Funk · hard · 96 BPM
Funk 16th Ghost-Note Groove
A James Brown-school funk pocket where the loud backbeat on 2 and 4 is surrounded by quiet ghosted snare notes filling the sixteenths. Those soft strokes plus the syncopated kick create the greasy, hypnotic sixteenth-note feel that defines the genre.
Press play to hear it, then open the full machine to edit, loop, and play along with your own kit.
What this teaches
Dynamic control - playing accented backbeats against whisper-quiet ghost notes on the same hand to build a sixteenth-note groove.
Heard in
- Cold Sweat - James Brown
More grooves
GrooveSteps practice notes · Updated 2026-10-18 · How these examples are made
Listen for this
Separate the quieter snare values from the main backbeats. Practice the accented notes first and add the quieter notes without flattening that contrast. Keyboard scoring can check placement, but acoustic dynamics require listening on a real instrument.
Practice the arrangement
- Start with the sparsest row. Count every subdivision, including the silent positions.
- Add one voice at a time on your kit, or listen to the full loop and clap just one part. Keep the main pulse unchanged.
- Play four loops at a comfortable tempo. Change one note, then compare the variation with the displayed pattern before adding another.
Read the final example without sound
This loop has 16 steps, with 4 steps per main beat. Count each beat as number, e, and, a. The table lists the occupied positions; every unlisted position is a rest. Start at 96 BPM or lower the control until you can follow each part.
| Voice | Count positions |
|---|---|
| hihat | 1 · 1 e · 1 & · 1 a · 2 · 2 e · 2 & · 2 a · 3 · 3 e · 3 & · 3 a · 4 · 4 e · 4 & · 4 a |
| kick | 1 · 2 & · 3 & |
| snare | 1 e · 1 a · 2 · 2 a · 3 e · 4 · 4 a |
These positions describe the programmed example, not an artist recording. Playback uses synthesized sounds. A real performance also involves touch, dynamics and phrasing.
Keep practicing
Build a practice routine · Read drum notation · Browse the lesson path
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