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Creating drumbeats: Best way?


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Coming from a classical music background, I can manage melodies and chords. But I don't really have a inner sense of creating drumbeats. The way that works best for me is that I start from fills. Instead of trying out a zillion ready drumbeats, I try out different short fills from my library. And from the fill that fits a breakpoint, I can kinda create a drumbeat from reusing its parts or recombining it with parts from other fills. But this workflow needs some tweaking, so I thought it'd be best if we all share some pointers.
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Have you tried Drummer, at least as starting point.

One could use several Drummer tracks, each with different settings. Exporting different sections to MIDI for tweaking more surgically. Using different quantization groove. Using Groove track from created melodies. So many possibilities!

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Logic is an outstanding music lab... Everyone is using it the way that fits the bill. However, I think it is missing great opportunities not to explore (at least sometimes) and discover new ways to create and obtain inspiration sources...

OTOH, it could easily become a distraction if one is lacking of discipline...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here's a thought ... "initially, just use Drummer to create a guide track, or tracks." This is an easy-to-get-to computer simulation of common moves that human drummers use when accompanying a piece of music.

 

Now, put that "classical music background" to good use! The (only ...) difference being that the various instruments in your repertoire are only capable of producing one sound. Therefore, the only tool in your compositional arsenal is time. However, "you could write a sheet-music score for that!" (And no doubt you already have, to accompany your melodic compositions.)

 

"Beats" actually obey the same fundamental rules of song-structure and therefore composition that melodic music does, with one important difference: they don't appear to. Unlike classical melodic composition, where the various parts align in time, the structures often overlap, and do not coincide with each other. (Yes, you might spot a "3/4 time" beat running beside "4/4.") And this overlap might change – apparently without warning – throughout the piece.

 

As I listen to "beats," I often think that what I'm really hearing is "strips." Except that the content of these strips consists only of rhythm. Are the "strips," themselves being used as some kind of "notes of a meta-melody?" I wonder sometimes if this might be the actual trick.

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Here's a thought ... "initially, just use Drummer to create a guide track, or tracks." This is an easy-to-get-to computer simulation of common moves that human drummers use when accompanying a piece of music.

 

Now, put that "classical music background" to good use! The (only ...) difference being that the various instruments in your repertoire are only capable of producing one sound. Therefore, the only tool in your compositional arsenal is time. However, "you could write a sheet-music score for that!" (And no doubt you already have, to accompany your melodic compositions.)

 

"Beats" actually obey the same fundamental rules of song-structure and therefore composition that melodic music does, with one important difference: they don't appear to. Unlike classical melodic composition, where the various parts align in time, the structures often overlap, and do not coincide with each other. (Yes, you might spot a "3/4 time" beat running beside "4/4.") And this overlap might change – apparently without warning – throughout the piece.

 

As I listen to "beats," I often think that what I'm really hearing is "strips." Except that the content of these strips consists only of rhythm. Are the "strips," themselves being used as some kind of "notes of a meta-melody?" I wonder sometimes if this might be the actual trick.

 

Yes, the 3/4 aside 4/4 are hemiolas. They were quite common by the late 19th century.

 

I'm not sure what you're trying to say with "hearing them as strips". When I've got out a few successful pieces, entering drumbeats by hand, one thing I always avoid is "composing with drums" ie. having the drums overlap with the melodies in such a way that they sound like an independent melody. This is not a good thing.

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