The Dirge - Funeral March
With
Pat LevettPat Levett teaches the dirge, the slow, sombre pattern played for New Orleans funeral marches - four beats with a roll on beat four, demonstrated with both open and closed rolls.
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
You are here3:24
07. The Rebirth Groove
4:04
08. Mardi Gras Indians
5:54
09. New Orleans Funk
7:48
10. Zydeco Music
3:55
11. Allen Toussaint
5:09
12. Fill-ins & creative ideas
5:00
Lesson transcript
New Orleans Drumming Course: Funeral Marches and Dirges
Hi, and welcome to another lesson within the New Orleans drumming course.
Introduction to Funeral Marches and Dirges
We're going to talk about funeral marches and something called the dirge, which is a very easy pattern to play.
Basic Pattern
There are two ways of playing the dirge:
- Straight Pattern: Four beats with a roll on beat four.
- Snares: The snares are switched off for this; however, sometimes the snares can be on as well. It's your choice.
Demonstration
Let me give you an example:
- Open Roll: I'll demonstrate one with the open roll.
- Closed Roll: Then I'll try one with the closed roll so you can hear the difference.
These demonstrate the two different styles of rolls.
Rolling Techniques
-
Open Rolls: You can roll like very open doubles. Basically, think of those triplets leading with the right hand, then putting your left hand in between, and then bouncing them all together.
-
Closed Rolls: If you want to play a very closed roll, the same principles apply. You could play it as a semiquaver or whatever suits you best.
Key Takeaways
- Spirit of the Music: It's very much about capturing the spirit of it. If you get that right, you're pretty much there.
- Leave Space: Sometimes I change it up a little bit, but again, leave as much space as you can while always thinking of those triplets in the background.
Tip: See how slow you can play it. It's far more effective the slower it's played.
Recommended Listening
There's a great clip on YouTube you can check out. There's a TV series called Treme, and there was a funeral march in that episode. Look up Closer Walk With Thee, a tune most commonly associated with the funeral march.
Interestingly, Eric Clapton played with Winton Marsalis, a New Orleans trumpet player with a fantastic band. Look up something they did together; there's a great very slow groove on that with an open roll.
Conclusion
So, explore different grooves and see what you can find! 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.
