Latin Rock incorporates rhythms from Afro Cuban and Brazilian music into a Rock format, while often utilizing percussion instruments from all three styles. Though the Afro Cuban and Brazilian styles contain grooves which can be used in such early Latin Rock songs as "Tequila" by The Champs, this style normally uses less authentic and often simplified drum set patterns. The late 1960s saw the emergence of Carlos Santana, probably the most important musician to popularize the Latin Rock genre. His band featured the use of Afro Cuban percussion instruments in a Rock music setting. His impact on this style has spanned well over three decades, as he remains a popular figure world wide. Afro Cuban, Brazilian and Jazz ballads drum set rhythms are often simplified to avoid duplicating the parts of other percussionists.

Other later, successful Latin Rock artists include Los Lobos and Miami Sound Machine (featuring Gloria Estefan), as well as more recent artists such as Ricky Martin and Marc Anthony. Much as with patterns from the Afro Cuban and Brazilian styles, the drum set rhythms are often simplified in Latin Rock to avoid duplicating the parts of other percussionists. When playing alone, the Latin Rock drum set player may expand on the simplified grooves to approximate a more authentic sound. The grooves may combine Afro Cuban Brazilian, and Kock patterns to offer a wide variety of practical options. The tempos range from those of most Standard Rock songs at quarter note equal from one hundred and ten to one hundred and twenty beats per minute to that of a double time Afro Cuban and Brazilian feel at quarter note equal from 200 to 232 beats per minute.

One of the distinct sounds of jazz drumming is achieved with brushes, which are commonly used in both standard tempo songs and, especially, in ballads. The primary brush technique is to drag ("swirl") the snare hand in a clockwise circular motion on the snare while playing a consistent time pattern with the ride hand on the same surface. This requires proper coordination between the two hands. The snare hand, circling as a hand of a clock, will arrive at ten o'clock on beats 1 and 3, and four o'clock on beats 2 and 4. The time pattern of the ride hand will strike beat 1, the plus of beat 2, beat 3 and the plus of beat 4 at four o'clock and beats 2 and 4 at ten o'clock, crossing over the circling snare hand.

When performing a ballad with brushes, another way to play is the "figure eight" method. Both hands perform a figure eight on the snare drum, swirling and rarely leaving the surface. Generally, the ride hand starts on beat 1 at the upper portion of the drum while the snare hand is placed toward the lower portion on the same beat. The hands move in contrary directions to each other, both in figure eight patterns, and end up on opposite sides of the drum on beats 2 and 4. This enables a drummer to lightly accent all four beats of a measure with both hands simultaneously. Musical transcriptions of each style are written out.