Afrobeat Pulse drum pattern
A two-bar Afrobeat study: a steady 16th hat with the ands lifted, cross-stick on 2 and 4, a kick that shifts between the bars, quiet ghost notes, the hi-hat foot marking the top of bar two and an open hat on its and of 4. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 108 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Afrobeat Pulse
Count it as: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a · two bars. The pattern is a 2-bar phrase in 4/4 (two-bar 16th-note phrase).
The Afrobeat Pulse pattern, hit by hit
Each character is one step of the grid and each group is one beat. X is an accented hit, x a normal hit, o a quiet or ghost note and - a rest.
| Voice | Bar 1 | Bar 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Kick | x--x ---- --x- ---- | x--- --x- ---x --x- |
| Ghost snare | ---- --o- -o-- ---o | --o- ---o ---- -o-- |
| Cross-stick | ---- x--- ---- x--- | ---- x--- ---- x--- |
| Closed hat | ooxo ooxo ooxo ooxo | ooxo ooxo ooxo oo-o |
| Open hat | ---- ---- ---- ---- | ---- ---- ---- --x- |
| Pedal hat | o--- ---- ---- ---- | ---- ---- ---- ---- |
Tempo and feel
Patient and cyclical. Every limb has its own line; repetition should deepen the pocket rather than increase volume. The default tempo is 108 BPM. Slow it down until every hit is controlled, then raise the tempo a few BPM at a time.
How to practise the Afrobeat Pulse
Hold the 16th hat alone with the ands a little louder than the beats. Add cross-stick on 2 and 4, then the ghost notes well below it. Bring in the kick one bar at a time without changing the hands.
Variations to try next
Leave out the ghost notes for a drier pocket. Move the cross-stick to a full snare for a louder section. Loop bar one alone as a simpler vamp.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Fela Kuti & Africa 70 - Zombie (Tony Allen), Fela Kuti & Africa 70 - Expensive Shit (Tony Allen) and Fela Kuti & Africa 70 - Water No Get Enemy (Tony Allen). A style study of the Afrobeat drumming Tony Allen developed with Fela Kuti's Africa 70 in Lagos in the early 70s: a steady 16th hat with the ands lifted, cross-stick on 2 and 4, a kick that moves around the bar and ghost notes in the gaps, each limb its own part. Fela said there would be no Afrobeat without Tony Allen. It is authored for practice, not transcribed.