The Funk drum groove
The pattern, step by step
One cell per sixteenth note, sixteen cells to the bar — exactly what the hub's drum machine plays. Downbeats are shown in bold.
Funk 16 temps
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kick | ● | · | · | ● | · | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | ● | · | ● | · | · |
| Snare | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · |
| Hi-hat | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
- Kick · 6 hits · steps 1, 4, 7, 9, 12, 14 · beats 1, 3
- Snare · 2 hits · steps 5, 13 · beats 2, 4
- Hi-hat · 16 hits · steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 · beats 1, 2, 3, 4 · sixteenth notes
Cold Sweat
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kick | ● | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | · | · |
| Snare | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · |
| Hi-hat | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · |
- Kick · 4 hits · steps 1, 4, 10, 14 · beats 1
- Snare · 2 hits · steps 5, 13 · beats 2, 4
- Hi-hat · 8 hits · steps 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 · beats 1, 2, 3, 4 · eighth notes
Funk Linéaire
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kick | ● | · | · | · | ● | · | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | ● |
| Snare | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · |
| Hi-hat | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● |
- Kick · 5 hits · steps 1, 5, 8, 10, 16 · beats 1, 2
- Snare · 2 hits · steps 5, 13 · beats 2, 4
- Hi-hat · 8 hits · steps 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16
Where to start
Sixteenths on the hi-hat, right hand alone, even. Add the kick ON the 1, very firm. Then a single ghost note before the 2. Nothing else for a week.
What the hands and feet actually do
The volume gap makes the funk: accents very loud, ghost notes very soft, nothing in between. Garibaldi called it playing "the holes" rather than the notes.
The trap
Playing everything at the same volume. A flattened funk turns into a sewing machine: technically clean, rhythmically dead. No dynamic gap, no groove.
Listen to this
To hear the Funk groove in its element:
Cold Sweat (James Brown) · Chameleon (Herbie Hancock) · Superstition (Stevie Wonder)
Drummers of this groove
Clyde Stubblefield
The "Funky Drummer": the most sampled break in hip-hop, played in one take without knowing it.
Twenty seconds recorded in 1970 now sit inside thousands of tracks, from Public Enemy to George Michael. Stubblefield never received royalties for it and ended his life playing clubs in Wisconsin. The way he lets ghost notes breathe is still the absolute funk reference.
Funky Drummer (James Brown)Cold SweatMother PopcornNeighbouring grooves
Play it right now
The Drum Hub's drum machine loads this pattern, plays it at any tempo and lets you edit it cell by cell.
Open the Drum Hub →Frequently asked questions
How do you play a Funk groove on drums?
Sixteenths on the hi-hat, right hand alone, even. Add the kick ON the 1, very firm. Then a single ghost note before the 2. Nothing else for a week.
What tempo is Funk played at?
The usual range runs from 90 to 115 BPM. The hub's 3 pattern(s) are set to 102 BPM, 100 BPM, 96 BPM, and the tempo stays free inside the drum machine.
Is Funk straight or shuffled?
Straight: the eighth notes are even, with no delay on the offbeats. That is what the hub's pattern plays.
Which drummer should you listen to for Funk?
Clyde Stubblefield, David Garibaldi. In the hub, Clyde Stubblefield is attached to this groove.