The Basic Dance Beats. . The bulk of modern music is based on a few simple beat patterns. Learn those beats and play any song. Playing with music will come natural and you will be playing by 'ear' once you have mastered these rhythms. The following few pages will provide you with the basic beat patterns needed to play anything, regardless of your personal taste in music.
Slow songs require more fill notes on the cymbal and fast songs require less.
Make a bookmark and get a printout of this page. Practice these drumbeats as you surf the web. Learn each beat separately. Shortly after that, no matter what songs play on the radio, you will discover that you can join in and play along. . ., almost like magic. I am assuming that you can read and understand these patterns.