Jazz Two-Feel drum pattern
A one-bar jazz two-feel: spang-a-lang on the ride, the hi-hat foot on 2 and 4, a light kick on 1 and 3 with the bass half notes and a cross-stick on 4. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 132 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Jazz Two-Feel
Count it as: 1 trip let 2 trip let 3 trip let 4 trip let. The pattern is one bar of 4/4 (one-bar eighth-note-triplet ride in two).
The Jazz Two-Feel 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 | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Kick | o-- --- o-- --- |
| Cross-stick | --- --- --- x-- |
| Pedal hat | --- x-- --- x-- |
| Ride | x-- x-o x-- x-o |
Tempo and feel
Laid back and spacious. It should feel like two big beats a bar under a swinging ride, ready to open into four. The default tempo is 132 BPM. It plays with 67% 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 Two-Feel
Play the ride with the hi-hat foot on 2 and 4. Add the kick on 1 and 3, as light as the bass half notes it doubles. Add the cross-stick on 4 without letting it get louder than the ride.
Variations to try next
Go to four: feather the kick on every beat and drop the cross-stick. Play the cross-stick on 2 and 4. Leave the kick out and let the bass carry the half notes.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Heads of swing standards played in two before the solos go to four. A practice study of the jazz two-feel, the half-note feel often used for the head of a standard before the band goes into four. The ride keeps spang-a-lang with the skip note on the let of 2 and the let of 4, the hi-hat foot closes on 2 and 4, and a light kick on 1 and 3 doubles the bass player's half notes. The cross-stick on 4 is an informed choice that many drummers add in a two-feel; others play it on 2 and 4 or leave it out. It is authored for practice, not transcribed.