Beatisolate
Beginner drum grooves you can download and practice with.
Simple original drum MIDI files for beginner practice, cover preparation, and learning basic rock groove ideas. Open them in EZDrummer, Superior Drummer, or most GM-compatible drum plugins.
Independent MIDI files. EZDrummer is not included.
- practice simple kick, snare and hi-hat patterns
- slow down grooves and build timing
- use MIDI as a starting point for drum covers and demos
How to use these MIDI exercises
Click the download button and save the .mid file to your computer.
Use EZDrummer, Superior Drummer, or another GM-compatible drum instrument.
Start under tempo, listen to the placement, then raise the speed when it feels steady.
Beginner Rock Groove #01
A very simple 4/4 rock groove for beginners. Use it to practice steady 8th-note hi-hat, snare on beats 2 and 4, and kick on beats 1 and 3.
File name: beginner-rock-groove-01.mid
Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & Hat: x x x x x x x x Snare: S S Kick: K K
The same pattern repeats for 4 bars.
Beginner Rock Groove #02 — Ride & Crash Variation
A simple variation of the first groove. The kick and snare stay the same, but the hi-hat is replaced with 8th-note ride cymbal, and the crash hits on beat 1 of each bar.
File name: beginner-rock-groove-02-ride-crash-variation.zip
Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & Ride: x x x x x x x x Snare: S S Kick: K K Crash: C
The same pattern repeats for 4 bars. Crash accents land on beat 1 of each bar.
Beginner Rock Groove #03 — 16th Hi-Hat Variation
Another simple variation of the same basic groove. This time the hi-hat plays steady 16th notes, and crash accents land on beats 2 and 4 together with the snare.
File name: beginner-rock-groove-03-16th-hat-crash-accents.zip
Count: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a Hat: x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Snare: S S Kick: K K Crash: C C
The same pattern repeats for 4 bars. Crash accents land on beats 2 and 4.
Beginner Rock Groove #04 — Alternating Crash Variation
A simple crash cymbal variation built on the same basic kick and snare pattern. Crash cymbals play steady quarter-note accents, alternating between two crash sounds.
File name: beginner-rock-groove-04-alternating-crash-quarters.zip
Count: 1 2 3 4 Crash 1: C C Crash 2: C C Snare: S S Kick: K K
The same pattern repeats for 4 bars. Crash accents alternate on quarter notes.
Beginner Rock Fill #01 — High to Low Toms
A very simple 2-bar rock drum fill for beginners. The fill moves from higher toms to lower toms, then resolves with a kick and crash accent.
File name: beginner-rock-fill-01-high-to-low-toms.zip
Bar 1: higher toms → lower toms Bar 2: continue the descent End: kick + crash resolution
Practice it slowly first. The goal is to feel the movement from rack toms to floor toms and land clearly on the final accent.
Beginner Rock Practice Track #01 — Grooves and Tom Fills
A short practice track that combines the first beginner exercises into one simple sequence. Use it to practice basic rock grooves, cymbal variations, and an easy high-to-low tom fill in context.
File name: beginner-rock-practice-track-01.zip
Groove #01 — basic rock groove Groove #02 — ride + crash variation Fill #01 — high to low toms Groove #03 — 16th hi-hat variation Groove #04 — alternating crashes Fill #01 — repeated ending
This track puts the separate exercises together, so you can practice switching between simple grooves and fills.
This will grow into a small drum MIDI practice library.
New short MIDI exercises will focus on simple rock grooves, kick variations, fills, endings, and beginner-friendly practice ideas.
- kick variation groove
- simple chorus groove
- basic one-bar rock fill
- half-time rock groove