What’s the easiest way to create house music drum patterns? Panic? Not quite!
First off, you don’t want a boring kick pattern. That’s for sure! And that’s why many try out this and that, read tutorials on how to make house music, etc.
Well, look no further! We’ve got you covered.
Our guide will show you how to create house music drum patterns in an easy-to-follow way. We designed this guide for beginners, thus including the basics of drum programming, grooves, and more.
Ready to practice a simple drum pattern to have your beat finished within minutes? Let’s start!
What Is Drum Programming?
Drum programming is a method of recording beats, rhythms, and other sounds from a drum kit. It is basically “composing” drum sounds without using actual drums.
It uses the computer to playback samples and loops in real-time. Therefore, it allows for rapid experimentation with beat patterns, fills, accents, and transitions.
Drum programming has become popular because it allows musicians to create beats on their music laptop or PC.
Drum programming helps create a drum track from scratch or within a pre-existing recording.
It’s pretty much exactly what the name says it is. You use sequencer software to program electronic drums, giving those percussive sounds their basic structure before layering them with other elements to build out more complex beats.
Significance of Drum Programming
Groove is the sound of vitality. It’s what makes the music feel alive and moving. Every beat has a purpose when there is groove.
It’s emotional and energizing, but also deeply satisfying. And from the essential core of this simple rhythm, dance music can rise to create some truly fantastic stuff.
But without a groove, is dance music even dance music? No!
If you want to make people dance, all your tracks must have a good “groove.”
What does this mean? All musical styles can have great grooves, from jazz to folk to rock and roll.
We are not talking about making funky tech house tracks by lowering the tempo to 125 BPM. A groove is something that feels good.
It’s usually something that we are subconsciously tapping or snapping along to. It can be anything with a steady rhythm, like a good old rock beat or a shuffling hip-hop beat.
Groove is an essence that you can find in countless genres and tempos. The groove of a 175 BPM drum and bass track will have a different feel than that of a 140 BPM tech-trance banger, but both have a groove.
Formation of Grooves
Drums and bass are the two instruments that lay the foundation for groove. But the difference between them is significant.
Although they complement each other, one provides structure whereas the other creates movement. Together, they make sure that the song has a steady flow and a sense of motion that doesn’t stop.
The bassline can contribute to the song’s groove; it sets up a tempo and rhythm that will give your song direction. If you place it on its own, it can sound like noise.
But when paired with a drum section, it will sound much more melodic and pleasant to the ear.
So, we can see that drum patterns are a vital part of the groove. So, don’t you think we should spend some time making sure they sound good?
Beginners Drum Programming
Drums can be played live as an acoustic instrument or electronically with a drum machine.
If you’re interested in playing drums, take some time to watch your favorite drummer on YouTube or go and see a band play live!
You’ll be amazed by how many different sounds and rhythms are out there in the world of drumming—just waiting for you to explore!
As for electronic music, you need to understand three essential parts of a drum pattern before creating them:
Kick
Like a band conductor, the bass drum is the foundation for your drum pattern. It holds the beat, organizes all other drums, and helps define what style and genre your music will take on.
The kick will be the most critical part of your beat. It’s one of the first elements you lay down. It will probably be the most consistent part of the song or drum pattern as a whole.
It may also be the main instrument or melody for the song, depending on what you’re looking to accomplish.
Snare/Clap
The snare drum can be incredibly versatile and is crucial in creating drum loops. It is a fundamental rhythmic element that plays a vital role in producing the groove of a song.
But one can also use it to create other sounds, like claps and accents. A carefully placed syncopation to the snare sound can work wonders for your production!
Hi-Hat
Hi-hats and cymbals are, arguably, the most essential part of your drum programming because they add texture to the drum loop.
Drummers often spend a lot of time focusing on their hi-hats, as this is what makes their beats stand out from the rest. Working with your hi-hats is an excellent place to start if you want to know how to program drums like a pro!
Percussion
To get the most out of your drum loop, consider adding some additional percussive sounds and low end.
Try different combinations to make new rhythms or give an existing pattern a more interesting, hypnotic groove.
How to Make a Simple House Drum Pattern (128 BPM)
Drum programming is a music production technique that involves using pre-recorded sounds, such as drum machine samples or live sounds from a drum kit, to create the rhythm section of a song.
The basic process of creating drum programming takes place in three steps. You record drum samples, edit them, and then arrange them into suitable patterns for your song’s tracks.
If you’ve heard electronic dance music, you may have listened to an abundance of drums being played through synthesizers (or synths) instead.
So, you can make your drum pattern by following the steps below. But first, you will need a computer and a digital audio workstation (DAW) of your choice.
Step 1: The Kick
The first thing you should do is set the tempo of your new track to 128 BPM so that everything keeps in rhythm. Once that’s done, you will add a kick to give life to your song.
A kick is often the central element of any house song. There’s a general pattern in house songs called “four-on-the-floor,” which means every time there is a beat, there will be a kick.
You can choose a suitable sample and add an EQ to it to dial in the right sound. Then you can boost any frequencies of your choice, like bass, midrange, high range, etc., to ensure the kick sounds good.
Step 2: Hi-Hats
Hi-hats are a great way to add an extra layer of interest to your music. We find that adding them offbeat to the kick helps.
Try experimenting with different patterns and sounds before adding them to the beat. Be creative; you can use open hats, closed hats, or both!
Adjust the EQ of your hats to create the effect that you want. Eliminating low frequencies will make them sound too thick, while boosting high frequencies can make them brighter.
Step 3: Snares And/or Claps
For the drum pattern, we only used a snare for this tutorial. You may also choose to add a clap to create a stereo image. It is up to you; just be sure not to overlap them completely.
To achieve a stereo effect with headphones, place specific instruments on one side or the other of the mix.
You can do this by putting more emphasis on sounds in the same frequency range and panning them in the same way.
The kick drum and bass would generally be in the middle, while the claps and snares would be panned left or right, respectively.
When dealing with a recorded snare drum, it is important to boost the EQ’s high frequencies (mids and highs) without dropping the low frequencies. Doing this can help make your snare sound more full and balanced.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Are drum patterns copyrighted?
Most of the time, drum patterns and beats don’t count as songwriting because they don’t have lyrics or melody.
Copyright law only protects the expression of an idea through lyrics, harmony, melody, and rhythm. If you use a specific drumbeat, you are not infringing on another artist’s work.
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Where can I find great samples?
Good-quality sample packs can be hard to come by. While many free ones are available, they generally don’t last long and certainly don’t allow for the creation of many tracks.
If you want to make original and memorable music, you need a high-quality sample pack that allows for the production of many tracks.
You can find many in our favorite libraries, including Hyperbits Free Drum Samples, Music Radar, FreeSound.Org, and Sample Your Favorite Artists/Music.
Conclusion
Drum programming is valuable for electronic producers, dance musicians, and DJs.
It involves using a software program or module (often with a MIDI connection) to put together beats and play the drums on your MIDI keyboard.
Using it will allow you to create your drum patterns easily and quickly without relying on samples or other sounds that can take many hours to build up.
Engineers may also use drum programming. They may not write their music but create beats digitally and use them in different songs to sound unique.
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