Here is a dash of grey "Drumbeats ARE copyright free"
That is [i]almost[/i] the truth - kind of. If you hear a groove on a record, and you program it (or better yet, have a drummer recreate it) note for note, with all the feel, flavor and vibe of the original, you are still within the bounds of copyright law.
However, if you sample that drumbeat from a recording, you have jumped both feet to the wrong side of the law.
Sampling is literally taking the drummer, the recording session, the programming, the mixing, AND the song itself in one fell swoop. That crosses the line. Be inspired. Try to recreate it. That is what the law wants. The difference is that within that recreation, it is filtered THROUGH the mind and creativity of the new-song's individual.
Personally, I love hearing something and saying "Oh man, I can do that" and then trying to write a song 'kind-of like it' from memory or even using a recording as a rough guide. It usually sounds similar, but there are all kinds of Bissell-stuff strewn all over the new work. How could it not? I played (recorded, sequenced, programmed, etc) every note, and unless I tried to copy every aspect of the song (melody, etc), that Bissell-stuff puts me pretty firm on the correct side of the law. I was inspired by the original work. I didn't need any tangible piece of the original work to make my work.