Drumset Lessons with Jay Fenichel: "Cissy Strut" by The Meters

[@jonreiser2206]

Nobody seems to want to deal with the choruses in this piece. So far this is the best video I've found despite that fact. As a teacher myself I respect have the notation presented so well.

[@JukkaTarvonen]

The Meters - Cissy Strut (1969) 1) The First Drum Groove: Slowly 1:41 2) Hi-Hat slowly 2:22 3) Hi-Hat & snare slowly 2:50 4) Bass drum slowly 3:13 5) Bass drum & Hi-Hat slowly 3:45 6) Bass drum, snare & Hi-Hat slowly 4:10 7) Bass drum, snare & Hi-Hat with full tempo 4:34 The Meters - Cissy Strut (1969) open.spotify.com/track/0WSlOSMLJWoWUpWci9nnRb?si=VdJ4TxIIQ_uII0W5n6GJyw

[@timothycroke5307]

I love Jay’s videos. He breaks down difficult rhythms and explains them very clearly.

[@drumputz]

EXCELLENT JAY! Especially appreciate the way you take the time to slow the groove down so everyone has the chance to SEE and HEAR exactly what you are doing! You are a GREAT TEACHER!

[@b.p.879]

Really great video, I learned I've been doing this slightly wrong for years. This was really easy to follow and I got it now! Thank you!

[@dandegeus9802]

As a teaching tool this is great; the bass drum line especially gets at what Zigaboo was going for. But beware, it's more the "in the crack" feel than the exact notes that count. Like learning a jazz beat, play this pattern 1000 times in the practice room to internalize it and others like it. But when you climb on stage, don't think about whether you're playing it "right"; nobody but a couple of drummers in the audience will care. What matters is making the band cook in the moment.

[@georgescrehange6105]

Hello, Thanks a lot... I am french from Marseille and I am 68 but what a pleasure without too many words but a lot of pedagogy....Congratulations...I am going to follow you regularly

[@Underdog_Drums]

A really fun groove to play. I started moving this groove around the kit, as almost a linear type fill. You did an excellent job explaining the groove, and equally as important, laying back. For me, being relaxed is crucial, so this is an awesome way to warm up on the kit.

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Something to keep in mind. I put this groove in the realm of funk/jazz, which is always open to interpretation. In these styles, I am not a purist in terms of the part needing to be 'identical' to the original. I've seen Zig and many other drummers do this and completely change it up... & still sound and feel great. This is not a Rush groove. Find it in a way that makes sense to you and use this lesson as a guide to get you there.

[@wimgui]

This is really of a big help for me studying this song for our next rehearsal. Thanks a lot for your contribution!

[@neworleansbeats]

The only problem is it's wrong please listen to the original recordings and use your ears...

[@FirstSergeant100]

You can't go wrong with Vic Firth videos! Quality video quality AND content. Great job gang!

[@revup67]

Nice work Jay..I've been playing for decades, this was a nice refreshment after so many years of not touching the tune.

[@ccadp]

Really good lesson Jay......great job👍🏻

[@jasonmartin2043]

Thanks!

[@louisepotter3194]

Around 4:20ish are you playing anextra hi hat onthe + of 2? If so I like it! Are you playing that one softer?

[@docrob347]

Thanks a lot my friend! You have a great chilled way of teaching which i'm enjoying a lot

[@robc7300]

Wow! Great lesson! Thanks so much!

[@ibig9361]

Great video for the general idea, helped me get my bearings to learn the studio beat, can you please please make part II

[@paoloborsari664]

Nice drum lesson! Thanks a lot for this video!

[@billpinkerton7039]

Love it thanks for the grove, Billy

[@ryebread7224]

A million thanks for this video!

[@mcgrup]

Great break down very helpful! Thank you

[@tobydogloser3128]

Well done! I downloaded a "loop player" to practice to, and this was on there. I seen chambers play it, but never gave it a real listen till tomight. I figured it out by ear, but was playing with 1 hand on hats. Definitely grooves better with 2. Thanks

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Ya know, I used to play it with one hand too... until I saw Zig do it. Then it just made so much more sense.

[@jerrylehti7230]

well done Jay thanks

[@seavisofheaven]

Thanks for tutorial, man!

[@ShartimusPrime]

I've listened to this track countless times and you sounded great playing it! I don't think he plays the open hi-hat on 4+ most of the time though, but you didn't have it written in the transcription, so you're not wrong. Thanks for the lesson, and great video!

[@neworleansbeats]

Just listen to accountless times you must know the bass drum pattern is wrong.

[@brickl0ader]

Hi, i would love to know how the second part of the song is played

[@rolandgerard6064]

Great lesson, thanks a lot

[@dougzander4959]

Jay, you do a real nice presentation here. Nice elevated shots and varied speed break-downs. Keep up the good message. There’s soo much out here, I had to give it up. Way too much catching up for me to ever do. Daunted....JerBoy

[@brianwarner308]

god this break is soooo funky

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Thanks Everyone! Glad you're enjoying the lessons. Remember to subscribe to my youtube channel at kzbin.info for any specific comments or questions directed at me. Thanks ~Jay

[@greggjarvis133]

Great videos. The parts in these Meters songs are so important.. most everybody on the bandstand plays them for Feels them incorrectly

[@mihaidrums5]

Thanks for the lesson!

[@papagalule]

Wonderful, please do the same with the chorus 🙏

[@orenico96]

Jay, very cool! Thanks for posting. I have been watching Zigaboo's explanation/demonstration and he DOES NOT play two sixteenth notes consecutively on the bass drum on beat 3. This is the trickiest part in what you are doing and it sounds hip, but Zigaboo doesn't do it on his demo. Is that what he plays on the recorded version?

[@shrimptunes3463]

Jay, this will be very helpful info for drummers who want to play this groove correctly. Too many times, I've played with guys and ladies who simply play a straight funk groove. Miss all the good stuff! Please spend a couple minutes on the B section, so players will understand they gotta hit those two eighth notes on the fourth beat of the first measure. Oh, one other thing, and I'm picking nit here...on the B section, your guitarist is adding a note to the first line, right before beat 3! Check out the original studio recording and you'll see what I mean.

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Haha... good ear on that! The funny thing is... That guitar loop is actually from a lesson demo from Brian Stoltz that I ripped and looped. So that's the way he actually plays it, but as I mentioned above... This is Jazz man, things can change. It doesn't have to be played the exact same way twice.

[@NiclasBardeleben]

Just wanna clear up that Zig never played with The Funky Meters. He played (and occasionally still does play) with The Meters and he is the originator of that particular groove. The Funky Meters, however, was a group formed later on by original Meters members Art Neville and George Porter with guitarist Brian Stoltz and drummer Russel Batiste, who later left the group to be replaced by Terence Houston. also, now that I'm here, I'd like to add, that if you really wanna find the feeling of that style, you should check out some of the old second line drummers and mardi gras indians, cause that's basically where the groove comes from. It is, in it's essence, an alternatively orchestrated second line - or at least that's how I hear it. However, I may be wrong... great job though. keep up the good work.

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Thanks for clarifying... I did not know that :-) Always awesome to learn new stuff. Thanks!

[@NiclasBardeleben]

Talking New Orleans is my favourite thing to do - so you're more than welcome;)

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Hey guys... I don’t moderate the comments here because it’s not my channel. So if you have a question or comment for me, feel free to check out this version my KZbin channel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHWwp6iiiaerg80

[@broosieboy]

Thank you!

[@Adiaf8oros]

Really nice groove, very nice to learn! Liked the ghost note he added, too. Though the transcription wasn't fully precise, this one is in triplets, not in straight 16ths.

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Thanks for the comment Adiaf8oros. And just to not confuse anyone... The groove is written in straight 16th notes, but should be interpreted with a swing feel (swing time) as mentioned at 1:18.

[@Dooality]

That ghost note confused me. I though I was reading the rhythm wrong.

[@jayfenichel908]

Dooality Hi Dooality, There aren't really any ghost notes in this groove to resolve. Try it first very slowly, how it's written in straight 8th time. Once you have it under your hands try adding a little swing to the 16ths ;-)

[@Adiaf8oros]

***** Really taking the time to answer to anyone, huh? :) Thanks man, much appreciated, you've earned yourself a fan from Greece!

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Adiaf8oros lol... I do my best to stay on top of questions... This is not my youtube channel so sometimes I don't get to everyone.

[@josemariajr7226]

Jeez! Tricky! This is my goal now.

[@alanrichardson6391]

Pretty cool

[@salthedrummer1]

nice job

[@openyoureyes4799]

This says 60 BPM but I tried that and 60 is way too slow. What BPM are you playing? Thanks

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Lol... yeah that was an editing mistake. I must not have updated the tempo in that sheet music example when I play it at tempo. Sorry about that. The original tempo on the recording is around 90BPM, but it doesn't seem like they used a click on that recording so it will fluctuate around there.

[@richmck007]

Man, I just stumbled upon your video. You should have done the whole groove at the start without the comment...Then got into it verbally! Great info man...And even greater vibe that you play!

[@33kb]

1:41

[@promark5317]

Why is this sooooo god damn hard.

[@Mosh-ify]

ur playing a ghosted hat note on the and of 2 but u didn't write it ...

[@aniktwo]

uffe adole I literally came down into the comments to see if anyone clocked the ghost note! 😂

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Guys, when you are learning a groove like this, "ghost notes" are part of the feel. You can use them... you can leave them out. What is on the studio recording was just a take. Even Zig changes it up. The transcription is a guide to learning it... not an absolute. I have seen so many drummers play this tune. It's a standard. there is no "one" definitive way to do it. Use this lesson to get the guts of the technique together then practice getting the feel right. Focusing on 'this' ghost note or 'that' ghost note... is not gonna get you to where you wanna be with the groove. Just keep that in mind when you are learning any groove on the drums. Unless it's a Rush song... you are not going for "note for note" perfection.

[@Mosh-ify]

Im just saying the subilties in this song are very important to the feel

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

uffe adole .. no doubt... but how you feel a groove like this has some breathing room. Playing or not playing a ghost note won’t necessarily make or break the feel. It all depend on the person playing it.

[@Mosh-ify]

@@Thedrummersalmanac so many play this an it just dont groove like the record

[@thebluecollardrummer9032]

What about the "B" section?

[@SuperBromberg]

where's the B section?

[@WORLD_JAM_EXPERIENCE_Band]

2:22

[@musicshorts_]

What about the hihat you're adding on the & of 2? Haha great video though

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Yeah, that's more of an implied motion or interpretation... not something I'd add to the transcription. In general for this groove, I try to keep my right hand feeling all the 8ths notes, whether they are playing or not. This just helps me push the time and keep it consistent. In my opinion, if you start adding too many extra ghost notes to the transcription, it starts getting too busy and harder to read. I try to stick with the anchor beats for clarity sake.

[@charlinox]

Excuse me but i don't get the point. Why is that groove written in 16ths and why talking about swing feel as it is just a plain ternary beat, at least in this verse part ? I think it will confuse people more than help them. Or m i confused ?

[@bigbaby9189]

+charlinox just feel it,don't over think it.

[@charlinox]

+Bigbeat Baby First i feel it and second i think it. And then i feel it again. Hey, music is a dialectic process between soul and thought no ? at least for me. And when i listen to this beat again, i think i was right in the first place. This beat is ternary but this lesson is very confusing for me because Fenichel plays it in between trait and ternary and it is not satisfying. And emphasis should be put on the hi hat dynamic.

[@bigbaby9189]

maybe he's just not that good

[@charlinox]

+Bigbeat Baby As a person u mean ?

[@bigbaby9189]

charlinox woah! too deep! as a drummer.

[@elboladrum]

there is one weak note in the hit hat that you havent included into the partiture

[@zidrok]

yes he plays the "and" of the two with the right hand isn't he ?

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Yeah, that's more of an implied motion or interpretation... not something I'd add to the transcription. In general for this groove, I try to keep my right hand feeling all the 8ths notes, whether they are playing or not. This just helps me push the time and keep it consistent. In my opinion, if you start adding too many extra ghost notes to the transciption, it starts getting too busy and harder to read. I try to stick with the anchor beats for clarity sake.

[@DarcyApRusso]

Show fabio BRASIL SP HUG GUY

[@andresfuentes9545]

swing fill??

[@gazzabel7040]

Superb ....For me this is what KZbin is for .brilliant explanation great teaching unlike the morons who upload a video just to show off and say to the world ‘ I’m great look at me ‘ 👍

[@neworleansbeats]

Great video. Tthe bass drum part is simplified. For the actually bass drum part listen to the original by the Meters NOT the Funky Meters

[@charlinox]

Sorry i was confused so am i now. This groove sounds so "black" i tought it was triplets. Thanks for the lesson. I should work on the hi hat dynamic now.

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

It definitely has a little swing. I would interpret it that way. Not a full swing, but somewhere in between.

[@Karch.Dah-Veed]

"B" section?

[@carlosalbertogomez1391]

Great video but...but...."a funk drummer don't play like a rock drummer"..that's just not true.when i began playing drums i learnt how to play heavy metal and double bass,but at the same time wanted to learn how to play james brown tunes and stax records tunes without even knowing the artists who played that music.at the same time learnt how to play blues by getting in jams organized by guys about my age (i was about 16 yrs old)later on,some rock and metal drummers of the 90's started to play really simple but effective single patterns (just kick,snare and hi hat)even guys who used to play furious double kick patterns!that opened my mind to play a different kind of thing.lots of 'em added some kind of "funky feel" regardless of the style they were playing. There's a lot of examples in that field.you can find them in rhcp records,sepultura and even pantera records.so if you really want to play with a really good groove,you can add this kind of things in almost any style (ghost notes for example)and make a difference in your playing.it's up to you to play as a "square rock drummer "or to add a different flavor by adding funk/soul patterns into your music and play almost any style but with a really well rounded groove that will make you stand out from a "regular" drummer.cheers!

[@poserp]

Too much of a jazz "swing" vs. a funk "swing" -- listen to "Hand Clapping Song" to get a sense of how it's different.

[@TheKirklandGamer]

I cant get into the damn groove and fix my mistakes at the low tempo examples if he only spends 16 seconds on each one then moves onto the next fucking thing And he plays a ghosted note in a place that isnt written down which throws me off too

[@zachramsden9549]

What the heck?? Where's the chorus?? That's the best part of the groove!!!

[@evrenburakgurman5742]

maybe all pattern is not problem .just dont hit the one hihat note.

[@SeanofAllTrades]

I've never seen this song played with less groove. Holy crap, I know it's a lesson but the performance at the beginning and end is painful to watch. Learn to swing, y'all.

[@rientsdijkstra4266]

Funk is all about syncopation. No syncopation = no Funk

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Rients Dijkstra not all funk is syncopated...

[@neworleansbeats]

Once again the bass drum pattern is wrong.... If you want to learn the wrong way keep going.

[@neworleansbeats]

It's WRONG......not what is going on the the bass drum. NOT EVEN close.

[@poserp]

Too much swing.

[@poserp]

...Check it here, the feel difference is subtle but makes a huge difference if you're trying to get the "groove" right: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iInanJmLpc-fe5I

[@poserp]

There is, essentially, something of a tug-of-war between "bounce" and "weight". This one lands more on the "weight" side than the "bounce" side, so it needs to be straightened out some in order to have the proper "weight". Some funk rhythms (a-la It's A New Day by the Skull Snaps) are also relatively straight, but what you feel is an "offset" between the hi-hat and the other parts of the kit. Where the two overlap defines the level of "swing", if that makes sense -- i.e. the timing between, say, a hi-hat hit and a kick drum hit that comes right before or after it. However, that way to "swing" isn't the same as squeezing together 8ths or 16ths per se. Most "swing" references come from Jazz, but there are all sorts of kinds and types from different styles of music. For Cissy Strut, as Zigaboo demos in the vid I posted, a lot of it derives from marching cadences and the like.

[@charlinox]

So binary or ternary ? what do u thing people ?

[@ddrummer1821]

ALSO there is NO grease to how your playing it man! Where are the cracks and the greasy sludge! I guess if you want that academic talk your 16ths are NOT leaning triplety enough and your not pulling back on the snare enough.

[@JohnSmith-oe5kx]

You need to listen to the original. Zigaboo keeps the groove pretty tight, it sounds very similar. His funk comes more from syncopation than swing.

[@ddrummer1821]

Rock drummers don't have GROOVE!!! *cough cough* JOHN BONHAM *cough*

[@WORLD_JAM_EXPERIENCE_Band]

4:14

[@DARK_WAVE_CULT]

4:14