writing drums

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Newbie dude

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anyone in here know of a website that can teach me how to write drum beats? Specifically Cymbals. I don't wanna learn this so I can play drums. don't even Have a set. I program them on my comp, but I don't know how to cymbals are supposed to be like. I can only tell when they suck, and with the drum beats I write, that's pretty much all the time.
 
Newbie Dude, I would recommend that you start studying the drumming techniques that you hear in any recorded music of the genre in which you are interested.

As the link that Hugo provided you explains, if you are trying to model the performance of a human drummer in the pop, rock, jazz, or country genres (generally a single drummer with a single drum kit) then you require the ability to empathize with the drummer - two hands and feet can only hit so many things at once.

On the other hand, if you consider music that has many percussionists playing individual instruments - Latin and Indian music, for example - then you don't need to worry so much about what one person can do, but instead the proper context for the percussion instruments.

Listen, listen, listen and learn.
 
As already indicated, realistic drum programming must take into condieration that a drummer has 4 limbs and really do all four play a note at the same time.

You don't say what in particular you don't like about your cymbals - but here are some very basic comcepts.

Cymbals normally fall into 4 general catagories: 1) Hi Hats, 2) Ride Cymbal, 3) Crash Cymbals and 4) Effects Cymbals (splashes, china, other specialty sound).

Hi-hats simply keep time and normally are played with 8th notes. The ride also keeps time and normally uses the same notes (in this case 8th notes) as the Ho-hat. Often the hi-hat is played during a verse and the ride is played during a chorus or during a guitar solo, etc. Hi-hats and ride are normally not played at the same time (again maybe one during a verse and the other during a chorus.

Crash cymbals normally accent certain parts of a song - often the 1 of a given part of a song. As an example, the one which starts a chorus or solo or perhaps the 1 when returning to a verse. Effects cymbals normally serve the same purpose as a crash cymbal (just different tones).

In the real world, a drummer may ride (ie: keep time) on a china or a crash to accent or "push" a part of a song - but this rarely works well with programmed drum parts.

Lastly, electronic and/or sampled cymbals tend to be the weakest sounding (unrealistic sounding) percussion sounds - thus it is normally preferable to keep cymbal sounds lower in the mix.

I hope that is helpful
 
Try playing airdrums to some beats of songs you've heard all your life!Break it down in your mind.It isn't all that hard!
Find pattern based software that lets you step sequence(I use PCDrummer,though I'm not terribly happy w/it/I've used it for 5 years and am comfortable w/it.Fruityloops comes to mind as an alternative).Learn to think 8 beats or so at a time.Fills will be accomplished as their own 4 to 8 beat pattern.
The more you break down and emulate what your favorite drummers do,the more realistic it will sound!
Don't let your desire to make it sound like a real drummer get in the way of writing and recording the music in your head.It's all good!
Finally,please tell the purist who may tell you to get a real drummer to fuck off and die! ;)
It's your music!
 
You might also look at drum tabs, and see how some songs are done. It's interesting to have something to look at, as you listen along. Gives you some insight as to what a drummer is doing. I usually start by programming a simple beat, as a click, then try and spice it up with some stuff I hear in music. You will also get better just the more you do it.
Good luck man...
 
Ooh. Good suggestion. I'm gonna try that.a couple last questions. Isn't the Crash and Ride Cymbal the same cymbal, just played differently? and How much crash, say, in the chorus of a hard rock song, is too much? Should I just put it on the first beat of a bar? First and third? second and fourth?
 
Newbie dude said:
Ooh. Good suggestion. I'm gonna try that.a couple last questions. Isn't the Crash and Ride Cymbal the same cymbal, just played differently? and How much crash, say, in the chorus of a hard rock song, is too much? Should I just put it on the first beat of a bar? First and third? second and fourth?
Click to expand...
They can be the same cymbal, but usually the drummer has one for each. The ride is larger than the crash, and that's about all I know. I'm not a drummer.
 
IronFlippy said:
They can be the same cymbal, but usually the drummer has one for each. The ride is larger than the crash, and that's about all I know. I'm not a drummer.
Click to expand...

Ride cymbals are 20-22 inches in diameter, generally much thicker than a crash, which gives them more mass than a crash cymbal and ultimately is what gives them that *ping* sound you often hear ridin' out on top during a rocking chorus. Although they vary, generally they have minimal sustain compared to crashes.
Crash cymbals on the other hand are smaller (never seen a crash bigger than 20" and thats just HUGE) Most rock guys will have a 16" and an 18". Larger crashes have more sustain and volume swell. In contrast, smaller crashes give much more puntuated crash sounds, and smaller than 14" is referred to as a "splash". Crashes/splashes are lathed thinner than ride cymbals and have no where near the mass and that is how they vibrate more freely and posses more of a "wash" or shimmery sustain.
Yes rides and crashes are played differently most of the time. Ride cymbals are played just like the name- you literally "ride" the top of the cymbal with the stick tip, closer to the bell of the cymbal for more ping, and further out near the edge for more "wash" or sizzle. Crashes are usually struck with a downward sweeping motion.
a couple last questions. Isn't the Crash and Ride Cymbal the same cymbal, just played differently? and How much crash, say, in the chorus of a hard rock song, is too much? Should I just put it on the first beat of a bar? First and third? second and fourth?
Click to expand...
Well, in a 4/4 rock beat, the 1 is the downbeat and the 3 is the upbeat.
Think 1, 2, 3, 4 with the bass hitting on 1 and the snare hitting on 3. Pound it out on your chest if you have to. Stick with putting crashes on upbeats and downbeats in sync with either the snare, or bass drum. Cymbal crashes that come unaccompanied by a snare or bass hit sound funny and should be avoided. (because a live drummer would very likely NOT do it) and they should always follow the accents already inherent in the song or be used to trigger transition in the song. (sometimes crashes are limited to when verse leads into chorus in styles such as country)
 
drumming broke down for me

when i was in the studio lots...I would record the guitar and vocals using a very simple drum kit pattern after finding the tempo. I would then have the engineer delete the kit so I would have perfectly timed rythmn and vocals...then it went to the bass player...who thumped out a pulse to the song...(amazing part of songwriting)...then it went to the drummer...and im not a drummer...but from the bass, guitar and vocals...if a drummer can't hammer out a pattern from that..... :confused: ... anyways...collaborating with the session drummers i would always come up with something. If your doing it on ya own...what i used to do is do guitar, vocals, bass...then start with a tom...then add snare....and keep adding. :) good luck btw...that way lots of tracking...but i think it's a broken down version for us drumming-inept.
 
Another question. Let's say I'm putting crsh cymbal quarter notes one the first and third beats of my chorus. Should I play it all on the same cymbal, or alternate between two different crash pitches?
 
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