Drums are arguably the most essential musical element when it comes to creating dance music. A good drum groove can elevate a track from mediocre to fantastic, while a bad one will turn listeners off and cause them to twitch their ears or shrug their shoulders. If you're a producer or composer interested in taking your beats to the next level, learning how to program drum patterns and then arranging them is a necessity.
The stock groove templates bundled with most DAWs are great for beginners but will only get you so far. Achieving a truly unique and dynamic drum groove requires careful attention to a wide range of small variations and decisions. These small, seemingly inconsequential adjustments are what make a drum pattern stand out from the pack. Fortunately, many of these tiny adjustments are relatively easy to make.
Drum programming differs from drum synthesis in that you aren't actually creating the sounds that you use, but rather using existing drum samples to create drum patterns. This allows for more flexible control over the overall sound of the drums and can provide a greater variety of sounds than is possible with a traditional acoustic kit. However, there is still a significant amount of complexity involved in getting the drums to sound authentic.
To achieve this, you'll need to pay special attention to the rhythm of the drums themselves, the tempo at which they are played, and the underlying percussion instruments such as guitars or synths. You will also need to understand how to modify the overall sonic character of the drums through EQ and other manipulations. This is where LearnGrooves comes in, as it provides a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about programming drums for dance music.
This video series is comprised of a series of short, bite-sized videos designed to teach you the fundamentals of drum programming. Each section begins with a brief overview of the topic before diving into specific examples that demonstrate how to accomplish the task at hand. The videos are concise and easy to follow, making this an ideal resource for a drummer who wants to st art working on their own grooves but may not have much time to commit to studying a comprehensive book or online course.
One of the most difficult LearnGrooves Drum Machine aspects of drumming is overcoming the tendency to play too fast or too slow. Too fast and the track will feel rushed, while too slow and the track will be boring or monotonous. This is where LearnGrooves shines, as the author of this video series, Jeff Strong, explains how to maintain a steady tempo while incorporating the dynamics that make a drum groove enjoyable and captivating to listen to.
Grooving with Odd Subdivisions is another excellent drum machine-focused lesson from Drumeo. This lesson covers a topic that might not seem especially relevant for a beginner, but the lessons are very hands-on and help you to grasp concepts such as odd subdivisions and how they can be used in a groove context.
