Vincepro Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 Hey guys, I'm a hiphop producer and had a question concerning drums that I know you real drummers would understand. One of the biggest challenges in rap beat making is good drum programming...In lots of cases, it is very very difficult for me to know exactly what kind of drum pattern to use to bring the melody and instrumentation to life. I spend hours on just one song trying to find that perfect placement of kicks and snares. So my question is..how do you do it? I'm not talking about merely playing drums in time, but knowing where to use those kicks, where to have silence, basically all the things that make it sound as if the drums are SPEAKING to the rest of the song... When I listen to a lot of good hiphop and rap beats, it seems to me that if I were to change the placement of one of the kicks or put in an extra one somewhere, the song would lose its effectiveness..Is this something I can train myself to get better at? Do you know of any drills? I know I have rhythm but this is something I struggle with. Any tips or suggestions? Is this something drummers have to work at to or does it come naturally to everyone else? Help! Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin C Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 This is perhaps a very general answer, may be obvious, but not in anyway supposed to be de-meaning to you. As with all styles - including rap/hip hop etc and really for all musicians you have to immerse yourself in the style that you are trying to recreate. If I am trying to get that certain feel / groove for a tune I will always go and get as many examples of that style as possible. Then start to work on them - really listening for the key phrases / fills / patterns that jump out as being 'typical' to that style. Sitting down at the kit I would then be trying to nail those patterns etc. (For you, I would reckon having a go a re-programming parts you here would help. This would serve only as a tool for recreating / mimic-ing a style. And not pushing any boundaries - which a player (of any instrument) would be trying to achieve if that was a genre of music that was their passion. P.S A friend - keyboard player / programmer - that runs his own studio asked for drum lessons in order to help understand the phyisical aspect of playing and recreating grooves. I guess like many things, when you watch a player/drummer it can be the small nuances e.g. 'ghosting' / implied time that make all the difference. Good luck. Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offramp Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Without giving it too much thought for the moment, try not to program something that a human couldn't do, or couldn't possibly be done, e.g. hi-hat, snare and ride cymbal at the same time. Try dancing to whatever you've programmed. Don't have to let anyone see you, just hole up in the control room and start moving. Whatever points in the song you have to think about what you're doing are the points that need touching up. I've upped my standards; now, up yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzman Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 I have a "Dr Groove" drum module. Has Hip Hop, House, Rap, Etc. really a sweet machine. You can program on the unit in the user patterns mode. I've changed RPM, and kits, muted some parts and found that the existing programs are really cool to play with plus have the ability to come up with my own programs. I believe you can copy grooves and re-arrange them too. If your time is money then you might want to try out one of these and see if you like it. I got my used at $225. I've been pumping them out in my studio. Just a thought. Jazzman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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