Psychedelic Soul Funk drum pattern
A two-bar late-60s psychedelic soul-funk groove in the Sly and the Family Stone mould: a plain, heavy backbeat, eighth hats with strong quarter accents and a kick that locks with the bass on the a of 2. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 99 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Psychedelic Soul 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 16th-note late-60s funk pocket).
The Psychedelic Soul 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- |
| Snare | ---- X--- ---- X--- | ---- X--- ---- X--- |
| Ghost snare | ---- ---- ---o ---- | ---- ---- ---- ---- |
| Closed hat | x-o- x-o- x-o- x-o- | x-o- x-o- x-o- x--- |
| Open hat | ---- ---- ---- ---- | ---- ---- ---- --x- |
| Pedal hat | o--- ---- ---- ---- | ---- ---- ---- ---- |
Tempo and feel
Earthy and communal. The drums are deliberately plain; the funk comes from the kick and bass landing together and from the backbeat never budging. The default tempo is 99 BPM. It plays with 53% 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 Psychedelic Soul Funk
Play the backbeat and quarter-note hat accents until they feel immovable. Add the a-of-2 kick and sing a bass line against it. Open the hat on the and of 4 in bar two and land firmly on beat 1.
Variations to try next
Play all four quarter notes on the kick for a chant chorus. Add a tambourine on 2 and 4. Remove the bar-two kick on the and of 3.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Sly & the Family Stone - Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), Sly & the Family Stone - I Want to Take You Higher and Sly & the Family Stone - Dance to the Music. This is a style study written for practice, not a transcription of any one recording.