15/8 Rock (2+2+3+2+2+2+2) drum pattern
A 15/8 rock groove played as 7/8 plus 8/8: kick, snare, kick across the 2+2+3 half, a plain backbeat across the 2+2+2+2 half and eighth-note hi-hats on top. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 120 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the 15/8 Rock (2+2+3+2+2+2+2)
Count it as: 1 2 · 1 2 · 1 2 3 · 1 2 · 1 2 · 1 2 · 1 2. The pattern is one bar of 15/8 (30 sixteenth notes · 7/8 (2+2+3) plus 8/8 (2+2+2+2)).
The 15/8 Rock (2+2+3+2+2+2+2) 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- -- -- -- X- -- |
| Closed hat | x- o- x- o- x- o- o- x- o- x- o- x- o- x- o- |
Tempo and feel
An odd half, then an even half. Let the long group of three settle before the backbeat half starts, then drive the four even groups into the next downbeat. The default tempo is 120 BPM. Slow it down until every hit is controlled, then raise the tempo a few BPM at a time.
How to practise the 15/8 Rock (2+2+3+2+2+2+2)
Loop the 7/8 half alone, then the 8/8 half alone. Join them, counting 1 2, 1 2, 1 2 3, then 1 2 3 4 in quarter notes. Add the hi-hat accents and keep the eighth-note pulse even across the join.
Variations to try next
Swap the halves so the 8/8 comes first. Put the snare on the long group of the 7/8 half. Play the hi-hat on the group starts only.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Progressive rock riffs that pair a 7/8 bar with a 4/4 bar. A practice study of 15/8 played as a bar of 7/8 grouped 2+2+3 followed by a bar of 8/8 grouped 2+2+2+2, the pairing of an odd bar with an even one found in progressive rock riffs. The 7/8 half plays kick, snare, kick on its group starts, as the library's 7/8 Rock (2+2+3) does; the 8/8 half is an ordinary backbeat, kick, snare, kick, snare on its quarter notes; and the hi-hat plays every eighth with an accent on each group start. Writing the pair as one 15/8 bar and the kick and snare places are informed choices. The BPM counts quarter notes, so the eighth-note pulse runs at twice the tempo. It is authored for practice, not transcribed.