Drums for non-drummer

thomasross20

Any good videos or whatever explaining typical beats/fills and aspects of drumming for a non-drummer (who might be doing drum programming!)? 

dogload

I've always found the best way is by listening to what drummers are playing and remembering that drummers only have two arms and two legs!

Mind, I started drum programming before there was easy access to such great resources online. I'm sure that if I were just getting into it I'd be looking for anything to make it easier! I do find that live videos of drummers playing or watching drummers playing live is a great help. The tricky thing is getting the groove.

Fuzzdog

dogload said:

 remembering that drummers only have two arms and two legs!

This.  SO much this.

There's nothing that ruins a programmed drum track more than it sounding like it could only be played by some sort of crazy schizophrenic octopus with a passion for headbutting.  I was guilty of it all the time when I started using programmed drums.

Not just amount of drums simultaneously, also there are some combinations which just can't physically be hit together.  Learning how a kit is laid out is absolutely vital if you want realistic sounding beats and fills.

Other than that, use the simplest beat you can get away with, then add little frills here and there.

wayneirie

Try watching some drum lessons on youtube, then try and recreate them through programming. Start with simple stuff like the bo diddley beat, motown type fills. Even if it isn't the sounds/styles you want to achieve it'll help you grasp the fundamentals. Make sure you vary the velocity of the hits and experiment with how much swing you add. 

TimmyO

If it's as a shortcut to drum programming then I heartily recommend the Tommy Igoe Groove Essentials book/recording/dvd/poster - you'll learn more about what makes different types of groove work from that than most other things imho

For learning to actually drum, I'd recommend Colin Woolway's Drumsense series - lays the best foundations for limb independence 

thomasross20

This is great stuff!!

Cabicular

Also logics virtual drummer for the Mac is a good way of getting the basics down You can then convert to midi and see what's going on

octatonic

Drumming for Dummies.

No, really- it is excellent and gives you a great, logical introduction to thinking like a drummer.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Drums-For-Dummies-2Nd-Edition/dp/0471794112

Also, listen to a load of drummers, work out what you like to hear- you really have to approach it as a drummer would.

I hear loads of programmed drums where atypical things happen- it isn't that it is impossible to play, but you just wouldn't play like that.

Look into 'linear fills'- they are a good way to get started.

thomasross20

FYI I use jamstix and that makes sure you can only do "normal" drums (i.e. no 3-armed drum fills)

Phil_aka_Pip

Drum Machine Rhythm Dictionary (Sandy Felstein, pub. 1987 Alfred Publishing Company, no ISBN given)
Rhythmical Grooves & Patterns (Siegfried Hofmann, pub. 1988 Voggenreiter, ISBN 3-8024-0174-3)

joeyowen

dogload;839539" said:

I've always found the best way is by listening to what drummers are playing and remembering that drummers only have two arms and two legs!

Tell that to Def Le...... nvm

thomasross20

I have to decide how much time to spend on this - also want to get back into some fingerstyle (shred is dead lol) and maybe back into the singing. 

jonnygreentrees

What sort of beat do you want to do? For standard rock stuff stick a kick on beats 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 4 and hats on each eighth note. Set it to loop and experiment adding in extra hits or moving some around. By and large you will definitely want a kick on beat one and snares on two and four unless you are going quite fancy

thomasross20

Oh that's cool - I've got a pretty good idea of the basics, it's just after seeing those Beatles drum videos I thought "cool.... I'd like to know more of the same for my own info" - YouTube vids like that are great.