Playing the Reggaeton Beat with the Djembe Drum

I just took you through the reggaeton beat on djembe—straight from sunny Tenerife, where African drum lessons fit like a glove.

We started simple: four main strokes—bass (right) and loud slap (left)—then filled it to eight with quiet slaps for that steady pulse everyone recognizes. Swapped the order for flavor, threw in a mini fill with back-to-back loud slaps to punch it up. Kept the right hand centered on bass, left on the edge for slaps—efficient, powerful.

Play the basic eight-stroke bar, then alternate with the double-slap version to avoid dominating. That's my street-jam staple—consistent bass, familiar vibe.

For advanced twists (fingers, dynamics, fills), the courses have you covered.

This is one of the coolest, most essential beats out there. Questions? Drop them below. Ready to own it? Head to djembemaster.com for the masterclasses. Gracias—let's groove!