What is The Amen Break?
The Amen Break is an iconic 7-second drum solo by GG Coleman in The Winstons' 1969 song "Amen, Brother." In the 1980s, hip-hop producers widely sampled it, shaping the drum sounds of hip-hop in the US and electronic dance music in the UK.
How to make The Amen Break?
In its simplest form, the Amen Break consists of 5 steps :
Begin with a beat played on quarter notes only.
Add ride cymbal on the eighth note offbeats.
In the last bar, replace the ride on the “and”of three with an open hi-hat.
Add kicks on the eighth note offbeats.
Omit the kicks on beat three in each bar.Also, omit the kick on the downbeat of the last bar.
source: https://www.ethanhein.com/wp/2011/the-amen-break/
songs that use “The Amen Break”
N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton
The most famous example of a "simple" Amen Break is NWA's 1988 song "Straight Outta Compton." Here's an example of the Amen Break leading into "Straight Outta Compton's" drums, with just a closed hat added on the 16ths!
Origin Unkown - Valley of the Shadows
The Amen Break has seen infinite variations since its first sample, especially in UK Jungle. A seminal Jungle track, "Valley of the Shadows" (1993), uses a sped-up Amen Break as its foundation.
Nia Archives - Baianá (Official Video)
The Amen Break is also used by many DJs for club remixes. One of our favorite tracks is Nia Archive’s "Baianá"(2022), a remix of the traditional song by the Brazilian folk band Barbatuques.
How to develop The Amen Break?
For further customization of the Amen Break, here are some tips:
In the last two bars, delay the snares on beat four byan eighth note.
In the first two bars, double the kicks on the “and” of three. In the last bar, double the kick on the “and” of one.
In each bar, add snare pickups on the sixteenth note subdivision before beat three.
Apply groove, which in this context, means the specific microtiming of the break as performed by Gregory S. Coleman.You can’t represent this step in notation!
