Classic groove · Benny Benjamin and Richard "Pistol" Allen · The Funk Brothers
The Motown beat
128 BPM · one bar · sixteenths, four steps to the beat
16 steps · a brighter cell is an accent · the darker columns mark the beats (4 steps each). Rows used: Hi-hat, Low tom, Snare, Kick.
What the drums do
Snare on all four beats, the sound of a hundred Motown singles from "I Can't Help Myself" to "Dancing in the Street". The kick on one and three, and the low tom under three, keep it from flattening out.
How to use it
- Open it in the lab and press play. Listen for the beats the note points at before you look at the grid.
- Tap ½ speed and play along on a pad or the kit until the placement is yours, then let it back up to 128.
- Change one thing. Move a kick, drop a ghost note, add an open hat. The groove is a starting point, and the lab saves what you make of it.