Bernard “Pretty” Purdie and The Purdie Shuffle
This article contains affiliate links to products we love and recommend.
Contents
The Purdie Shuffle is a drum groove created by legendary drummer Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie.
It's a popular funk and soul drum beat that every drummer should be familiar with. It not only grooves hard in its own right, but has also influenced numerous subsequent players.
Here’s what you need to know about this legendary beat.
If you want to know more about the legendary drummer in his own words, check out his book Let The Drums Speak which features on our list of the best books about drummers.
How to Play The Purdie Shuffle
There are several distinctive features of the Purdie shuffle that you need to know if you want to play it:
A shuffle pattern on the hi-hat. You can think of a shuffle as an eighth note triplet pattern with the middle note of each triplet missing. Purdie played this in 12/8 time as well as 4/4.
A strong bass drum and snare back beat. The snare accents the 3rd beat in a 4/4 pattern, or the 4th in a 6/8 pattern. The bass drum plays the first beat (and for extra funk, the & of 4 - creating the ba-bum sound)
The key ingredient is ghost notes on the snare drum. I said that a shuffle is basically a triplet with the third note missing.
The Purdie Shuffle plays these missing notes as snare drum ghost notes: i.e. the middle note of each triplet.
This is the tricky bit: playing the accented back beat followed quickly by the ghost note with the same hand. This takes some practice to achieve.
Embellish! Once you’ve got these basics down it’s time to add your own personality - experiment with bass drum patterns, beat displacement, fills and cymbal hits.
Playing the Purdie Shuffle, ‘splained
Who better to explain, sorry ‘splain’, the Purdie Shuffle than the man himself.
The Purdie Shuffle, explained by Bernard Purdie, the man himself.
Songs featuring the Purdie Shuffle
The Purdie Shuffle has influenced many funk, soul and other drummers and featured in many iconic songs.
One of the most famous examples is sometimes called the Rosanna Shuffle - played by Jeff Porcaro for Toto, as the name suggests, on the song Rosanna.
You can also find it in:
Fool in the Rain by Led Zeppelin
Walking on the Moon by The Police
Babylon Sisters by Steely Dan
Something by Vulfpeck
Baltimore by Lianne La Havas
Check some of these out to get the right feel and how you can incorporate it into your playing.
The life of Bernard Purdie
Bernard Purdie is a highly celebrated drummer and the most recorded drummer of all time. Here are some facts (more in his autobiography here):
What style is Bernard Purdie’s drumming?
Bernard Purdie is known as a groove drummer, as his key skill is laying down uncomplicated but irresistible grooves that make people dance and hold up funk, soul and RnB styles.
One of his most famous beats, other than the Purdie Shuffle is the recording of Rock Steady by Aretha Franklin.
What is Bernard Purdie best known for?
Bernard Purdie is best known for the Purdie Shuffle: his signature beat.
He is also known for being the most recorded drummer of all time.
However he’s also known for his superb sense of time and feel, particularly which open hi hat sounds and half time feels, that created incredible grooves for the soul, funk and RnB records he is recorded on.
Did Bernard Purdie have his own albums?
Purdie had many albums as a band leader. Some of the most famous are:
Soul Drums (1967)
Soul to Jazz 1 (1996)
Soul to Jazz 2 (1997)
What was Bernard Purdie’s nickname?
Bernard Purdie is also know as Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie.
Where was Bernard Purdie born?
Bernard Purdie was born in Maryland, USA.
Who has bernard purdie played for?
Bernard Purdie has played for many famous musicians including:
Nina Simone
John Lee Hooker
Herbie Hancock
Dizzy Gillespie
Louis Armstrong
Gil Scott Heron
Aretha Franklin
Miles Davis
BB King
Cat Stevens
Joe Cocker
Roy Ayers
Steely Dan
Al Green
Vulfpeck
Want to know more about the most recorded drummer of all time? We recommend his autobiography: Let the Drums Speak, which features on our list of the best books about drummers.
Related articles
