Disco Drive

The same four-on-the-floor core stepped up with full eighth-note hi-hats and an open accent on the upbeat, adding forward momentum without crowding the groove.

Disco Drive keeps the four-on-the-floor kick and the 2-and-4 snare of the basic disco groove but fills the hi-hat in to straight eighth notes, with a single open hi-hat on the '&' of 4. The result carries more momentum than the offbeat-hat version without becoming busy enough to crowd the pulse.

Difficulty: BeginnerTempo: 124 BPMTime signature: 4/4

The pattern, written out

Each column is one eighth note. x is a hi-hat or cymbal stroke, o is a drum, and o on the hi-hat row is an open hi-hat.

          1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
Hi-Hat    x x x x x x x o
Snare     . . o . . . o .
Kick      o . o . o . o .

How to count it

Count the bar out loud as 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & and add one limb at a time.

Hi-hat — All eight eighth notes, closed, except the last one — the '&' of 4 — which is open.

Snare — Beats 2 and 4.

Kick — All four numbered beats.

Every numbered beat has kick and hi-hat together, and 2 and 4 add the snare. The only new skill relative to a basic rock beat is the open hi-hat at the end of the bar.

Tempo ladder

Start slow enough to place every note deliberately, lock each rung in before moving up, and only raise the tempo once the pattern is clean. Each step opens the metronome at that tempo.

60 BPM · start 75 BPM 90 BPM 110 BPM 124 BPM · target

Three mistakes to watch for

1. Forgetting to close the hi-hat on beat 1

The open stroke on the '&' of 4 must stop as the next bar starts. Loop the last beat into the first beat of the next bar until the closing motion is automatic.

2. The open hi-hat being much louder than the rest

Opening the hat makes it louder for free, so you do not also need to hit it harder. Use the same stroke height as the closed notes.

3. Kick and hi-hat not landing exactly together

With both on every beat, any gap between them is very audible. Play the two alone and listen for a single combined attack.

What to play next

Ordered by difficulty — the first is the smallest step up.

Basic Disco GrooveFour-on-the-floor kick on every beat with backbeat snare on 2 and 4 and offbeat hi-hats, the driving foundation of classic disco.4 on the FloorKick drums every beat drives an unstoppable pulse - the backbone of disco, arena rock, and hard rock.Disco Funk PocketFour-on-the-floor disco kick fused with syncopated funk - busy sixteenth hi-hats with open accents, a sharp backbeat snare on 2 and 4, and ghosted kick syncopations between the downbeats that lock into a deep, danceable pocket.

Frequently asked questions

How do I play an open hi-hat?

Release pressure on the hi-hat pedal so the two cymbals separate slightly, strike, then close the pedal to stop the sound. The closing is as much part of the note as the strike.

How is this different from the basic disco groove?

The basic disco groove plays hi-hat only on the offbeats. This one fills in all eight eighth notes, which gives a more continuous, driving texture.

What tempo suits this groove?

It is written at 124 BPM, in the middle of the classic disco range. It works anywhere from about 110 to 135 BPM.

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