The Afrobeat drum groove
The pattern, step by step
One cell per sixteenth note, sixteen cells to the bar — exactly what the hub's drum machine plays. Downbeats are shown in bold.
Afrobeat Poly
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kick | ● | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · |
| Snare | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · |
| Clap | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | · |
| Hi-hat | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · |
| Open hi-hat | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | · | · |
- Kick · 4 hits · steps 1, 5, 9, 13 · beats 1, 2, 3, 4 · quarter notes
- Snare · 2 hits · steps 5, 13 · beats 2, 4
- Clap · 4 hits · steps 3, 7, 11, 15 · offbeat eighths
- Hi-hat · 8 hits · steps 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 · beats 1, 2, 3, 4 · eighth notes
- Open hi-hat · 4 hits · steps 2, 6, 10, 14
Where to start
Take two limbs only: hi-hat in eighths and kick on a three-beat cycle. Let them turn together until they meet again. That is polyrhythm.
What the hands and feet actually do
Each limb keeps its own cycle, of a different length. The exercise is not to play fast but NOT to be pulled into your neighbour's cycle — pure dissociation work.
The trap
Constantly hunting for the 1. In afrobeat the shared starting point only comes back every few bars: you have to accept floating in between without losing your own cycle.
Listen to this
To hear the Afrobeat groove in its element:
Water No Get Enemy (Fela Kuti) · Zombie (Fela Kuti) · Jealousy (Tony Allen)
Drummers of this groove
Tony Allen
Four independent rhythmic cycles played by a single body. Fela said there would be no afrobeat without him.
Allen taught himself by listening to jazz on Lagos radio, then invented a way of playing that existed nowhere else: several superposed cycles, each held by a different limb. Brian Eno called him the greatest drummer who ever lived. He was still recording at eighty.
Water No Get EnemyZombieAfro Disco BeatNeighbouring grooves
Play it right now
The Drum Hub's drum machine loads this pattern, plays it at any tempo and lets you edit it cell by cell.
Open the Drum Hub →Frequently asked questions
How do you play a Afrobeat groove on drums?
Take two limbs only: hi-hat in eighths and kick on a three-beat cycle. Let them turn together until they meet again. That is polyrhythm.
What tempo is Afrobeat played at?
The usual range runs from 95 to 120 BPM. The hub's 1 pattern(s) are set to 105 BPM, and the tempo stays free inside the drum machine.
Is Afrobeat straight or shuffled?
Straight: the eighth notes are even, with no delay on the offbeats. That is what the hub's pattern plays.
Which drummer should you listen to for Afrobeat?
Tony Allen, Fela Kuti. In the hub, Tony Allen is attached to this groove.