Beatbay guide
Amapiano log drum pattern
Amapiano is South African piano house at about 110 to 115 BPM: a steady kick, busy shakers and rimshots, jazzy piano chords, and the log drum, a tuned, saturated low drum that plays the bass line in short bouncing notes that slide between pitches.
The pattern
The kick plays every beat, softly. A clap on 2 and 4, hi-hats on the off-beats and rimshots placed round the bar give the shuffle, with shakers in every sixteenth, some only some of the time. The log drum carries the groove: short notes off the beat that slide up or down into the next.
| Drum | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punch kick | X | · | · | · | X | · | · | · | X | · | · | · | X | · | · | · |
| Big clap | · | · | · | · | x | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | x | · | · | · |
| Tight hat | · | · | x | · | · | · | x | · | · | · | x | · | · | · | x | · |
| Rim | · | · | · | x | · | · | x | · | · | · | x | · | · | x | · | · |
| Shaker | ? | x | ? | x | ? | x | ? | x | ? | x | ? | x | ? | x | ? | x |
Read across: each column is a sixteenth note, numbered on the beats. X is an accent, x a hit, r a quick roll, ? a hit that plays only some of the time round.
Tempo and feel
A little swing, about 55%, and a tempo near 113 BPM. The log drum is the star: a sine wave that drops onto its note with a knock at the start and a lot of saturation. In Beatbay it is one of the bass track’s sounds (Pro), made in code.
The beat above is Beatbay’s “Amapiano” starter: 113 BPM, swing 55%. Tap any step to change it while it plays.
Make it your own
Change the log drum’s notes and slides in the bass track to make your own line, or set the chords’ colour to Lush for ninths. Turn a shaker step to 50% chance so the pattern never repeats exactly.
When you like it, “Open in Beatbay” takes your version into the app, where you can save it, add patterns and share it as a link, a video or a WAV.
Questions
What is a log drum in amapiano?
A tuned, punchy low drum sound that plays the bass line in short notes, often sliding between pitches. It started as a synth preset and became the sound of the style.
What BPM is amapiano?
Usually 110 to 115 BPM.