5/4 Rock (3+3+2+2) drum pattern
A one-bar 5/4 groove grouped 3+3+2+2 in eighths: kick on 1 and the and of 2, snare on 4 and 5, and eighth-note hi-hats accenting every group start. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 144 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the 5/4 Rock (3+3+2+2)
Count it as: 1 2 3 · 1 2 3 · 1 2 · 1 2. The pattern is one bar of 5/4 (5/4 straight eighths · grouped 3+3+2+2 in eighths).
The 5/4 Rock (3+3+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 -- -- -- |
| Snare | -- -- -- X- X- |
| Closed hat | xo ox oo xo xo |
Tempo and feel
Long, long, short, short. The two kicks stretch the bar out and the two snares snap it shut; do not let the second kick drift onto beat 3. The default tempo is 144 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+3+2+2)
Count the ten eighths as 1 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2, 1 2 and clap the group starts. Play only the kick and snare until the long-long-short-short shape loops smoothly. Add the hi-hat on every eighth, keeping the accents on the group starts.
Variations to try next
Play the hi-hat on the group starts only. Move the whole pattern to the toms for an intro. Alternate one bar of 5/4 with one bar of 4/4.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include 5/4 spy and action film and TV themes. A practice study of 5/4 counted in eighth notes and grouped 3+3+2+2: two dotted quarters, then two quarters, the long-long-short-short shape of many 5/4 spy and action themes. The kick plays the two long groups, on 1 and the and of 2, the snare plays the two short groups, on 4 and 5, and the hi-hat plays every eighth with an accent on each group start. The kick and snare split and the accents are informed choices; the groove is a drum-kit reading of the rhythm, not of any one score. It is authored for practice, not transcribed.