Ostinato Three Funk
This groove features a slick ostinato 3 pattern on the ride cymbal that is no walk in the park. There are ways to change the groove while maintaining its funkiness. Check it out!
Change the Ride Bell Emphasis
The groove above emphasizes the up-beat strokes (i.e. the &’s). You can change the feel of the groove by emphasizing the downbeats on the ride bell instead. Listen to how the groove sounds with the ride bell on the 1, 2, 3, 4.
Straight 8ths
If the ostinato 3 pattern on the ride cymbal is too difficult, the groove can be simplified while still sounding funky. Here’s the groove with 8th notes on the ride cymbal alternating between ride and ride bell to keep things funky.
No Bell
It can be difficult to nail the alternating motion between the ride and bell. The syncopated strokes on the bass, snare and toms keep this groove funky even while playing straight 8th notes on the ride (without the bell). Here’s what this groove sounds like without the ride bell.
Hi-Hat – No Toms
A lot of funk grooves are played on the hi-hat instead of the ride. The toms in this groove are a hard reach when playing on the hi-hat. So, the groove below removes the toms and replaces the ride strokes with straight 8th notes on the hi-hat.
Author
Publisher of OnlineDrummer.com, Alfred Publishing author, Ddrum artist, and veteran Drum! Magazine contributor, Nate is a graduate of John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio and holds a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Findlay.
