House and dance drum beats

A kick on every beat and an open hi-hat on the off-beats: the dance-floor pulse from disco to house and techno. Press Play and the drums keep going until you stop them. Pick a tempo below or set your own anywhere from 50 to 220 BPM.

How a house drum beat works

Four-on-the-floor puts the kick on all four beats, with an open hi-hat between them and a snare or clap on two and four. It is completely regular, which makes it a good pulse for practising syncopated parts on top.

How to play along

Keys players: play off-beat chord stabs and let the kick carry the downbeat. Bassists: try an off-beat octave line between the kicks. DJs and producers: use it to check a phrase lasts exactly eight or sixteen bars.

The house and dance grooves on this page

Four-on-the-Floor is the plain disco and house pulse. Chicago Jack House is the raw drum-machine sound of the Chicago clubs. Deep House is warmer and softer, with a lightly shuffled shaker. Driving Techno is harder and more hypnotic, in the Detroit and Berlin tradition. Chic-Era Disco Funk is Tony Thompson's live disco pocket with open hats on the offbeats.

Common practice tempos

Start with 118, 122, 124, 126 and 128 BPM. Each tempo has its own page with the right groove already selected, so you can bookmark the one you are working on.