These basic-drum-beats are pretty much the place where every drummer begins. If you listen carefully, you will hear them in all kinds of music.

The little "x" on top is the high hat, the middle note--the snare, and the bottom note is the bass drum. Below each beat you can click on the player to hear a loop of 4 measures.

You should practice these beats with a metronome. Start at about 60 beats per minute and gradually work up to about 120. Then when you can play these basic beats easily, try adding some variations of your own. You might want to add some additional bass drum or snare notes. Or you might want to change the cymbal to sixteenth notes instead of eighth notes. the possibilities are endless!