Northern Soul Stomp drum pattern
A two-bar uptempo stomp: a kick on every quarter, a hard backbeat, eighth-note hats accented on the ands like a handclap and a two-note snare kick-off into the next phrase. 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 Northern Soul Stomp
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 16th-note uptempo stomp).
The Northern Soul Stomp 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--- |
| Snare | ---- X--- ---- X--- | ---- X--- ---- X-xX |
| Ghost snare | ---- ---o ---- ---- | ---- ---- ---- ---- |
| Closed hat | o-x- o-x- o-x- o-x- | o-x- o-x- o-x- o--- |
Tempo and feel
Driving and dancefloor-bright. The quarter-note kick is the stomp, the accented ands are the clap, and the tempo never sags. The default tempo is 132 BPM. Slow it down until every hit is controlled, then raise the tempo a few BPM at a time.
How to practise the Northern Soul Stomp
Play the quarter-note kick and accented-and hats until the pulse feels like a stomp and a clap. Add the backbeat hard, without rushing at this tempo. Play the bar-two snare pair hand to hand and land cleanly on 1.
Variations to try next
Put the accent back on the hat downbeats. Play the snare on every beat for a Motown-style chorus. Drop the kick to 1 and 3 for a breakdown.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Frank Wilson - Do I Love You (Indeed I Do), Gloria Jones - Tainted Love and Dobie Gray - Out on the Floor. A style study of the uptempo 60s American soul records championed on the Northern soul dance scene in England. The handclaps and tambourine that often double the backbeat and offbeats are folded into the snare and hat accents. It is authored for practice, not transcribed.