Soul-Jazz Organ Groove drum pattern
A two-bar soul-jazz groove for organ combos: a swung jazz ride with the hi-hat foot on 2 and 4, a firm snare backbeat, a feathered kick and triplet ghost comping. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 120 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Soul-Jazz Organ Groove
Count it as: 1 trip let 2 trip let 3 trip let 4 trip let · two bars. The pattern is a 2-bar phrase in 4/4 (two-bar triplet ride and backbeat).
The Soul-Jazz Organ Groove 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 |
| Snare | --- X-- --- X-- | --- X-- --- X-- |
| Ghost snare | --o --- --o --- | --- --o -o- --- |
| Pedal hat | --- x-- --- x-- | --- x-- --- x-- |
| Ride | x-- x-x x-- x-x | x-- x-x x-- x-x |
Tempo and feel
Swinging but greasy. The ride swings like jazz, while the backbeat keeps it in the bar room rather than the concert hall. The default tempo is 120 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 Soul-Jazz Organ Groove
Play the swung ride with the hi-hat foot on 2 and 4. Add the snare backbeat, firm but not loud. Add the feathered kick and the triplet ghost comping.
Variations to try next
Drop the backbeat for straight jazz time in the solos. Play the backbeat as a cross-stick. Add a kick on the let of 4 in bar one.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Jimmy Smith - Back at the Chicken Shack, Ramsey Lewis Trio - The In Crowd and Jimmy McGriff - All About My Girl. A drum-set study of 60s soul-jazz organ-combo drumming: a jazz ride pattern with the hi-hat foot on 2 and 4, but a firm snare backbeat instead of free jazz comping. The swung ride lives on the triplet grid; it is authored for practice, not transcribed.