Steely Dan - Babylon Sisters

Please click image to view larger version.

Introducing the 'Purdie Shuffle'. Studio great Bernard Purdie pioneered this half-time shuffle feel that would later be adopted by John Bonham and Jeff Porcaro. Purdie has kept the bass drum pattern simple and incorporated an open hihat into the shuffle pattern.

Check out Bonham and Porcaro's take on the half-time shuffle here.

Boz Scaggs - Lowdown

Please click image to view larger version.

Here's another classic Jeff Porcaro groove from Boz Scaggs' Silk Degrees record. The heart of this one is the tasty, subtle ghost notes after the backbeats on the snare. This track has an overdubbed 16th note hihat pattern and is pretty quick at around quarters = 115 bpm.

For more Porcaro genius check out Boz Scaggs' Lido Shuffle and Toto's Rosanna.

Boz Scaggs - Lido Shuffle

Please click image to view larger version.

Here's another famous groove from the late, great Jeff Porcaro. This one is played at about quarter note = 140 on the record so it is a real workout for your left hand. Porcaro's ghost note work was always something I admired about his unique style and this is yet another example of it. Aside from his work with Toto, Porcaro was a prolific session drummer. This tune comes from Boz Scaggs' Silk Degrees record.

For other example of playing 'inside' a shuffle groove with ghost notes on the snare, check out Buddy Guy's Damn Right I've Got The Blues or John Bonham's half time shuffle on Led Zeppelin's Fool In The Rain.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Manic Depression

Please click image to view larger version.

Here's a groove from a classic Hendrix tune, Manic Despression. The late Mitch Mitchell plays this great, galloping 3/4 swing groove. Enjoy!

The Roots - The Seed

Please click image to view larger version.

Here's another groove from one of my favourites, Questlove. This groove is deceptively simple but sounds great with and without the band. Take note of the two accented upbeat hihats, these two simple embelishments hold this groove together and give it it's infectious lope. Questlove is the king of laying down a pocket groove with machine like precision and repetition, while at the same time carefully choosing moments to add slight variations and fills to keep a tune moving forward.

The Beatles - Come Together

Please click image to view larger version.

This is one of my favourite Beatles tunes and it's also one of their grooviest. This is the intro groove to Come Together. There are mixed opinions on Ringo as a drummer, but I believe that, while he may not have had the best chops, he had great feel and played exactly what the music required. Enjoy.

The Meters - Cissy Strut

Please click image to view larger version.

This has got to be one of the funkiest drum parts in history. Above is the original part that Zigaboo played with two hands on the hihats. It's near impossible to replicate the feel and groove of Zig's original cut but I trust you'll have fun trying to find the pocket on this one. The hihat notes in brackets are optional. On the original Meters recording Zig starts the tun with out this note but adds it in later.

Below is a cleaner, more 'studio' take on the groove by Dennis Chambers from his 'In The Pocket' video. It's still played with that great New Orleans lope, but the kick drum part is stripped back nicely. Enjoy.

For more Zigaboo and The Meters check out Live Wire and Just Kissed My Baby.