Ska-Punk Upstroke Beat drum pattern
A two-bar ska-punk study: an upstroke bar with the hat open on every and, answered by a punk bar of driving closed eighths and a pushing kick, over a steady 2-and-4 snare. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 184 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Ska-Punk Upstroke Beat
Count it as: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a · two bars. The pattern is a 2-bar phrase in 4/4 (two-bar 16th-note ska section and punk section).
The Ska-Punk Upstroke Beat 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--x |
| Closed hat | x--- x--- x--- x--- | x-x- x-x- x-x- x-x- |
| Open hat | --x- --x- --x- --x- | ---- ---- ---- ---- |
Tempo and feel
Fast and bouncing, then flat out. Keep the tempo identical across the switch; the ska bar should bounce, not slow down. The default tempo is 184 BPM. Slow it down until every hit is controlled, then raise the tempo a few BPM at a time.
How to practise the Ska-Punk Upstroke Beat
Play bar one alone: closed hat on the beat, open hat on the and. Play bar two alone: closed eighths, kick on 1, the and of 2 and 3. Alternate the two bars without the tempo moving.
Variations to try next
Play four bars of each section. Move bar two to the crash-ride for the chorus. Add a kick on the and of 4 in bar two.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Operation Ivy-era East Bay ska-punk. A practice study of late-80s and 90s ska-punk drumming, which swaps between a ska section and a punk section: bar one is the upstroke beat, with the hat struck closed on each beat and open on each and, a kick on 1 and 3 and a snare on 2 and 4; bar two is the punk answer, with driving closed eighths, a pushing kick and the same backbeat. In songs each section usually runs eight or sixteen bars; here the two are paired so the switch can be practised. It is authored for practice, not transcribed.