BY STEWART JEAN, ANA BARREIRO, AND JEFF BOWDERS | FROM THE FALL 2019 ISSUE OF DRUM!
“Funk” is another reference to a genre that covers many sub-styles. Funky music began with James Brown, traveling through fusion, rock, and R&B before making its way to The Ohio Players, Cameo, Prince, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tower Of Power, and Snoop Dogg. Although these artists are very different there is a common denominator: syncopated sixteenth-note–based grooves. In this lesson we take a bass drum pattern that many beginning players struggle with and apply essential ride patterns used in funk music.
PRACTICE TIPS
- First, play all patterns with one hand on the ride or hi-hat between 60–90 bpm
- Second, play all patterns with two hands on the hi-hat between 90–150 bpm