Motown Pocket drum pattern
A warm soul backbeat with an answering kick phrase and light eighth-note hats. 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 Motown Pocket
Count it as: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a. The pattern is one bar of 4/4 (16th-note grid).
The Motown 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 | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Kick | X--- --x- x--- --x- |
| Snare | ---- X--- ---- X--- |
| Closed hat | x-o- x-o- x-o- x-o- |
Tempo and feel
Compact and buoyant. Snare 2 and 4 stay broad while the kick answers around them. 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 Motown Pocket
Keep the backbeat relaxed. Count the kick syncopations aloud. Make the hats quieter than the snare.
Variations to try next
Add tambourine on 2 and 4. Move the final kick to the & of 4. Play cross-stick instead of snare.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include The Temptations - My Girl, Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through the Grapevine and Marvin Gaye - Ain't That Peculiar. This is a style study written for practice, not a transcription of any one recording.