The pattern
120 BPM · 4/4 · 16 step · swing 25%
| 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 |
| Rim shot | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest |
| Closed hi-hat | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest |
| Open hi-hat | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest |
How to play it and where it comes from
Jamaican ska of the 1960s: the guitar (and piano) play the skank on the offbeats of every beat (& of 1, 2, 3, 4), shown here by the chh/ohh hi-hat lane that doubles it; the bass walks in quarter notes with accents on the offbeats; kick and cross-stick accent the third beat. Shuffle feel (swing 20–30%). In British 2 Tone (late 1970s) the tempo goes up and the drummer plays snare on 2 and 4 with kick on the quarter notes; in the third wave, distorted guitar comes in. Indicative tempo: the sources consulted give no precise BPM; many Jamaican tracks sit around 110–135.