Drum beat in the style of “Chameleon” — Herbie Hancock
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Song grooves
· Simplified drum grooves in the style of famous songs — not exact transcriptions.
Harvey Mason’s groove on Herbie Hancock’s 1973 jazz-funk classic is a masterclass in ghost notes and syncopation. Keep the hi-hat loose and the accents crisp.
- Tempo
- 96 BPM
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Genre
- Funk
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Loop
- 1 bar
Drum pattern
| Open hi-hat | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hi-hat | ||||||||||||||||
| Snare | ||||||||||||||||
| Kick |
Each row is one drum, each column one step. Large dots are accents, small dots normal hits, faint dots ghost notes.
Who plays what: notes per bar
| Cymbal hand | 16 |
|---|---|
| Snare hand | 6 |
| Kick foot | 4 |
The kick always lines up with the cymbal, so the work is in the snare hand: 4 of its 6 notes are ghost notes.
About this groove
At about 96 BPM it has a medium tempo: one beat lasts 625 ms and a 4/4 bar takes 2.5 seconds. Use the tempo buttons to slow it down while you learn.
Practice plan
Step-by-step breakdown of the funk groove with ghost notes →
How it differs from similar beats
Compared with “Give It Away” (Red Hot Chili Peppers, 16th-note funk groove), this groove adds 1 ghost note and opens the hi-hat — and it runs 5 BPM faster. If you can already play that one, this is your next step. Give It Away →
“Funky Drummer” (James Brown) uses exactly the same simplified pattern, 4 BPM faster — a good next step once this one feels easy. Funky Drummer →
Other songs with the same funk groove with ghost notes
Similar drum beats
This is a simplified rhythm pattern in the style of “Chameleon” by Herbie Hancock, written for drum practice. It is not a transcription of the recording and contains no audio, lyrics or artwork. Drums3D is not affiliated with Herbie Hancock.