New Orleans Funk · hard · 92 BPM
New Orleans Second-Line Funk Drum Beat
The syncopated, parade-rooted funk of the Meters and second-line drumming, with a broken kick pattern and snare accents that dance off the downbeats. The displaced snare hits and bouncing sixteenths give it that rolling, off-kilter strut you can't sit still to.
Press play to hear it, then open the full machine to edit, loop, and play along with your own kit.
What this teaches
Internalizing syncopation and snare displacement off the straight backbeat to play the second-line shuffle feel.
Heard in
- Cissy Strut - The Meters
More grooves
GrooveSteps practice notes · Updated 2026-10-18 · How these examples are made
Listen for this
Follow the displaced snare notes without losing the main pulse. Clap the snare line while counting steady quarters, then add the kick. This compact loop is a coordination study and cannot represent all the phrasing of a parade or live band.
Practice the arrangement
- Start with the sparsest row. Count every subdivision, including the silent positions.
- Add one voice at a time on your kit, or listen to the full loop and clap just one part. Keep the main pulse unchanged.
- Play four loops at a comfortable tempo. Change one note, then compare the variation with the displayed pattern before adding another.
Read the final example without sound
This loop has 16 steps, with 4 steps per main beat. Count each beat as number, e, and, a. The table lists the occupied positions; every unlisted position is a rest. Start at 92 BPM or lower the control until you can follow each part.
| Voice | Count positions |
|---|---|
| hihat | 1 · 1 & · 1 a · 2 · 2 & · 3 · 3 & · 3 a · 4 · 4 & |
| kick | 1 · 1 a · 2 & · 3 & · 4 e |
| snare | 2 · 2 a · 3 e · 4 |
These positions describe the programmed example, not an artist recording. Playback uses synthesized sounds. A real performance also involves touch, dynamics and phrasing.
Keep practicing
Build a practice routine · Read drum notation · Browse the lesson path
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