Two-Handed Hat Funk drum pattern
A two-bar Oakland-style groove with both hands on the hi-hat: 16ths played hand to hand, the right hand leaving the hat for the backbeat, accented ands and a busy kick that threads between them. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 102 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Two-Handed Hat 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 hand-to-hand 16th-note hat pocket).
The Two-Handed Hat 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 ---- |
| Closed hat | ooxo -ox- ooxo -ox- | oox- -oxo oox- -o-o |
| Open hat | ---- ---- ---- ---- | ---- ---- ---- --x- |
| Pedal hat | o--- ---- ---- ---- | ---- ---- ---- ---- |
Tempo and feel
Tight, bright and machine-precise without being stiff. The accents on the ands give the lift; the unaccented hats should be almost flat. The default tempo is 102 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 Two-Handed Hat Funk
Play 16ths hand to hand on the closed hat, right hand on the beats and ands. Move the right hand to the snare on 2 and 4 without breaking the stream. Accent the ands, then add the kick one bar at a time.
Variations to try next
Move the ghost notes to the e of each beat. Accent the e and a notes instead of the ands. Open the hat on the and of 2 in bar one as well.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Tower of Power - What Is Hip? and Tower of Power - Squib Cakes. A style study of the hand-to-hand 16th-note hi-hat funk associated with David Garibaldi and the Oakland horn-band sound. The accent map and ghost placements are authored for practice, not taken from any record.