Earl Young-Style Philly Soul drum pattern
A two-bar Philly soul groove: kick on every quarter, eighth-note hats that open on each and and close with the foot on the beat, a smooth backbeat and a snare pickup into the top. 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 Earl Young-Style Philly Soul
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 Philly soul open-hat pocket).
The Earl Young-Style Philly Soul 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--- x--- |
| Snare | ---- X--- ---- X--- | ---- X--- ---- X-xX |
| Ghost snare | ---- ---o ---- ---o | ---- ---- -o-- -o-- |
| Closed hat | x--- x--- x--- x--- | x--- x--- x--- x--- |
| Open hat | --x- --x- --x- --x- | --x- --x- --x- ---- |
| Pedal hat | o--- o--- o--- o--- | o--- o--- o--- o--- |
Tempo and feel
Lush and gliding. The open hats breathe like a string section, and the kick stays even and round rather than pounding. The default tempo is 112 BPM. Slow it down until every hit is controlled, then raise the tempo a few BPM at a time.
How to practise the Earl Young-Style Philly Soul
Play the hand open-close hat with the foot closing on each beat until the chick is exact. Add the quarter-note kick at an even, medium volume. Add the backbeat and the bar-two snare pickup.
Variations to try next
Keep the hat closed and play the ands on the ride. Drop the kick on 2 and 4 for a lighter verse. Add ghost notes on the e of 2 and 4.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include The O'Jays - Love Train, MFSB - TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) and Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes - The Love I Lost. A style study of the early-70s Philadelphia soul feel associated with Earl Young: four-on-the-floor kick with eighth-note hats that open on every and and close with the foot on the beat. The strings, congas and tambourine of the records are not on the kit. It differs from the library's Chic-Era Disco Funk, which plays 16th hats at a later disco tempo; it is authored for practice, not transcribed.