Scratch Drum Machine

Discover the project to make a Scratch drum machine from Cool Scratch Projects in Easy Steps by Sean McManus

About the Scratch Drum Machine project

Create a programmable drum machine in Scratch that can be used to make rhythms (or melodies) with 16 beats and 8 instruments. In Scratch 2.0, it can be used together with professional music samples, including those you can download below. You use the arrow keys to move around the grid.

Each row (from top to bottom) represents a different instrument. Each column is for a different beat in the loop. You use the space bar to turn beats on and off.

Try this cool Scratch project now

Download additional samples

• Drum samples - Download some samples from real drum machines, courtesy of Danny Wolfers, who records music as Legowelt.
• Download musical notes you can use with this project - You can replace the drum sounds with musical notes to write tunes using the Scratch Drum Machine. This download is a zip file. You'll need to extract it and then you can add the sounds in Scratch. Below, you can see a video that shows this project using the melody samples.

Sample drum rhythms

If you're struggling to get a good rhythm going using the Scratch Drum Machine, why not try copying one of the rhythms below as a starting point?

Find out more about the book

Visit the homepage for Cool Scratch Projects in Easy Steps to find out more about the book, find bonus materials, and discover the other projects in it.