Jordan West has already given us two great drum lessons on Steve Gadd's "flutter lick" and The Meters' "Cissy Strut." Today, she's back with a nod to the Mardi Gras season that ended earlier this week, breaking down a New Orleans-style Stanton Moore beat.
As Jordan says in the video, this beat can easily be played straight if that's the kind of style that you prefer. But the vibe she's playing and teaching is the swampy, second-line-style that Stanton Moore is most known for.
As with the previous lessons, Jordan separates the beat into manageable parts. She begins by teaching the right hand sticking technique on the rim of the snare, and then shows how you can gradually start working the left hand into the gaps once you've internalized the pattern. Then, Jordan brings in the kick and demonstrates how to give your snare hits a little bit of added flair.
This beat can be transferred to all different parts of the kit, sped up, or slowed down, depending on what kind of vibe you want to play. As Jordan says, "Really, the sky's the limit with this groove. ... If somebody's playing the endless funk groove that happens at, like, every jam ever, it's nice to just throw this in the middle and it totally changes everything up."
For more from Jordan, check out her previous lessons and drop your email into the sign-up box to be notified when another lesson goes live.