The pattern
160 BPM · 12/8 · 24 step
| Instrument | Beat 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Beat 2 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Beat 3 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Beat 4 | Step 11 | Step 12 | Beat 5 | Step 14 | Step 15 | Beat 6 | Step 17 | Step 18 | Beat 7 | Step 20 | Step 21 | Beat 8 | Step 23 | Step 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kick | hit | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest |
| Snare | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit |
| Closed hi-hat | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest |
| Ride | hit | rest | rest | hit | rest | hit | hit | rest | rest | hit | rest | hit | hit | rest | rest | hit | rest | hit | hit | rest | rest | hit | rest | hit |
How to play it and where it comes from
Swing jazz (1930s–40s: Count Basie with Jo Jones, Benny Goodman with Gene Krupa). Written in 12/8 on the triplet grid to make the swing exact: each group of 3 steps is a swung quarter note and the BPM (160) refers to the quarter note, so swing = 0. Ride in "spang-a-lang" (1, 2-a, 3, 4-a, where "a" is the third triplet), foot hi-hat on 2 and 4, very light "feathering" kick on the quarter notes (big band style), snare comping on the third triplets. Variants: brushes, quarter notes on the hi-hat in the 1930s, kick "bombs" to accent the horns.