Zydeco Music
With
Pat LevettPat describes Zydeco drumming, giving a brief overview of the music genre and its roots and demonstrating a few drum patterns.
What's in the course
12 lessons (0h 53m) · 2 free
01. The New Orleans groove & feel
Free lesson3:38
02. Pat Levett demonstrates some New Orleans Style Drums
Free lesson2:34
03. Adding a bass drum pattern
2:34
04. Second Line drumming
4:37
05. New Orleans Rock & Roll - Fats Domino
4:53
06. The Dirge - Funeral March
3:24
07. The Rebirth Groove
4:04
08. Mardi Gras Indians
5:54
09. New Orleans Funk
7:48
10. Zydeco Music
You are here3:55
11. Allen Toussaint
5:09
12. Fill-ins & creative ideas
5:00
Lesson transcript
New Orleans Drumming: Exploring Zydeco Music
Hi and welcome to the next installment of New Orleans drumming!
As I was talking about earlier, there are different parts of the world that have settled within New Orleans. In fact, the name "New Orleans" comes directly from France.
As we can see, and when you actually experience the city (if you've ever been), it does have a very European flavor to it, especially in the French Quarter.
The French Influence on Zydeco Music
The French influence on New Orleans can be heard in zydeco music, which is a part of Louisiana where French is spoken.
Zydeco music features:
-
Accordion playing: A strong component of the genre.
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Groove structure: The drum patterns are quite straightforward. It often goes something like this:
- Boom, bap, bat ba bap,
- Dump, bap, bat bap,
- Boom, bap, bap, bap.
So there you have those two different grooves within the zydeco band.
The Role of the Rub Board
In a zydeco band, there's typically someone playing a rub board. This unique instrument:
- Used to be a simple rub board but can also be utilized in traditional jazz.
- Played similarly to strumming a guitar.
There's some great clips of Herlin Riley, an amazing drummer from New Orleans, using the rub board in a traditional band setting.
The Modern Rub Board
Within zydeco, the rub boards have evolved to be worn over the chest. Key features include:
- Size: Quite wide and hangs off the shoulders.
- Material: Made of metal, corrugated down the front.
- Playing Technique: Musicians sometimes use beer openers, can openers, or metal thimbles on their fingers, playing it like a long guero on their chest.
The sound is not completely straight; it has a rhythmic quality that you need to listen for:
- It's characterized by a "doobie, doobie, doobie" feel.
- Despite its movement, it maintains a stricter pulse.
The accordion leads the rhythm, complemented by the drums.
Recommended Listening
Have a listen to zydeco music! Buckwheat Zydeco is probably the most well-known zydeco musician. There are also many "Cheniers" who play zydeco, so be sure to check them out too.
If you do a good search on zydeco, you'll find all sorts of exciting music.
I'll see you in the next lesson!
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
After graduating on drums from the Guildhall School of Music in 1999, Pat has performed and recorded with Liane Carroll, the James Taylor Quartet, Tim Minchin, the Ronnie Scott's All Stars, Zigaboo Modeliste (The Meters), Earl Thomas, Paddy Milner, the Phil Stevenson Trio, the Downtown Dukes, 24 Pesos, the Puppini Sisters, Sandi Thom and Bernard Purdie, amongst others.
He has toured extensively across America, Russia, Asia and Europe, playing many well-respected venues, festivals, TV and radio slots. Pat also plays chromatic harmonica and is a featured soloist on two albums by Will Grove-White (Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain).
His own projects include 'The Coalminers', dedicated to playing New Orleans funk and soul, and 'June Afternoon', an organ trio featuring Ross Stanley and Nat Martin.
In his New Orleans Style Drumming course, Pat unpacks the grooves, feel and second-line vocabulary that define the city's sound, so you can lock into authentic funk and soul behind the kit.
