Boom Bap drum pattern
A heavy sample-era kick/snare skeleton with deliberately uneven hat detail. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 92 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Boom Bap
Count it as: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a. The pattern is one bar of 4/4 (swung 16th-note grid).
The Boom Bap pattern, hit by hit
Each character is one step of the grid and each group is one beat. X is an accented hit, x a normal hit, o a quiet or ghost note and - a rest.
| Voice | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Kick | X--- --x- X--x ---- |
| Snare | ---- X--- ---- X--- |
| Closed hat | o-o- o-oo o-o- ooo- |
Tempo and feel
Laid back, not vague. The snare sits behind the light hat texture. The default tempo is 92 BPM. It plays with 57% swing by default; move the Swing control toward 50% to hear it straight. Slow it down until every hit is controlled, then raise the tempo a few BPM at a time.
How to practise the Boom Bap
Play hats at half the snare level. Keep the backbeat fixed. Move only the kick phrase.
Variations to try next
Drop beat 3 kick. Add a hat pickup before 1. Straighten the swing control.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Nas - N.Y. State of Mind, A Tribe Called Quest - Electric Relaxation and J Dilla - Workinonit. This is a style study written for practice, not a transcription of any one recording.