The pattern
130 BPM · 4/4 · 16 step
| Instrument | Beat 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Beat 2 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Beat 3 | Step 10 | Step 11 | Step 12 | Beat 4 | Step 14 | Step 15 | Step 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kick | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest |
| Snare | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest |
| Clap | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest |
| Closed hi-hat | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest |
| Tambourine | rest | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest |
How to play it and where it comes from
The Motown sound (Detroit 1960s, drummers Benny Benjamin and Uriel Jones, James Jamerson on bass) between 110 and 150: snare on all four quarter notes, tambourine driving the eighths and the backbeat, clap on 2 and 4, kick on 1 and 3. The melodic, syncopated bass is the other engine. Variants: snare only on 2 and 4, kick anticipating the chord changes, "Motown shuffle" with triplets (Supremes).