Blue-Eyed Soul Groove drum pattern
A two-bar 70s soul-pop groove: one-handed 16th hats accented on the eighths, quiet ghost notes, a syncopated kick and an open hat on the last 16th of the phrase. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 112 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Blue-Eyed Soul 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 one-handed 16th-note soul-pop pocket).
The Blue-Eyed Soul 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- |
| Closed hat | xoxo xoxo xoxo xoxo | xoxo xoxo xoxo xox- |
| Open hat | ---- ---- ---- ---- | ---- ---- ---- ---x |
Tempo and feel
Smooth and polished. The 16ths are even and relaxed, the ghosts are tucked away, and the groove sounds effortless even though it is busy. The default tempo is 112 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 Blue-Eyed Soul Groove
Play the 16th hats with one hand, accenting the eighths, until they sound even at tempo. Add the backbeat and kick. Add the ghost notes so quietly they are felt more than heard.
Variations to try next
Play the hats as eighths for a lighter verse. Move the open hat to the and of 4. Add a kick on the a of 4 in bar two.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Boz Scaggs - Lowdown and Hall & Oates - I Can't Go for That (No Can Do). A drum-set study of 70s and early-80s blue-eyed soul, the soul-pop made by white artists working in the R and B tradition, often with LA session drummers. The one-handed 16th hat and ghost notes are authored for practice, not transcribed from any one record.