Contemporary RnB Bounce drum pattern
A two-bar late-90s R and B bounce: a stuttering syncopated kick, gapped 16th hats that sound programmed, a crisp backbeat and a rim tick that pushes into the next bar. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 98 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Contemporary RnB Bounce
Count it as: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a · two bars. The pattern is a 2-bar phrase in 4/4 (two-bar syncopated 16th-note R and B bounce).
The Contemporary RnB Bounce 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 | Bar 1 | Bar 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Kick | X--x --X- --X- ---- | X-x- ---x --Xx --x- |
| Snare | ---- X--- ---- X--- | ---- X--- ---- X--- |
| Cross-stick | ---- ---- ---- ---- | ---- ---- ---- ---x |
| Closed hat | xooo x-oo x-oo x-oo | x-oo x-oo xooo x-oo |
Tempo and feel
Crisp and bouncy. Every note is short and exact, and the kick syncopations do the dancing while the backbeat stays square. The default tempo is 98 BPM. It plays with 52% 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 Contemporary RnB Bounce
Play the gapped hat line alone and count every 16th. Add the backbeat, short and exact. Add the kick stutters last, one bar at a time.
Variations to try next
Fill in the hat gaps for a smoother groove. Drop the rim tick. Play bar two twice for a four-bar phrase.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Aaliyah - Are You That Somebody?, Destiny's Child - Say My Name and Usher - U Remind Me. A drum-set study of late-90s and 2000s contemporary R and B, which was almost always programmed. The kit approximates the production with a stuttering kick, gapped 16th hats and a rim tick; the 32nd-note hat rolls and pitched percussion of the records do not fit the 16th grid. It is authored for practice, not transcribed.