Part 5 · Other Styles · Chapter 65
Ghost notes are extremely soft snare notes, written in parentheses. They fill in the space between the main notes and give funk and R&B grooves their texture.
Play them from just an inch or two above the head, with your left hand relaxed. The backbeats are full strokes from high up.
Backbeat: stick starts high. Ghost note: stick stays low. The contrast is everything.