6/8 · 6/8 · beginner · 100 BPM
6/8 Drum Pattern
One bar in standard notation, then a sequencer you can play, slow down and rebuild. Original groove — nothing here is transcribed from a record.
1 2 3 4 5 6
What makes this pattern tick
6/8 gives you six eighth notes per bar, felt as two big beats of three rather than as six little ones — count "ONE two three FOUR five six". The kick marks those two beats and the snare answers on the third eighth of each group, which is what produces the rolling, uneven-in-a-good-way motion. It is the standard feel for slow blues, doo-wop ballads and a lot of folk music.
What each drum plays
Read the notation from the top down: cymbals above the staff, drums inside it, feet underneath. Full details in the drum notation guide.
| Voice | Hits | Where in the bar |
|---|---|---|
| Closed hi-hat | 6 | 1, the "&" of 1, the "a" of 1, 2, the "&" of 2, the "a" of 2 |
| Snare drum | 2 | the "a" of 1, the "a" of 2 |
| Bass drum (kick) | 2 | 1, 2 |
How to count it
Count the six eighth notes as two groups of three: 1 2 3 4 5 6, with the weight on 1 and 4. Say it out loud — 6/8 falls apart the moment you stop counting it.
The count row under the sequencer highlights the syllable you are on as the loop plays, so you can check your counting against the playhead rather than against your ears.
Suggested tempo progression
This pattern is written for 100 BPM and rated beginner. Work up in stages rather than jumping straight to the target — the sequencer remembers whatever tempo you leave it at.
- 60 BPM — slow enough to watch every limb. Play it until nothing surprises you.
- 80 BPM — where the groove starts to feel like music rather than an exercise.
- 100 BPM — the working tempo. Hold it for two minutes without drifting.
- 115 BPM — faster than you need, so the target tempo feels easy when you come back to it.
Make it your own
The sequencer above is a copy, not the original, so change anything you like — toggle cells on and off, mute a voice to hear what it was holding together, or solo the kick to check your foot. Reset puts the pattern back. If you want the same idea in a different style, the closest neighbours are Waltz Drum Pattern, or browse all 20 patterns.
Drum pattern data last updated . Every diagram here, in the printable PDF and in the chart image comes from one dataset, so the paper and the screen cannot disagree.