Stomp-Stomp-Clap drum pattern
The two-bar stomp-stomp-clap: two stomps on the kick, a clap on the snare, then a rest, twice a bar, with the last clap of bar two the loudest. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 81 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Stomp-Stomp-Clap
Count it as: 1 & 2 (rest) 3 & 4 (rest) · two bars. The pattern is a 2-bar phrase in 4/4 (two-bar eighth-note grid · stomps on the kick, claps on the snare).
The Stomp-Stomp-Clap 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 | XX -- Xx -- | XX -- XX -- |
| Snare | -- X- -- X- | -- X- -- X- |
Tempo and feel
Huge and simple. The rest after each clap is part of the beat, so let it ring and come back in together, like a crowd. The default tempo is 81 BPM. Slow it down until every hit is controlled, then raise the tempo a few BPM at a time.
How to practise the Stomp-Stomp-Clap
Say stomp, stomp, clap, rest and stomp it with your feet first. Play the stomps on the kick and the claps on the snare. Hold the rest for its full length every time.
Variations to try next
Add a crash with the clap on beat 4 of bar two. Play the claps as a cross-stick for a quieter verse. Double it with a floor tom on the stomps for a bigger sound.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Queen - We Will Rock You and The Lumineers - Ho Hey. A practice study of the stomp-stomp-clap anthem made famous by Queen's We Will Rock You, where the band overdubbed stomps and claps rather than playing a kit, and carried on by stomp-and-clap folk-pop such as The Lumineers' Ho Hey. It is not a transcription. There is no clap voice here, so the claps are on the snare; the second stomp of each pair drags a touch late, the way a room full of people stomps.