Drum n Bass Drum Patterns
This blog explores Drum n Bass Drum patterns for programming solid rhythmic parts in DnB. The end of the list includes patterns using rarer 5/4 time signatures, allowing for experimentation with some interesting ideas around syncopation and space.
Rhythm Overview
In the examples provided you will see that I have written numbers, letters and symbols at the top of the image for each drum pattern. This is the technique that most drummers use to count the fast 16th notes needed in DnB music. For the main pulse or beat you would normally count 1, 2, 3, 4. However, this only counts the quarter notes. In between these main strong beats, we have lots of room for more important rhythm information. In between each main count (1, 2, 3, 4) we also have e, +, a. These extra counts are useful because it allows me to talk about specific parts of the drum n bass drum patterns with accuracy.
In the image above I could describe a specific hi-hat of importance. For example the hi-hat which has an arrow pointing to it is located at ‘2a’. This is because it is on the ‘a’ location of count ‘2’.
Here is a second example to see how this counting method works:
There is a kick on 1
There is a hat on 2
There is a tom on 2a
There is a snare on 3+
There is a clap on 4e
Drum n Bass Drum Pattern
This drum pattern is a classic. This has been used in countless pieces of music and works time and again in all different styles of drum n bass music. In this first example we have a one-bar loop, there are a few important things to note about why this works brilliantly in so many songs and we will dig into each part of the drum-kit, one by one.
The kick drum happens on 1 and 3+, using a technique called syncopation. The kick on 1 is on a strong beat, but the kick on 3+ is in a weaker place rhythmically, this weaker placement causes the syncopated feel, creating a push and pull effect of strong and weak alternations.
The main snares hit on 2 and 4. However, there is also a quieter, smaller, shorter snare which happens on 2a. This is sometimes called a Ghost or Shuffle snare. A good shuffle snare should be a quieter hit of the main snare, but just reducing the volume of a snare sample is not always enough. A snare sounds different when hit hard or soft. Both the frequencies and shape of the sound change, your ghost snares should pay attention to this and finding snare samples with multiple hit variations can be really helpful.
The hats are on 1+, 2+, 3, 4+. The important part about getting hi-hats right is by varying the velocities of each hit so that they are slightly lower than the kick and snare and each one has a subtly different amplitude level to the last.
This will be the foundation of the drum n bass drum pattern. Then on top of this it would be good to layer more hi-hats, percussion, reverse hits and SFX to fill out the drum part fully, but this would give a good foundation to the sound.
Drum n Bass Drum Pattern - Variation 1
This pattern is similar to the first, but with some slight changes. Firstly, there is an extra kick on 1+, which has replaced a hat. There is also an extra kick on the 4e. These extra kick drums provide even more syncopation as they are placed on weaker beats. This contrasts well with the strong snare drums, which are on 2 and 4. This can be great as a pattern on its own for a piece of music, or you can use it as a variation of the classic DnB pattern to add the feeling of pace, driving the groove in later sections.
Drum n Bass Drum Pattern - Variation 2
Another variation on the classic pattern is to put an extra kick on the 2a, replacing the ghost snare. Also, notice that the hat, which was on 2+ in the previous examples, has now been removed. This can once again be used as a pattern for a whole song or it can be a variation in a song to create a switch.
Drum n Bass Drum Pattern - Early Snare Variation
This has a different feel from the first few examples we have seen. The most notable difference is in the snares. In most drum n bass drum patterns, the snare is frequently on the 2 and the 4. However, in this example, the second snare is syncopated on 3+.
Once again, the reason that this works is because there is a balance of and alternation between strong and weak beats. At the start of the bar, we have the kick on 1 and the snare on 2. These are both clear and strong, but then in the second half of the bar, we have snare on 3+ and a kick on 4+. This strong vs weak beats creates a micro-loop of tension and release that keeps us hooked. Also notice in this screenshot that the velocities of the hats have more variation, and particularly the hat which lands on the 3 is softer to not ruin the syncopation we just created with the kick and snare.
Drum n Bass Drum Pattern - Late Snare Variation
Hopefully, it is becoming clear that playing around with where the strong and weak beats are in the bar is an important part of writing DnB drum parts. Here we do a similar thing as before with a strong kick on 1, and a strong snare on 2. However, this is followed with a weak kick on 3+ and a weak snare on 4+. The push and pull between the first and second half of the bar gives the feeling of tension and release, even in the drum part alone.
Front Loaded Drum Pattern
The front loaded example which is pictured above creates tension in a slightly different way. Here, we have fullness in the first three bars and then space in the last bar. This is how we create the push and pull in this pattern. You will see that once again the kick is on the 1 followed by a snare on the 2. The next kick comes in quickly at 2+ followed immediately by a ghost snare on 2a, a small hat on three and main snare on 3+. This makes the middle of the bar very full and syncopated. Finally in bar 4 the pattern is almost empty, this is important to keep it clear as a juxtaposition to the fullness around beat 3.
Dotted Quarter Note Pattern
The first thing to address is the terminology of a ‘dotted note’. In music, a dotted note means: take your current note length and add an extra half note on top. For example, if I am working with 1-bar-long notes and I make them dotted. Now each note is 1.5 bars long. This dotted rhythm is used frequently in dancehall-style beats. The kicks land on 1 and 2+, then the main snare only happens on 4. For a variation, you could also put a snare on the 2+ to replace the kick. The hats play on all of the 8th notes in between. Ghost note snare shuffles can also be added for extra energy in the groove.
Minimal Drum n Bass Drum Pattern
For a more stripped-back approach, you can always explore one of my favourites, the minimalist. The kick plays on the 1. The snares are on the 2 and 4. There is also quite a loud hat on the 3. Notice that this is different to all the other ideas because it barely uses syncopation at all. All of the beats are at the strong locations. However, this pattern leaves so much room for syncopation to happen in the bass patterns. It also leaves room for more percussive elements to be in the mix too.
5/4 Drum n Bass Drum Patterns
When working in 5/4 time signatures you need to make sure that your session and your regions are showing the correct settings. I have highlighted them with a box so that you know how to change the settings.
One thing I have found to be helpful in this context is making sure that the snares are equally spaced throughout the bar as is reasonable. You can see in the example above that the snare sits on 2, 3+ and 5. This gives a pretty equal distribution. The kicks are placed on 1, 2+ and 4+ to add syncopation and groove. Finally the hi-hats fill the gaps in the 8th notes. I have found this to be a great starting point for grooves in 5/4 that still feel like a drum n bass pattern.
At first glance, you might think that this is the same as the pattern above. However, there is one small difference. The middle kick has now been moved to 2a, allowing space for an extra hat on 2+. It is quite bold to put a kick drum on the very weakest part of the groove, but this creates extra syncopation and can be used as an edit or variation on the first pattern.
This variation of the 5/4 drum pattern emphasises the kick drum to drive the rhythm forward. The kicks are dominant and are placed at 1, 2+, 4 and 5. Then the snares are placed on 2 and 3+. This creates interest by being strong at the start and end of the groove and syncopated in the middle. This arc of tension would be difficult to achieve without the extra bar.
This pattern is more of a rolling beat. The kicks happen right at the start on 1 and 1+. Then the snares take their usual position at 2, 3+ and 5. However, what differs about this beat pattern is that a shuffle pattern of hat, ghost, hat gets repeated in the gaps of the groove. This creates a busy and fast paced groove that balances both a syncopated feel from the snares and ghost shuffles but also allows lots of room for extra bass and rhythmic elements.
If you find this resource useful and try out any of the techniques, please let me know in the comments. I would love to hear some more 5/4 dnb.
To learn more about this and similar topics for drum n bass music production, you can book music production courses with me 1-on-1 online, where I will make you a customised program to help you learn and develop music production skills.
Matt Chapman7th November 2025