The New Orleans groove & feel
With
Pat LevettPat Levett breaks down the New Orleans groove and how to feel it: neither straight nor swung, but somewhere in between.
What's in the course
12 lessons (0h 53m) · 2 free
01. The New Orleans groove & feel
You are here3:38
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
3:55
11. Allen Toussaint
5:09
12. Fill-ins & creative ideas
5:00
Lesson transcript
New Orleans Drumming - Lesson One: Fundamentals of Rhythm
Hi and welcome to this series on New Orleans drumming.
Introduction
This is lesson one, and we're going to start right at the beginning: the fundamentals of the rhythm of New Orleans.
The In-Between Groove
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Understanding the Groove: We're talking about the "in-between" groove here. It's not swung, like "Humpty Dumpty, Humpty Dumpty" rhythm. It's also not straight; it's somewhere in between. This is one of the most challenging parts of playing New Orleans music, understanding how that feels.
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Listening: You can't write that down; the only way to really understand this is by listening a lot. We'll discuss some tracks to listen to later.
Playing the Pattern
- The pattern can be played with the hands on the snare drum.
- We'll try both swung and straight to get a feel for those two sounds and rhythms.
Finding the Groove
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Swung Tone: (Doo badu, badu, badu)
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Straight Tone: And straight.
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In-Between Sound: (Doo badu, badu, badu)
When you say "do ba," you're sort of accenting the "ba."
Example:
- "Do badoo, badoo, badoo, badu, badu."
You can see it's sort of in between. That's what we're after!
Adding Complexity
Sometimes you can throw in some flams and drags when you get comfortable with that. Always think of phrasing and sing rhythmic melodies, it's really important in New Orleans music.
- Vocalize the Rhythm:
- Try phrases like:
- "bu, do bad and bat and boo"
- "Badoo badoo and ba."
- Try phrases like:
Don't worry about sounding silly; it's part of the process!
- Melodic Focus: If you can say it, you're a lot closer to being able to play it. Always try to sing it and be melodic, this is crucial.
Recommended Listening
Here are a couple of tracks you can listen to:
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"Going to the Mardi Gras" by Professor Longhair:
- Professor Longhair is a piano player and singer, and a crucial figure in all rock and roll and New Orleans music.
-
"Don't You Just Know It" by Huey Piano Smith:
- You can hear the rhythm very clearly, especially on the snare drum.
Conclusion
- Have a look at the PDF for more resources.
- Keep practicing, keep listening more importantly, and keep singing and vocalizing these ideas.
When it clicks, we can move on to lesson two.
I'll see you there!
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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.
