Drums › Grooves › Rock Shuffle
The Rock Shuffle 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.
Rock Shuffle
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kick | ● | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · |
| Snare | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · |
| Hi-hat | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · |
- Kick · 3 hits · steps 1, 7, 11 · beats 1
- Snare · 2 hits · steps 5, 13 · beats 2, 4
- Hi-hat · 8 hits · steps 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 · beats 1, 2, 3, 4 · eighth notes
Where to start
Say "ta-ta-ta" out loud on every beat, then play only the first and third "ta". Once your mouth holds it, your hand holds it.
What the hands and feet actually do
The shuffle lives in the wrist, not the arm. On "Rosanna", Porcaro adds snare ghost notes between the hits — that is what makes the pattern liquid instead of bouncy.
The trap
The lukewarm shuffle: neither properly straight nor properly triplet. That is the worst place to park. Commit clearly, and hold the same division from start to finish.
Listen to this
To hear the Rock Shuffle groove in its element:
Rosanna (Toto) · Pride and Joy (Stevie Ray Vaughan) · La Grange (ZZ Top)
Drummers of this groove
Jeff Porcaro
The "Rosanna" shuffle: a half-shuffle with ghost notes, considered the most copied pattern of the 1980s.
Porcaro himself explained that his figure came from a blend of Bernard Purdie's shuffle and Bonham's on "Fool in the Rain". He played on hundreds of records, from Steely Dan to Michael Jackson, and died at thirty-eight. His instructional video is still one of the most watched in the trade.
Rosanna (Toto)Beat It (Michael Jackson)Africa (Toto)Neighbouring 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 Rock Shuffle groove on drums?
Say "ta-ta-ta" out loud on every beat, then play only the first and third "ta". Once your mouth holds it, your hand holds it.
What tempo is Rock Shuffle played at?
The usual range runs from 90 to 130 BPM. The hub's 1 pattern(s) are set to 105 BPM, and the tempo stays free inside the drum machine.
Is Rock Shuffle straight or shuffled?
Shuffled: the offbeats are delayed (0.55 of swing in the hub's pattern), which gives the shuffle feel.
Which drummer should you listen to for Rock Shuffle?
Jeff Porcaro, “Rosanna”. In the hub, Jeff Porcaro is attached to this groove.