The Rhythm Patterns That Changed Everything for Me (and How They Can Change Your Tracks Too)
- Leiam Sullivan
- Nov 19
- 2 min read
Finding Patterns That “Just Work”
Quite a few years ago, I fell down a rabbit hole that completely reshaped how I thought about rhythm in electronic music.
It started with a simple PDF: a book of Roland drum machine patterns. Download it here ⬇️
As soon as I realised those machines came with rhythms baked in – especially the 505 – patterns designed to work on the dancefloor, it hit me:
There are rhythms that just… work.
That thought sent me off on a long journey. And honestly, it unlocked more growth for me than any theory-heavy explanation ever did.
The Search for Real, Usable Drum Machine Rhythm Patterns
I struggled with traditional rhythm books.
Time signatures, notation, measures–great for drummers, but they didn’t click for me. I don’t read music the traditional way, and most rhythm explanations are built around that.
What I needed were working rhythms I could program directly into a drum machine.
Simple patterns.
Visually clear.
Playable.
Usable.
So I went searching.
That’s when I found two books that changed everything.
The Two Books That Opened the Door
These two books weren’t about notation or theory–they were about grooves you can program instantly. Clear steps. Real patterns. No gatekeeping.
They opened another stream of beats for me:
Afro-Cub
Blues
Breaks
Disco
Funk
Rock
And loads more…
For the first time, I was understanding rhythms.
These rhythms taught me how patterns “talk” to each other. How they repeat, evolve, and loop. And how even the simplest rhythm can make a room move.
Why Rhythm Is the Secret Ingredient in Electronic Music
Whether it’s drums, bass, synth lines, or percussion–rhythm is always there.
On the dancefloor it’s everything.
These patterns showed me:
Accents Are Where the Life Is
A simple pattern can become hypnotic just by shifting an accent.
Small Differences Make Big Movement
A single step before or after the grid can change the entire feel of the bar.
Repetition Isn’t Boring–It’s the Magic
Some rhythms hold you.
Some push forward.
Some bounce.
Some pull back.
When you start recognising these shapes, electronic music becomes a playground.
Why These Books Are Gold for Electronic Producers
If you produce electronic music, you don’t need to read notation to understand rhythm.
You just need to:
See it
Program it
Feel it
These books made that possible for me.
They gave me patterns I could use–and patterns I could build from.
They also introduced me to rhythms far outside the typical 4/4 grid I grew up with.
Honestly, they’re an Aladdin’s cave for anyone who works with drum machines.
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