Daychovo 9/8 (2+2+2+3) drum pattern
A two-bar daychovo in 9/8 grouped 2+2+2+3: kick and low tom on the four group starts, the snare on the eighths in between and a quiet pickup at the end of bar two. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 140 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Daychovo 9/8 (2+2+2+3)
Count it as: 1 2 · 1 2 · 1 2 · 1 2 3 · two bars. The pattern is a 2-bar phrase in 9/8 (two-bar 9/8 on a 16th-note grid · grouped 2+2+2+3).
The Daychovo 9/8 (2+2+2+3) 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- -- X- -- -- |
| Snare | -- x- -- x- -- x- -- x- x- | -- x- -- x- -- x- -- x- xo |
| Low tom | x- -- x- -- x- -- x- -- -- | x- -- x- -- x- -- x- -- -- |
Tempo and feel
Three even steps and a long fourth. The long group should feel like a small lean before the next bar, not a pause. The default tempo is 140 BPM. Slow it down until every hit is controlled, then raise the tempo a few BPM at a time.
How to practise the Daychovo 9/8 (2+2+2+3)
Say short, short, short, long and clap the four group starts. Play the kick and low tom on the group starts only. Fill the other eighths on the snare, then add the bar-two pickup.
Variations to try next
Play the switch part on a cross-stick. Add a hi-hat foot on every group start. Play a bar grouped 3+3+3 every fourth bar, as the library's 9/8 Aksak groove does.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Bulgarian daychovo dance tunes and Turkish 9/8 karsilama. A practice study of daychovo, the Bulgarian dance in 9/8 grouped 2+2+2+3: three short steps and a long one. The Turkish karsilama shares the grouping. It renders the tapan, the two-headed folk bass drum: the heavy beater, played here by the kick and low tom together, marks the start of each group, and the thin switch, played here on the snare, fills the other eighths. In bar two a quiet 16th on the switch leads back to the downbeat. The kick-and-tom pairing, the snare for the switch and the pickup are informed choices. The BPM counts quarter notes, so the eighth-note pulse runs at twice the tempo; dance tempos vary and are often faster. It is authored for practice, not transcribed.