Ghost notes
Ghost notes are very quiet snare hits played around the main backbeat, here on steps 3, 8, 10 and 16 of 16 next to the loud snares on 5 and 13. One by one you barely hear them, but together they turn a stiff beat into one that sounds played by a drummer.
Also called ghost snare, ghost note drums, ghosted snare.
Play it
Tap any box to change it.
Try this
Try this · change one box
Tap the quiet snares on steps 8 and 10 to take them out. The kick is the same, the backbeat is the same, and the beat suddenly sounds programmed.
Learn this pattern step by step
The course builds up to it from Unit 1, which is free with a Google sign-in. It plays in your browser, like this page.
Pick up where you left off
Carry on with Unit 1, then Ghost notes comes in Unit 2: Groove.
Hear it without the grid
A short recording of the loop above at 92 BPM, made with Swung’s own sounds.
How it works
A drummer’s hands keep moving between the loud hits, and the stick taps the snare lightly on the way. Those taps are the ghost notes: too soft to count as beats, loud enough to fill the gaps with motion.
On the grid they are the quiet boxes. Keep them far softer than the backbeat, and put them just before or just after a loud snare, where they lead into it or bounce off it.
The pattern in words
- Kick: steps 1, 8 and 11 of 16.
- Snare: steps 5 and 13; quiet on 3, 8, 10 and 16 of 16.
- Hats: steps 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 of 16.
| Part | Steps, 1 to 16 | Plays on |
|---|---|---|
| Kick | x······x··x····· | steps 1, 8 and 11 of 16 |
| Snare | ··o·x··o·o··x··o | steps 5 and 13; quiet on 3, 8, 10 and 16 of 16 |
| Hats | x·x·x·x·x·x·x·x· | steps 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 of 16 |
x a hit, o a quiet hit, 2 or 3 a quick roll inside one step, – a note held on, · nothing.
Variations
Without the ghost notes
Just the loud backbeat: the same beat, stiffer.
A busier ghost pattern
Ghost notes on most of the empty sixteenths.
Dead straight
The same hits with the swing taken out.
Where it’s used
Common in Funk, Neo-soul, R&B and Gospel.