Jazz-Rap Ride Pocket drum pattern
A two-bar jazz-rap groove that swaps the hi-hat for a ride pattern, keeps a hip-hop backbeat and lets swung ghost notes and a walking-bass kick sit underneath. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 90 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Jazz-Rap Ride 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 swung 16th-note ride pocket).
The Jazz-Rap Ride 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- |
| Snare | ---- X--- ---- X--- | ---- X--- ---- X--- |
| Ghost snare | ---- ---o ---- ---o | ---o ---o ---- -o-- |
| Pedal hat | ---- o--- ---- o--- | ---- o--- ---- o--- |
| Ride | x--- x-o- x--- x-o- | x--- x-o- x--- x-o- |
Tempo and feel
Cool and conversational. The ride carries the jazz, the backbeat keeps the head nodding, and the kick moves like an upright bass rather than a drum machine. The default tempo is 90 BPM. It plays with 60% 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 Jazz-Rap Ride Pocket
Play the ride pattern with the foot hi-hat on 2 and 4. Add the backbeat without letting the ride get louder. Add the kicks and swung ghosts last.
Variations to try next
Play the backbeat as cross-stick. Move the ride to the ride bell for a brighter chorus. Drop the bar-two kick on the a of 3.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Digable Planets - Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat), A Tribe Called Quest - Jazz (We've Got) and Gang Starr - Jazz Thing. This is a style study written for practice, not a transcription of any one recording.