[linux-audio-user] Drum pattern creation.

R Parker rtp405 at yahoo.com
Thu Oct 14 12:05:42 EDT 2004


--- Dave Phillips <dlphilp at bright.net> wrote:

> isabellf wrote:
> 
> > I'm looking for information on the art of drum
> pattern creation. I 
> > don't talk about "howtos" for various drum
> machines or sequencers, I 
> > know how to use these, I just suck at creating
> good drum patterns ;-( 
> 
> You can find collections of MIDI files that are just
> drum patterns, they 
> may be useful to study. Try Googling for "drum
> patterns MIDI files".
> 
> > One of the first thing I should probably do is
> study drum and get a 
> > teacher or something, but I felt maybe some of you
> know some tricks: 
> > what to avoid , what can be used at will, how to
> create fills... I 
> > even though I could receive a pattern library full
> of examples. 
> 
> You really should take some lessons, if only to find
> out more about the 
> instrument you're writing for. There are a gazillion
> playing techniques 
> for percussion instruments.

Anyone of us can learn to read the percussion staff
well enough to program MIDI patterns in one afternoon.
The reading skills are indespensible because many
great patterns and songs have been scored.

You don't need to learn to play the kit in order to
understand the patterns that great drummers like Elvin
Jones, Buddy Rich or any of the rest build their
careers with. If you want to understand what that
calibre of drummer does or even learn to play like
them then study the 26 Rudiments. You start by
developing technique on one instrument, snare drum or
phonebook, and then apply it to the kit.

As you develop command of or a great familiarity with
the Rudiments your comprehension of music changes from
nuances to interpreting passages and relationships
between instruments.

I know a handful of talented drummers. Two of them are
world class. One of them can play any style of music.
What distinguishes the most talented one from the
others is his command of the Rudiments. "Ron, listen
to me! Here's the parradidle as Latin, here it is as
Rock, here it is as Jazz." He demonstrated each style
with the same exact pattern by changing the accents."

> Some simple advice: If you're designing a pattern
> for a drum kit and you 
> want to make it sound "real", remember that a player
> can make a maximum 
> of only four simultaneous sounds (two feet, two
> hands). Watch and study 
> how drummers actually get around their sets: you'll
> be able to write 
> things with a drum machine that of course are not
> humanly possible, and 
> you'll have to decide whether you want to restrict
> your patterns to 
> "playable" kinds or if you'll just write without
> considering playability.
> 
> Another thing to be aware of is panning. It sounds
> ridiculous to have a 
> snare drum panned hard left and your high-hat panned
> far right.

Agreed and this is very important because it's the
drums that define and build the stereo field.
 
> Visualize the kit's layout, set your pan controls to
> a rather narrow 
> range if you want to create a convincing virtual
> set.

Disagree or at least object to the concept of
"narrow." Drums are the base for the stereo field.
Think about why...the kit is not one instrument. A
standard kit is eight instruments.

Panning related to a wall clock; kick=noon,
snare=1:PM, hat=2:PM, rack-right=3:PM, rack-left=9:AM,
floor-tom=hard left, overhead left=hard left, overhead
right=hard right. That is the panning scheme of the
modern drum mix. Always pan from the perspective of a
listener and not that of the drummer--high hat is on
the listeners right side.

That panning scheme fills and defines the stereo field
which is the stage. All other instruments can be fit
as you visualize them on that stage. Backing
vocal/mults are another story but they end up being
the same as any other stereo instrument/keyboard or
whatever.

> Use velocity and pitch variation. Yes, percussion
> instruments have a 
> pitch component, and small variations impart much
> liveliness. Vary the 
> velocity too: no player plays two notes in a row
> with absolutely the 
> same articulation. If your software includes
> humanization controls (e.g. 
> Hydrogen) be sure to use them, they can help loosen
> up a too-rigid feel 
> to your rhythms.
> 
> Use effects sparingly. It's a bit of a "false"
> effect, but I've found 
> that adding a little reverb to my high-hat lines
> really opens up the 
> sound, even though the other instruments are not
> "effected".

OK, Dave and I are gonna have to take off the gloves.
Dave you got a sheet of ice we can toss down on? :)
It's getting colder in Minneapolis but not cold enough
to make ice. Books can be written on this topic and
should be. I'm not gonna elaborate but am certain that
anything I say here would not be new to Dave or anyone
else. I'll try to state my basic tenant. Every song is
unique and will tell you what to do if you learn to
hear instrument relationships and comprehend the
tensions and releases. 

Did the songwriter leave the back beat, snare, in
space by its self? If yes, then it might be
appropriate to design a sound; a big room with a long
tailing reverb or maybe a big room with a percussive
reversed gate. Snare drums are commonly used to build
tension and release for the purpose of helping a
listener anticipate what's coming and when it's going
to happen. Of course any drum can be used to this
purpose; the $20,000.00 Grand Piano/Drum, the bass
guitar/drum, the electric six string guitar/drum, etc.
It's to bad all these other fancy drums aren't as
beautiful and elegant as the good old snare drum. OK,
I'm being a smart ass and ranting but I'm not entirely
joking. James Brown, paraphrased, every instrument on
my stage is a drum. Sorry, I can't recall where or
when he stated that but I really wish I could. I've
understood that perspective for along time but when
Brown said it, it helped change my understanding of
music and combined with the Rudiments, sad to say,
they are more reliable than sex.

ron

> And be sure to check out the demos for Hydrogen, you
> can learn a lot 
> from them too.
> 
> > I currently use rosegarden4 sequencer, the matrix
> editor is nice for 
> > drum part edition, but I also have hydrogen and
> tk707.
> 
> TK707 is a lot of fun, especially if you've owned a
> TR707. Hydrogen 
> rocks solid, it's my drum machine of choice these
> days. I just put an 
> article about Hydrogen on-line for the Linux
> Journal, check it out here:
> 
>    
>
http://linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=7846&mode=thread&order=0
> 
> I hope some of that helps. Good luck !
> 
> Best,
> 
> dp
> 
> 
> 


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