Go-Go Pocket drum pattern
A two-bar Washington DC go-go groove: hard-swung 16th hats, a kick that skips across the a of 1 and the a of 2, a heavy backbeat with swung ghost pickups and open hats that lift each bar. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 92 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Go-Go Pocket
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 hard-swung 16th-note go-go pocket).
The Go-Go Pocket 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- -x-- |
| Snare | ---- X--- ---- X--- | ---- X--- ---- X--- |
| Ghost snare | --o- ---- -o-- ---o | --o- ---- -o-o ---o |
| Closed hat | xooo xooo xo-o xooo | xooo xooo xooo xo-o |
| Open hat | ---- ---- --x- ---- | ---- ---- ---- --x- |
| Pedal hat | o--- ---- ---- o--- | ---- ---- ---- ---- |
Tempo and feel
Swung, relentless and conversational. The swing is deep but steady, because the groove has to hold a dance floor for twenty minutes without a break. The default tempo is 92 BPM. It plays with 62% 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 Go-Go Pocket
Play swung 16th hats until the long-short pairs feel identical every time. Add the backbeat and the a-of-1 kick. Add the swung ghosts last and keep them under the hats.
Variations to try next
Reduce Swing to 60% for a tighter feel. Tap a cowbell on the quarter notes with a spare hand or a pad. Leave out the open hats for a verse.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers - Bustin' Loose, Trouble Funk - Drop the Bomb and E.U. - Da Butt. A drum-set study of the Washington DC go-go pocket. On the records the groove is shared with congas, cowbell and timbales; those parts are omitted here, so the kit carries only the swung kick, backbeat and hat conversation. It is not a transcription.