Four-on-the-Floor drum pattern
Kick on every quarter, backbeat on 2 and 4, and lifting offbeat hats. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 124 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Four-on-the-Floor
Count it as: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a. The pattern is one bar of 4/4 (16th-note grid).
The Four-on-the-Floor 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--- |
| Open hat | --x- --x- --x- --x- |
Tempo and feel
Forward and even. The kick is the floor; the offbeat hats create lift. The default tempo is 124 BPM. Slow it down until every hit is controlled, then raise the tempo a few BPM at a time.
How to practise the Four-on-the-Floor
Make all four kicks equal. Add only offbeat hats. Bring the snare in last.
Variations to try next
Open every fourth hat. Add claps to the backbeat. Drop beat 4 kick for one bar.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Daft Punk - Get Lucky, Dua Lipa - Don't Start Now and Chic - Good Times. This is a style study written for practice, not a transcription of any one recording.