keyboard.
Try interweaving closed and open hi-hats for subtle energy, and add a panned shaker for some ear candy. Instead of flashy fills, a simple double bump on the kick or a flam (a grace note just before the main hit) on the snare can tie over your sections without disrupting the overall flow.
Go to 6:47 in the tutorial to hear this drum pattern in action, and check out our guide on creating lo-fi music for more ideas on sound selection and tools for this genre:
4. Jazz
While jazz describes a massive category of music, switching to a triplet grid in your DAW is likely a solid starting point. The swing feel often lives in the ride—build this out first, and support it with the hi-hat pedal on the second and fourth beats to imitate the subtle sound of the drummer’s step.
Jazz is about musical conversation—let the snare, kick, toms, and crashes interact with the surrounding arrangement. Snare brushes are a timbre that’s a staple of the genre. Experiment freely and vary velocity so all of the parts of the kit breathe naturally.
Go to 12:00 in the tutorial to hear this drum pattern in action, and see our article below for a much deeper look into the history, key artists, and sonic characteristics of jazz:
5. Big room
Big room is another four-on-the-floor genre, so start by placing an electronic kick sample on each downbeat. Add movement with a short and crispy ride one-shot, and use a reverb-drenched snare one-shot for big room’s signature pre-build fill.
Accent specific hits with a drier, smaller snare, and use a more sustained ride for sections where the energy rises. A BPM of around 125 – 135 is ideal for this genre.
Go to 16:29 in the tutorial to hear this drum pattern in action.
6. Metal
A signature sound for metal drum patterns is the double bass, which implies the use of two kick pedals. Pair fast kick patterns with an open hat or crash-driven beat for a high-energy sound. Breakdowns can make use of a china cymbal placed on every other beat for some half-time weight.
While metal can be both fast and slow, it’s often a technical genre regardless of the tempo—try adding plenty of variations from section to section, and don’t shy away from big fills. Try to closely align the kick with what the bass and rhythm guitars are doing to drive maximal impact. Use acoustic drum one-shots as your main kit, but you can also layer the sounds with electronic samples for a more modern sound.
Go to 18:21 in the tutorial to hear this drum pattern in action.
7. Alt rock
For alt rock, we want to rely on natural-sounding acoustic drum kit sounds for our pattern. Adjust the velocity on each of your hats for an accented sound; ghost notes with extremely low velocity on the snare can also add an understated energy.
If you want a more math rock-adjacent sound, you can also experiment with complex time signatures—for our example drum pattern, we tried a 5/4 time signature at 155 BPM. If you give this a go yourself, try to make the time signature feel natural rather than forced; if you’re not sure where to start, treat it mostly like 4/4, and then let the odd beat emerge at the end of the phrase.
Go to 21:10 in the tutorial to hear this drum pattern in action.
8. Jungle
The defining characteristic of jungle music is the interplay between the kick and the snare. Don’t be shy with syncopation here, and fill out the rhythm with driving sixteenth-note hi-hats that ground the groove.
Don’t be afraid to vary the snare in both rhythm and timbre; reinforce it with a second snare sample, and let them alternate in technical fills. Occasional open hats can also add energy in between fills.
Go to 23:55 in the tutorial to hear this drum pattern in action, and check out our walkthrough below for more on making jungle music for the first time:
9. Drill
Last but not least, for drill drum patterns, the snare and the clap tend to go on the third beat (as opposed to the second and fourth beats as in most other genres). Emphasize the kick with an 808, and use the aforementioned tresillo pattern to establish a bounce with closed hi-hats. Rolls and pitch modulation on these hats can also add energy and variety.
Go to 25:52 in the tutorial to hear this drum pattern in action, and see Jay Cactus’ tutorial below for more on crafting drill beats:
Get free MIDI files for different drum patterns
And there you have it! Note that all of the ideas we covered here are guidelines, but not rules; each genre describes a very diverse range of music, so experiment freely and don’t be afraid to challenge what you see here or incorporate influences from multiple styles to arrive to your own sound.
If you’d like to experiment with the MIDI for any of the grooves we covered, feel free to download the .zip file containing all of the files here. If you’re interested in incorporating the specific drum one-shots we used for each genre into your own tracks, you can also find the complete Collection of sounds here.
And lastly, if you’re looking for a more introductory look at making your own drum patterns, you can also check out our in-depth guide on beat making here.
Do you have any questions on how to apply any of these drum patterns for different genres in your own productions? What genres would you like to see us cover next? Let us know in the comments section of the video, and subscribe to the Splice YouTube channel for more producer-led tips, tutorials, and insights.
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August 24, 2026
