5/4 Rock (3+2) drum pattern
A two-bar 5/4 rock beat grouped 3+2: kick on 1 and 4, snare on 3 and 5, eighth-note hi-hats accenting each group and a kick on the and of 2 in bar two. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 126 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the 5/4 Rock (3+2)
Count it as: 1 & 2 & 3 & · 4 & 5 & · two bars. The pattern is a 2-bar phrase in 5/4 (two-bar 5/4 straight eighths · grouped 3+2).
The 5/4 Rock (3+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 | Bar 1 | Bar 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Kick | X- -- -- X- -- | X- -x -- X- -- |
| Snare | -- -- X- -- X- | -- -- X- -- X- |
| Closed hat | xx xx xx xx xx | xx xx xx xx xx |
Tempo and feel
Steady and square, with a hitch. Feel a group of three beats then a group of two, and let the snare on 5 lead straight back into beat 1. The default tempo is 126 BPM. Slow it down until every hit is controlled, then raise the tempo a few BPM at a time.
How to practise the 5/4 Rock (3+2)
Count 1 2 3, 1 2 aloud and clap beats 1 and 4. Play kick on 1 and 4 and snare on 3 and 5 with no hi-hat until it loops without a pause. Add the eighth-note hi-hat with its accents, then the bar-two kick.
Variations to try next
Group the bar 2+3: kick on 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 5. Double the hi-hat to 16th notes. Alternate one bar of 5/4 with one bar of 4/4.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include 5/4 grooves in progressive and alternative rock. A practice study of a straight-eighth rock groove in 5/4 grouped 3+2, a group of three beats followed by a group of two. The kick marks the start of each group, on beats 1 and 4, the snare lands on the last beat of each group, on beats 3 and 5, and the hi-hat accents beats 1 and 4. Bar two adds a kick on the and of 2 to push into the snare. It keeps the kick and snare places of the library's 5/4 Jazz (3+2) but plays them as a straight rock beat. The bar-two kick and the hi-hat accents are informed choices, and many 5/4 rock grooves group the bar 2+3 instead. It is authored for practice, not transcribed.