HOW TO PLAY THE FUNKY DRUMMER BREAKBEAT

THE SOUND OF THE FUNKY DRUMMER | Lesson & History

How to Play the "Funky Drummer" Breakbeat

The drum break that Clyde Stubblefield created with James Brown in 1969 is arguably the single most important measure of drums in recorded musical history. That one measure has been sampled more than almost any other drum beat, providing the driving force to literally thousands of songs.

It’s also REALLY hard to play. Here’s a free transcription and video lesson from session drummer Dylan Wissing (Alicia Keys, John Legend, Drake) to help you get started.

HOW TO PLAY THE FUNKY DRUMMER | Transcription & Video Lesson

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1. HOW TO PLAY THE FUNKY DRUMMER BREAKBEAT | Transcription
2. HOW TO PLAY THE FUNKY DRUMMER BREAKBEAT | Video Lesson & Demonstration

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Free
2 lessons

Take time to focus on the details, practice slowly, and play it much more quietly than you may think. Do everything you can to match Clyde’s legendary feel and touch on the drums.

When you really have the beat down, record yourself and listen back. Does it sound just like the “Funky Drummer” breakbeat? Could your recording be interchanged with the original without anyone noticing a difference?

That’s where it gets even harder.

Clyde Stubblefield & History of the "Funky Drummer"

James Brown live, circa 1968. Clyde Stubblefield is on the right [photo courtesy Alan Leeds]

Clyde Stubblefield certainly wasn’t the first drummer to use ghost notes in his playing, and not even the first to use them with James Brown. But the way that Clyde incorporated ghost notes along with a wicked right hand on the hi hat throughout the full 9:13 master take of “Funky Drummer” is a master class in touch, creativity and sheer technical prowess.

There’s another element to the sound that becomes immediately apparent when you listen to the full track - the drum sound on the breakbeat section at 5:22 is completely different from the rest of the song.

Which brings us to the studio where “Funky Drummer” was recorded.

King Studios and the "Funky Drummer" Recording Session

James Brown behind the console at King Studios, circa 1968 [photo courtesy Alan Leeds]

Throughout the 1960s, James Brown recorded for King Records, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The entire operation was housed in one large building with a recording studio, art and promotion department, and a complete vinyl pressing plant. The business offices for James Brown Productions were housed in the same building.

King Studios was a complete recording facility within the complex, with a large live tracking room, separate control room and mastering studio. An echo chamber on the second floor provided reverb effects by sending audio through a speaker into the highly-reflective room, which was then re-recorded with a microphone and brought back into the mix.

At the time of the “Funky Drummer” recording session on November 20, 1969, the studio had the capability of recording eight tracks to tape at one time. Clyde's entire performance was mixed down to a single mono channel on the master recording.

One take, no overdubs or fixes as best we can tell. The work of a true master.

The Power of the "Funky Drummer" Breakbeat

"Funky Drummer" by James Brown, released as a two-part 45 rpm single on King Records in March 1970.

Released in 1970, "Funky Drummer" peaked at #20 on the R&B charts, #51 on the Pop charts. The song was performed live by the band for several months, mostly in an instrumental portion of the show. After the song dropped off the charts and set lists, it was largely forgotten.

Little did Clyde or anyone else know at the time that one measure of drums at the end of Side B would go on to change the course of musical history.

Initially rediscovered in the early 80s, most famously by Hank Shocklee in his work with Hip Hop production team The Bomb Squad, “Funky Drummer” went on to become one of the most-sampled drum beats in recording history, appearing on 1,812 songs as of November 2023 according to WhoSampled (and most likely on many more over the years that were never properly credited).

The drums have been used just as sampled off the record, slowed down, sped up, chopped up, mangled, distorted, you name it. But the unmistakable sound and feel of Clyde Stubblefield and King Studios comes through every time.

How Do You Get That "Funky Drummer" Sound Today?

Fifty years later, there’s still a demand for the “Funky Drummer” breakbeat, or at least a loop or sample that sounds just like it.

How hard can it be to recreate? Throw a couple of mics around a set of drums, play the beat, add some compression and reverb in your DAW, and you’ve got your own “Funky Drummer” breakbeat. Simple!

If only it were that easy. Look at just a few of the forces that all came together on that fateful night in 1969:

For a start, there is only one Clyde Stubblefield - the original Funky Drummer himself.
Then there’s the James Brown Band - the world has never seen another band like it.
The unique sound of the King Studios tracking room, recording and mastering equipment, and their custom echo chamber.
The mixing and mastering decisions made in the session by engineer Dave Harrison.

All of these variables, along with countless other decisions and factors large and small, combine to create the sonics of the world’s most-sampled breakbeat.

The good news is, it can be recreated today in your DAW. The process is called a sample replay, and we'll show you how to do it.

We've Been Recreating Classic Breakbeats For a While

The sound of classic Funk, R&B, Soul and Gospel records from the 60s and 70s is still a big part of the musical world today. We know, because we've had to recreate them for some of the biggest artists in the world.

Here's our story.

Watch Intro Video

CREATING THE SOUND OF THE FUNKY DRUMMER | Behind the Breakbeat

Learn Everything You Need to Recreate the "Funky Drummer" in Your Own Studio!

There's nothing like the perspective gained from viewing the entire process - starting with a bare drum riser and continuing through every step to the final mix.