Afro-Funk Bell Groove drum pattern
A two-bar 70s Afro-funk groove led by a two-bar cowbell timeline, with the hi-hat foot on every and, a steady backbeat over quiet ghost notes and a kick that anchors 1 and 3. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 114 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Afro-Funk Bell Groove
Count it as: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a · two bars. The pattern is a 2-bar phrase in 4/4 (two-bar 16th-note bell-led Afro-funk pocket).
The Afro-Funk Bell Groove pattern, hit by hit
Each character is one step of the grid and each group is one beat. X is an accented hit, x a normal hit, o a quiet or ghost note and - a rest.
| Voice | Bar 1 | Bar 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Kick | X--- ---- X-x- ---- | X--- ---x X--- --x- |
| Snare | ---- X--- ---- X--- | ---- X--- ---- X--- |
| Ghost snare | --o- ---- -o-- -o-o | --o- --o- -o-- -o-- |
| Pedal hat | --o- --o- --o- --o- | --o- --o- --o- --o- |
| Cowbell | x--x --x- x--x --x- | x-x- x--x --x- x--- |
Tempo and feel
Bright and circling. The bell line leads and the kit follows it; the backbeat is firm, but the bar is felt in two-bar cycles rather than single bars. The default tempo is 114 BPM. It plays with 51% swing by default; move the Swing control toward 50% to hear it straight. Slow it down until every hit is controlled, then raise the tempo a few BPM at a time.
How to practise the Afro-Funk Bell Groove
Clap or sing the two-bar bell line until it loops without a seam. Play the bell with the hi-hat foot on the ands. Add kick and backbeat, then the ghost notes at whisper volume.
Variations to try next
Swap bar one and bar two of the bell line. Play the bell on the ride bell. Add a kick on every quarter note for a makossa-style four-on-the-floor.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Manu Dibango - Soul Makossa, Osibisa - Sunshine Day and William Onyeabor - Atomic Bomb. A drum-set study of 70s West and Central African funk, where American funk met highlife and makossa. The two-bar bell line is an authored timeline for practice, and the hand percussion of the records is folded into the bell and hi-hat foot. It differs from the library's Afrobeat Pulse, which keeps a steady hat and cross-stick.