Al Jackson-Style Backbeat drum pattern
A two-bar Memphis soul groove: plain eighth-note hats, a kick that barely moves off 1 and 3, and a fat backbeat that sits deliberately behind the beat. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 104 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Al Jackson-Style Backbeat
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 Memphis backbeat).
The Al Jackson-Style Backbeat 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 |
| Closed hat | x-o- x-o- x-o- x-o- | x-o- x-o- x-o- x-o- |
Tempo and feel
Patient and heavy. Nothing is busy; the whole groove comes from how late and how big the snare on 2 and 4 is. The default tempo is 104 BPM. It plays with 52% 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 Al Jackson-Style Backbeat
Play hats and kick with a click until they feel dead even. Add the snare a hair late on 2 and 4 without dragging the hats with it. Record yourself and listen for the snare leaning back against the click.
Variations to try next
Play the backbeat on the grid to hear what the lateness adds. Add a ghost note on the a of 2. Play the hats as quarter notes for a sparser verse.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Wilson Pickett - In the Midnight Hour, Sam & Dave - Hold On, I'm Comin' and Otis Redding - Respect. A style study of the spare Stax and Memphis soul time associated with Al Jackson Jr.: plain eighth hats, a simple kick and a heavy backbeat placed noticeably late. The lateness is authored as a fixed offset for practice; this is not a transcription of any one record.