Drum Groove Notation Examples

Use these pattern concepts to build clean, readable drum charts in your own style.

Example 1: Basic 8th-Note Rock Groove

Closed hi-hat on eighths, snare on beats 2 and 4, kick on beat 1 and variations around beat 3.

Example 2: 16th-Note Funk Groove

Include ghost snare notes between backbeats and syncopated kick placements. Keep beam groups by beat for readability.

Example 3: Triplet / Shuffle Feel

Use triplet subdivision with clear tuplet marking. Keep hi-hat articulation and snare accents consistent.

Example 4: Fill Transition

Move from groove into tom/snare fill in final beat of the bar, then return to groove in the next bar.

Related pages: How to Write Drum Notation ยท Drum Notation Cheat Sheet