Linear Funk drum pattern
A two-bar linear funk pattern in which no two voices ever land together: every 16th belongs to exactly one of kick, hat, backbeat or ghost, and bar two ends with an open hat and a kick pickup. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 96 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Linear Funk
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 linear 16th-note funk pattern).
The Linear Funk 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-- -o-- |
| Closed hat | -x-o --o- -x-- -x-o | -x-- -x-- o--o ---- |
| Open hat | ---- ---- ---- ---- | ---- ---- ---- --x- |
Tempo and feel
One continuous line passed between the limbs. It should sound like a single instrument, even and flowing, with the backbeats standing out of the stream. The default tempo is 96 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 Linear Funk
Say the pattern as a sticking out loud, one limb name per 16th. Play it at 60 BPM with every note at the same volume. Bring the backbeats up and the ghosts down only once the stream is even.
Variations to try next
Move the hat notes to the ride. Replace the bar-two open hat with a closed one. Loop bar one only.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Herbie Hancock - Actual Proof and The Headhunters - God Make Me Funky. A linear study in the tradition of 70s fusion-funk drummers such as Mike Clark and David Garibaldi: no two limbs ever strike together, so kick, hat and snare share one unbroken stream of 16ths. The sticking is authored for practice, not transcribed.