Led Zeppelin · 1975 · 3 over 4 · ≈80 BPM
The 3 over 4 polymeter in Kashmir by Led Zeppelin
Press play to count the meter or try the original drum exercise. Slow the pulse down or speed it up to feel how the pattern works.
Every player fits the same bar: A splits it into 3, B into 2. They meet on beat 1.
Original practice groove. Kick follows the first layer and snare follows the second. Hi-hat keeps every shared pulse. This is a teaching model, not the recorded drum part.
● Hit · empty cell = rest. Switch a part off and play it yourself.
Practice tempo: 80 BPM
BPM is the shared pulse. Each row counts its own repeating loop.
Note: The kick marks the three-count riff cycle and snare marks the four-count drum cycle. These sounds help you separate the counts; they do not reproduce John Bonham’s backbeat.
Simplified educational demo, not a transcription of the recording.
Hear the real thing
Playing the track pauses the demo automatically (and vice versa) so they don't fight each other.
What's happening rhythmically
The main riff in Kashmir is commonly explained as a three-count figure against a four-count drum pulse. This lesson isolates those two repeating lengths so you can follow where their starts fall. It does not map every section of the arrangement.
Because three and four don’t divide into each other, the riff’s downbeat lands somewhere new against the backbeat each bar, and the two parts only meet again every twelve beats. That slow, grinding drift is what makes the song feel colossal rather than just loud.
What to listen for
- The riff’s start moving to a different position within the four-count drum cycle
- The "reset" moment every twelve beats when riff and drums land together again
- The steady drum pulse giving you a reference while the riff repeats at its own length
Count the whole cycle
Keep one steady pulse and let each count start again at its own length. After 12 pulses, both counts return to one together.
| Pulse | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Next 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riff (in 3) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Drums (in 4) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
Riff (in 3) repeats 4 times; Drums (in 4) repeats 3 times. In the drum exercise, kick marks the first layer’s starts and snare marks the second layer’s starts. These are count markers, not the recording’s drum hits.
Practise this rhythm
Hear the pattern
Choose Drum exercise at half speed. Count three repeatedly with the kick and four with the snare; they meet after twelve pulses.
Play the missing snare
Mute Snare and supply its marked hits yourself while the kick continues. Keep going until both layers meet on one.
Play the missing kick
Restore Snare, mute Kick and swap roles. Return to Count clicks and maintain both parts yourself.
Common questions
Is Kashmir in 3/4 or 4/4?
This lesson compares a three-count riff with a four-count drum pulse. The two lengths run together, which is the polymeter the demo isolates. It is a model of the main rhythmic contrast, not a bar-by-bar map of every section.
Why do the counts meet after twelve pulses?
Twelve is the first shared multiple of three and four. Four three-count loops take the same time as three four-count loops. Both return to one at the start of the next cycle.
Does the snare row show Bonham’s drum part?
No. In this exercise the snare marks the start of the four-count loop. Use it to practise keeping four against three, then listen to the recording for the actual backbeat and fills.
