Press Play for a punk drum beat at 160 BPM. It starts with D-Beat Hardcore, and you can switch to Ramones-Style Punk Eighths, Pop-Punk Skate Beat, Fast Eighths and Thrash Skank Beat. One beat lasts 375 ms.
Playing over a punk drum beat at 160 BPM
160 BPM is at the slow end for punk and metal. Slow tempos show every timing slip, so it is the best place to learn a new part: play it until it feels boring, then move up.
What plays at 160 BPM
D-Beat Hardcore is written at 170 BPM, the closest of this style's grooves to 160 BPM, so it opens first and plays a little slower than written. In 4/4 at this tempo a quarter note lasts 375 ms, an eighth note 188 ms and a sixteenth 94 ms, which is the spacing of the hi-hat you hear. Switch to Ramones-Style Punk Eighths, Pop-Punk Skate Beat, Fast Eighths and Thrash Skank Beat on the page and the tempo stays at 160 BPM.
How long is a phrase at 160 BPM?
Knowing how long a phrase lasts helps you plan a song, a solo or a recording take. The drums play a fill at the end of every four or eight bars, so these are the lengths you will hear.
Phrase lengths at 160 BPM
Length
Time
One bar of 4/4
1.5 seconds
Four-bar phrase
6 seconds
Eight-bar section
12 seconds
Three-minute song
about 120 bars
How a punk drum beat works
Straight eighths at high speed. The kick and snare alternate or double with the hi-hat, and every note is on the grid. At these tempos any tension in your hands shows up as rushing or dropped notes.
How to play along
Guitarists: this is the tempo range for down-picking and fast alternate picking. Start at the lowest tempo you can play perfectly, then move up in small steps. Bassists: match the picking hand of the guitarist, not just the notes.