Making The Beat - Brazilian Drums
Making The Beat - Brazilian Drums
Making The Beat - Brazilian Drums
&AudioTutorial
Welcometothethirddrumbasedtutorialintheseriesthatwillshowyouwhatthebeatsareandhow
tomakethemsoundgood.InthistutorialwearegoingtocontinuetocoverLatindrumsbutnowin
theBrazilianstyle.
BrazilianmusicisoneofthetwomaincategorizationsofLatinmusictheotherbeingAfroCuban
whichwecoveredlasttime.JustlikeinAfroCubanmusic,thedrumsareoneofthekeycomponents
andyouneedtoknowwhichbeattoinsertdependingonthecontextofthemusic.Remember,
BrazilianmusicisatitscoredancemusicjustlikeAfroCuban.
Soifyouwanttousethesegroovesinamoretraditionalsense,knowwhatbeatgoeswithwhat
danceorcontext.IfyoujustwanttoaddsomeSamba,Bossa,orBaiaogroovestoyourrepertoire,
nowisyourchancetolearntoo!Thelasttimewetalkedwebuiltbeatsfromsmallerelementsthat
whensummedtogetherformedourbiggerbeatsthistutorialwilldosoaswell.Withthatallinmind,
getreadytojam!
SettingUp:WhatYouNeed
Ifyouhavereadmyprevioustutorialsthenthissectionwillnotbeanythingnewtoyou.Ifyouhave
notreadit,thenbyallmeansdoso!Itisimportanttohaveaninitialgameplanonhowyouwantto
approachprogrammingyourdrumbeats,andthissectionwilloutlineyouroptionsforyou.
ThistutorialisaimedtobepredominantlyDAWandpluginindependentyouworkwithwhatyoufeel
mostcomfortableusing.However,sometoolswithintheDAWorpluginarenecessarytohavein
ordertoeffectivelycompletethistutorial.
Youwillneedeitherastepsequencerorapianorollinordertoplacetherhythms.
Awellroundedsamplelibraryforalldrumsandcymbals(youcanuseadrumsynthifyousochoose
butmakesureyoucancreatealotofdifferentsoundswithit).
Theabilitythechangethevolumeofvarioushitsthroughoutthedrumpattern.Makesomecymbal
hitssofterorlouderthanothers,etc.SomemaydoitviaMIDI,othermightjustchangetheactual
volumeofthehit.
SettingUp:WhattoUse
Therecanbefeaturesofaparticulareditorthatmakemoreadvantageousoveranotherwhenit
comestomakingdrumbeatsonthecomputerbutitmayhavedisadvantagesaswell.Herewewill
gooverthedifferentapproachestoconstructingdrumsonthecomputerandyoucandecidedwhich
methodologyisworksbestforyou.
IndividualSampler
Thismethodinvolvesloadingsamplesintoasamplerthatcanonlyplayonesampleatatime.Why
useit?Usuallythesesamplershavealotoftoolsthatallowyoutomanipulatethesamplefarbeyond
othersamplers.Usuallywhenusingthesesamplersyoueitherhavepianorollaccessorastep
sequencer.Thedisadvantagetothishoweveristhatmostlikelyyouwillnotbeabletoseethewhole
rhythmofthekitandwillneedtoknowexactlyhowthedifferentinstrumentsfittogether.
PreConstructedKits
Someprogramsofferprebuiltkitsandusuallyhavethekitlaidoutacrossapianorollsothatyoucan
seethewholekitsrhythm.Youusuallywillhavefinercontrolovertheplacementofeachhitovera
stepsequencer.Thedisadvantageisthatyoumayormaynotbeabletoediteachindividualsample
tothefullestdependingontheprogram.
MultiSampleSampler
Thesesamplersaredesignedusuallywithdrumsetsinmind.Theyallowformultiplesamplestobe
loadedinandsometimesmultiplesamplesperinstrument.Whywouldyouwantmultiplesamplesper
instrument?Sothatasyouprogramvolumechangesthesamplerwillloaddifferentsamples.This
wayyoudon'tneed5differenthihatschannels,5differentrides,etc.Youjustprogramvolume
changes.Becarefulthough,sometimesthesesamplerscanbeveryCPUintensiveandcaneasily
bogdownyoursystemifyou'renotcareful.Inregardstorhythmplacement,someusepianorolls
andothersusestepsequencersitwilldependontheplugin.
MyRecommendations
Ipersonallyamanadvocateofhavingthemostversatilityatmyfingertips,butmaintainingeaseof
use.IlikethemultisampledrumsamplerswithpianorollaccessandmixertrackaccessbecauseI
willhavethemostcontrolovermysoundwithoutoverloadingmyselfwithcontrols.Ifyouarenot
lookingforalotoffinetunedcontrolthentryforapreconstructedkit.Ifyouarelookingforglitchkit
designoralotofmanipulationyoumightneedtheutmostintensivecontrolandoptfortheindividual
samplers.Thechoiceisyours,andrememberthatthesearegeneralguidelinestherecaneasilybe
otherapproachesordifferentcombinationsoftheabove.
BrazilianConversions:TraditionaltoDrumSet
Brazilianmusicisbothsecularandreligious,butstillaltogetherdance.Italwaysseemstohavea
drivingqualitythatishardtoresist.JustlikeinAfroCubanmusic,mostoftheBrazilianbeatshavea
particulardanceorfunctionassociatedwithitoftenthebeatsrootscanbetracedtoaparticulararea
ortown.ManyofthebasicconceptstoBrazilianmusicstartedinAfrica,Portugal,Spain,andmetwith
thegeneraloriginalBrazilianNativesandbecameinfusedinBrazilandotherpartsoftheCaribbean.
JustlikewithAfroCubanmusic,thedrumsetadaptationsarenotanewconceptbutagainarenot
oldeither.AswithmostifnotallLatinmusic,manyoftheoriginalbeatswereplayedbymultipiece
ensembleswithdifferentplayersondifferentdrums.Eventothisdayyoucanstillfindtraditional
ensemblesthatplaythisway!Sinceeachbeatanddrumhadtheirownspecificpurposes,the
individualdrumsandbeatsonthedrumsetdoaswell.ThefunctionhoweverforBraziliangrooves
canbedifferentfromAfroCubaninafewways,soletsfirsttakealookatthefunctionofthedifferent
drumsonthedrumsetandhowitrelatestotheoverallBrazilianfeel.
TheKick
ThekickdruminBrazilianmusic,unlikeitsAfroCubancounterpart,isthedrivingcenterofthemusic
particularlywithSambas.Thekickgenerallyhasaconsistentpatternthatgivestherestofthe
ensembleabasetolistenform.InthecaseoftheSamba,theuprightbassorbassguitaractually
mimicstherhythmofthekicktofurthergroundtherestoftheensemble.
TheSnare
ThesnaredrumstillplaysanimportantpartinBrazilianmusicjustlikeinAfroCuban.Traditionally
referredtoasaCaixa,thesnareisabasicelementtoBrazilianmusicandisnotaconversionlikein
AfroCuban.Insomecontextsitistheentirebasisforanentirebeatparticularlywiththosethathave
moreofamarchfeel.Othertimesitwillsimplybringbackouroldfriendtheclave.Eitherway,the
snareaddsalottotheoverallgrooveandaccentpatternstoyourbeatswhichofcourseessentialto
anyformofLatinmusic.
TheCymbal
TheridecymbalandhihatgenerallyaretheirownentitiesinBrazilianmusic.Thehihatattimeswill
bereplacinganinstrumentknownasaPandeirosometimesalsoreplacingtheTamborim(similarto
aTambourine).Thehihatgenerallyisplayedwiththefootandfitsinbetweenthekickdrumhits,
actingasanotherpulsefortheensemble.Howeverthereareplentyofgroovesthatutilizethehihat
inaclosedpositionandwillactaspartofthemainbeat.Theridecymbaleitherhasitsownvariations
ormimicspatternstraditionallyplayedonotherdrums.Eitherway,theridekeepsgivesamore
modernedgetothekitandistheprimarychoiceinmostnontraditionalBrazilianmusic.
TheToms
Thetomsserveasthedrumset'sreplacementforSurdodrums.Surdodrumsgenerallycomeinhi,
mediumandlowcategorieswhichiswhytheyfitsowellonadrumset.Theytomsplayavery
importantroleinBraziliandrumsetplayingsincemanybeatscannotbedonewithoutthem.
Samba
Surdo,Cruzado,andParditoAlto
OneofthebiggeststylesofBrazilianmusicistheSamba.Sambasarefulloflifeandvigorand
usuallyareaccompaniedwiththecorrespondingdance.Surdo,CruzadoandParditoAltoareall
subsetsoftheSamba.TheSurdobeatsareveryheavyonthetomsandinvolveadecentbitof
syncopation.TheCruzadobeatsareverysimilartotheSurdobututilizeamoreconsistentsnareor
hihat.Cruzadomeanstocrossandifyouwereadrummeryouwouldneedtocrossyourhandsover
oneanothertohitthetomswhilekeepingthesnareconsistent.PartidoAltorhythmsaresimply
anotherforofSambawithasimilarbutdifferentfeeltotheotherformsofSambatheparticularsare
whatseparatesitfromtheotherforms.
Theformatthroughouttherestofthetutorialforpresentingtheactualrhythmswilllisteach
instrumentandwhichnotestheinstrumentplaysonina16notemeasure.A16notepattern
assumesthatyoursmallestnotesubdivisionis16thnotesinafourbeatpattern.Likeinourprevious
tutorial,two16thnotepatternswillsometimesbeusedsinceBrazilianbeatssometimesaretwobars
long.Thebarswillbeseparatedviaa|andthenrestartthenotecount.Eachpatternwillbelisted
fromtoptobottomsothatcymbalsareonthetopandkickareonthebottomjustasyouwouldseeif
readingmusicalnotation.Eachwillbeaccompaniedwithapicturetohelpvisualizethepattern.
Samba:FeetPatterns
BeforewedelvedeepintotheheartoftheSambayoushouldbeawareofthefeetpatternsbetween
thekickandthehihat.IwillnotnotatethepatternsthroughouttherestoftheSambasectionunless
theychangefromtheseparticularpatterns.Bynomeansdoyouhavetousethesefeetpatternswith
yourbeatsbuttheyoftenareandaddanicepulsetoyourmusic.
Keepinmindthatthefirstpatternisthemostcommonwiththeothersonlybeingusedinthe
appropriatemusicalcontexts.
SambaFeetPattern#1
HiHat:3,7,11,15
Kick:1,4,5,8,9,12,13,16
SambaFeetPattern#2
HiHat:1,5,9,13
Kick:1,4,5,8,9,12,13,16
SambaFeetPattern#3
HiHat:2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16
Kick:1,4,5,8,9,12,13,16
Surdo
LetsfirsttakealookattheSambaSurdoandthebasicideasthatencompassit...
BasicSnareSurdo
SnareAccent:1,4,5,8,9,12,13,16
Snare:2,3,6,7,10,11,14,15
00:0300:06
Verysimpleandkindofalongthelinesofamarch.Notetheaccentsandwheretheyoccurthis
accentpatternisveryimportantinBrazilianmusic.(Noticehowtheyaresimilartothefeet?)Hereare
twomorelongervariations...
SnareSurdo#1
SnareAccent:1,3,5,6,8,10,12,14,15
Snare:2,4,7,9,11,13,16
SnareSurdo#2
SnareAccent:1,3,4,6,8,10,11,12,14,15
Snare:2,5,7,9,11,13,16
00:0300:06
Forthoseofyouwhoaremoreonthesongwritersend,thesegroovesworkwellasgeneralintrosfor
yoursongs.Theyarebusybutdefinitelynotasbusyassomeoftheotherbeatswewillcover.
Movingon,letsnowaddsometomstothemixafterallthetomsaresupposetoreplacetheSurdo
drums!
Surdo#1
SnareAccent:4,8,12,16
Snare:2,3,6,7,10,11,14,15
MiddleTom:1and9
FloorTom:5and13
00:0200:07
Nothingtoocomplicatedbutitaddsanicecolorcontrasttothegroove.AndrememberwhatIsaid
aboutthataccentpattern?
HereisanotherstraightaheadSurdopatternforyourlearningpleasure...
Surdo#2
SnareAccent:3and12
Snare:2,4,7,10,11,14,16
HighTom:1
MiddleTom:9
FloorTom:5,6,8,13,15
00:0100:08
Trystartingthispatternonnote9andthenwrappingaroundto1through8foradifferentfeel.
FinallyIwillleavetheSurdowithamoresyncopatedversionforyoutoplayaroundwith...
Surdo#3
Snare:2,4,6,7,9,11,13,14,16
HighTom:1
MiddleTom:9
FloorTom:5,7,13,14,16
Cruzado
NextwearegoingtocovertheCruzadoandthebeatsthatcomprisethisparticularSamba.AsIsaid
beforeCruzado'sforcethedrummertocrosstheirhandssinceonehandwillbebusywithother
notes.SoifyouarelookingforsomebusyLatinbeats,thismaybeyourticket!
Cruzado#1
SnareAccent:3,6,8,10,12
Snare:1,2,4,5,7,9,11,13,14,15,16
HighTom:3and10
MiddleTom:1and8
FloorTom:6,13,14,15
00:0700:08
LikeIsaiditisalotbusierofabeat!Hereisacymbalvariationthatstillmaintainsthesnareaccent
patternjustnotaccented.
Cruzado#2
Cymbal:All
HighTom:3and10
MiddleTom:1and8
FloorTom:6,13,15
00:0700:10
IfyouarelookingtoaddalittlevarietytotheseCruzadobeats,justchangearoundwhichdrumsget
hit,butkeeptheoverallrhythmthesame.Hereisanexample...
Cruzado#3
Cymbal:All
SnareAccent:3and10
HighTom:8
MiddleTom:1
FloorTom:6,13,15
00:0600:10
ThereisonlysomuchyoucandowiththeCruzadosinceyoustillhaveaveryconsistentpatternin
thefeetandinoneofthehands.Justplayaroundwithyourtomlocationstogetthemostvarietyand
useoutofthesebeats.
PartidoAlto
ParditoAltoistheoddoneoutintheSambaworld.Whatmakesthesebeatssocoolishowthesnare
accentsplayoffofadifferentfootpattern.Withthatbeingsaid,keepinmindthatthereisadifferent
feetpatternthatIwillnotateoutforyou.HereisanexampletogiveyoutheideaoftheParditoAlto...
ParditoAlto#1
Cymbal:All
Snare:3and10
Kick:1,6,8,13,15
00:0400:10
Differentright?Itreallyoffsetsthefeelingofthedownbeat,whichcanbeverygoodifyouwantthat
effect.However,itstillgroovesdespitethedisplacedfeeling.Hereisanothervarietytotryout...
ParditoAlto#2
Cymbal:All
Snare:3and10
Kick:1,6,8,12,13,15
00:0300:10
ThesepatternsareessentiallythecoreoftheParditoAlto.Tryremovingvariousnotesinthecymbal
patterninasyncopatedmannertoaccentuatetheParditorhythm.However,ifyouwanttokeepthe
generalrhythmgoinglikebefore,butneedadifferentsoundcolor,trythis...
ParditoAlto#3
Cymbal:1,6,13,15
SnareAccent:3and8
Snare:2,4,5,7,9,11,12,14,16
Kick:1,6,8,13,15
Samba:Review
AsyouhaveseentheSambaisafastanddrivingbeatthatencompassesawidearrayofsound
options.TheSurdoandCruzadoaddatomheavyfeelwhiletheParditoAltotrystodisplacethe
listenerssenseofdownbeatwithoutsacrificinggroove.Beforeweclosethissectionandmoveonto
theBossa,letmepresenttoyouonemoreSambabeat.Thisdoesnotfitintoanyoneparticularfeel
butnonethelessisverycommon.
GenericSamba
Cymbal:1,3,5,6,8,10,12,14,15
Snare:1,3,8,10,12
BossaNovaBoss
Movingon,thisnextsectionwillfocusprimarilyontheBossaNova.TheBossastillmaintainsthekick
aspectoftheSambasinceitinfactcamefromtheSamba.Thedifference?TheSambahasamore
relaxedandslowerpace.Theonlyreasonitmaysoundfastiscauseyoutraditionallywillplay
constant16thnotesonthecymbalforBossas.Moreoftenthatnotthehihatisplayedinsteadofthe
rideforaBossa,howeverthereisnothingstoppingyoufromplayingthebeatsontheride.Infact
someactuallycallforittobedoneontheride.Whenthesebeatsarepresented,thehihatwillrevert
backtothefeetpatternalongwiththekick.
TheBossaisnotnearlyasvariedastheSambasoonlyonesectionwillbepresented.However
makenomistake,theBossaisveryimportantandisastandardinBrazilianandLatinmusic.
Bossa#1
Cymbal:All
SnareClick:1,4,7,11,14
Kick:1,4,5,8,9,12,13,16
00:0600:10
ThisisthemostpopularbeatfoundtheBossastyle.Theclickpatterninthesnareisdesignedto
mimicouroldfriendtheclave.However,thispatternisknownastheBossaClave.Tryreversingthis
patterntogetanothervarient...hereisanexample.
Bossa#2
Cymbal:All
SnareClick:3,6,9,12,15
Kick:1,4,5,8,9,12,13,16
00:0400:10
ThisnextexampleisanothercommonBossathattakesthepatternoftheTamborimandplacesiton
theclicks.Havealisten...
Bossa#3
Cymbal:All
SnareClick:1,3,5,6,8,10,12,14,15
Kick:1,4,5,8,9,12,13,16
00:0200:10
Movingforward,wecantryandaddaParditoAltoelementtotheBossaintheclicks.Canyouhear
it?
Bossa#4
Cymbal:All
SnareClick:1,3,5,8,10,12,15
Kick:1,4,5,8,9,12,13,16
00:0200:10
ThatisessentiallytheBossaNovainanutshell.However,beforewewrapthissectionupletme
presentyouwithamoresyncopatedversion...
Bossa#5
Cymbal:1,3,5,6,8,10,12,13,14,15
SnareClick:1,3,5,8,12,14,15
00:0700:08
NotehowIdidbroughtbackboththekickandthefootcontrolledhihatforthisbeatsinceitwas
basedontheride.Youdidnoticeright?
BossaNovaBoss:Review
IfyouunderstoodtheconceptsoftheSamba,theBossaNovashouldhavebeennoissue.Just
rememberthatitisamorelaidbacktypeofBrazilianbeatandshouldbetreatedassuch.Also,ifyou
writefillsfortheBossamakesuretheyalsoreflectthelaidbacknature.
BaiaoOhYeah
ThisnextsectionrevolvesaroundthebeatstothedancemusicknownasBaiao.ANorthernBrazilian
dance,theBaiaounitlizesadifferentbutsimilarkickpatternthatgivesthemusicitsuniquequality
nottomentionthefocalpointbeinganaccordionmelodically!Keepingthisinmind,letsfirsttakea
lookatthebasicBaiaobeat.
Baiao#1
SnareAccent:4,7,12,15
Snare:1,2,3,5,6,8,9,11,13,14,16
HiHat:3,7,11,15
Kick:1,4,9,12
00:0000:03
SeewhatImeanaboutthatkickpattern?ItisjustastrippeddownversionoftheSambakickbutit
hassuchadifferentfeel.Youalsomayhavenoticedthatthisbeatasamarchlikequalitytoit.Ifyou
wantthatmarchfeelbutneedsomevarietyjustfilltherestofthesnaredrumbeatsinandletthe
accentsthemselvesspeaktherhythmicallymelody.
Nextletsfindawaytothehihathatindifferentlytothisbeat.Tryforexampleaddingthehihattothe
accentslikeso...
Baiao#2
Cymbal:1,7,12
SnareAccent:4,9,15
Snare:2,3,5,6,8,10,11,13,14,16
Kick:1,4,7,9,12,15
00:0300:06
Whilethisisallwellangood,anotherideatoplayaroundwithistoaddthetomstotheaccentsas
welltogetarhythmicmelodygoingbasearoundtheaccentpattern.Herearetwoexamplesthe
secondoneissimplyaflippedaroundversioninwhichthehightomandfloortomlocationsare
swapped.
Baiao#3
Cymbal:1and7
SnareAccent:4
Snare:2,3,5,6,8,10,11,13,14,16
HighTom:9
MiddleTom:12
FloorTom:15
Kick:1,4,7,9,12,15
Baiao#4
Cymbal:1and7
SnareAccent:4
Snare:2,3,5,6,8,10,11,13,14,16
HighTom:15
MiddleTom:12
FloorTom:9
Kick:1,4,7,9,12,15
00:0400:07
Notallofusneedtheseverysnareheavybeats.Sometimesyoumayneedamoremodernsounding
beatthatismorecymbalsoriented.HereisanexampletoshowyouwhatImean...
Baiao#5
Cymbal:1,3,4,5,7,8,9,11,12,13,15,16
SnareClick:3,7,11,15
HiHat:3,7,11,15
Kick:1,4,7,9,12,15
00:0300:09
NowbeforewewrapupthissectionupletmeshowyouoneverymodernapproachtotheBaiao.
NowIwarnyou,thiswontevensoundlikeaBaiaoatfirst,butlookatthefeetpattern.Ithinkyoumay
likeit...
Baiao#6
Cymbal:3,7,11,15
Snare:5and13
Kick:1,4,7,9,12,15
BaiaoOhYeah:Review
AswehaveseentheBaiaoasalotofvigorandalotofvarietytohowitcanbeused.Ifyoueverhear
thatkickpatternrememberthatthebeatisBaiaobased.Tryplayingwiththeaccentpatternand
addingdifferenthitseitheronoroffthataccentpattern.
SoundColor
Nowcomesthepartwherewetalkaboutthesamplesandwhatworksandwhatdoesn'tforthestyle.
SincetheBrazilianstyleandAfroCubanstylearebothLatin,thissectionwillmirrorcloselytothe
previoustutorials.However,somematerialwillbedifferentbutitwillnotbenecessaryifyoureadthe
previousone.
UpuntilnowwehavefocusedoncreatingthebeatsintheBrazilianstyle.However,weneedtomake
surewearegettingagoodsoundoutofeachdrum.Ifyoureadmyprevioustutorialthenyouknow
thatsomepeopleareonaperpetualquestfortheperfectdrumsound.Onceagain,ifyouareoneof
thesepeopleletmetellyouthatitdoesnotexist.Whendealingwithprogrammeddrumstryingto
soundreal,youneedtohavethebestsamplesyoucangetaholdofendofstory.Processallyou
want,butgoodsamplesarekeytogooddrumsound.
Now,youstillwillneedsomeprocessingregardlesssodonotcountyourselfoutyetifyoursamples
arenotgodly.Whatwewillfocusonismakingthekitasawholesoundmoreliveandrealandwhat
youneedtodoinordertoachievethatend.AsIsaidinthebeginningofthistutorial,youwillneeda
lotofsamplesinordertogetagoodfeeloutofyourprogrammedkit.Nowwewillgoindepthonhow
tousethem.
TheKick
Agoodkickiskeytothecreationofaqualitydrumsoundregardlessofgenre.Thekickisonceagain
thecenterofthegenrewhendealingwithBrazilianmusicsomakesureits.Youhaveafewchoices
topickfromwhenworkingwiththekickhowevernotasmuchtherockgenrelikelasttime.Youmost
likelywillhavekicksthatsoundnatural,full,orcushionedsometimescrossbreedsbetweentwoof
thembutnotveryoftenHowdoyoudecidewhichtouse?Thinkofhowyouwantyourkittosound.
Atraditionaljazz/Latinalbumwillhaveaverynaturalsoundandyouwillwanttohearthesoundof
thedrumitself,notsomeprocessedpoptone.Keepthismindaswell,sometimesthissortoftone
willremovesomeattackfromthekickandgiveitthatcushionedquality.Generallytheseare
consideredmoretraditionalforanBraziliansound.
IfyouwantafullermoreHollywoodstylesoundthenyouwillwantakickthathasanicebottom
endwithsomeattack.Itshouldnotbecompletelypopsounding,butnotthenaturaltoneeither.
Theseofcoursearejustguidelinesbutithopefullygivesyouasenseofdirectionwhentryingto
figureoutyourkicksound.
Whenactuallyprogrammingofthekickyoushouldprobablyhavetwo,butdefinitelynomorethan
threekicksounds.Thekicktonallystaysthesamemostofthetimewhenbeingacousticallyplayed.
Youwillprobablywantakicksoundforquietpassagesandanotherforlouderpassages.
Likealways,ifyoueverhavetwokicksinrapidsuccession(two16thnotesforexample)makesure
theydon'tsoundexactlyalike.Asawhole,itisdifficultforadrummertokeepthem100%thesame
thatfast.
TheSnare
Thesnareisthecenterofsyncopationmostofthetimesomakesureitsoundsgood!Clickswillneed
aclearknocksoundandthesnarewillneedaopenhollowtone.Thesnaremaintainsalmosta
constantvolumeandtonesinceusingthesnarerequiresthesamebasicstrokethatshouldbeeasy
foradrummer.Thisinterngivesessentiallythesamevolume.However,makesurethereisenough
differencesoitdoesn'tsoundlikeadrummachine.Alsopickoutagoodrimshotsoundthatworks
withyourhollowtonesincerimshotsareakeypartoffillsinaBrazilianorLatinfeelingeneral.Keep
inmindhowever,therimshotsshouldnotbeabusedeither!
Irecommendstartingwithagoodopensnaresoundthatcomplimentsthekickanddoesnotconflict
withthehihatorcymbals.Wheneveryoudopickyoursnaretone,makesureyoustartwithyour
primarysnaresampleandbuildoffthat.IfyouhaveaharmonicallyrichsnareyousometimescanEQ
offotherpartstocreateyouradditionalsnaresoundsinsteadofsamplehuntinghoweverhollow
soundingsnaresgenerallyarealittleweakintheharmonicsingeneral.Generallythesofterhitsare
slightlyhigherinpitch/tonethantheheavierhits.Youshouldhoweverhavemorecontrastinyour
snaresamplesthanyourkicksamples.
TheCymbals
Cymbalstendtofallintotwocategorieswhenitcomestothecymbalsactualtimbredarkorbright.
Darkcymbalstendtohavearounder,warmer,andheavytonetothemwhilethebrightcymbalsare
cutting,sharper,andhighertonedthantheirdarkercounterparts.Also,youcanhaveacombination
ofbothdarkandbrightcymbalsandgetwhatsomecallarichcymbal.Thisappliesnotjusthihats
andrides,butcrashesaswell.Whilethesemightbethewaywecategorizetheactualcymbals,we
alsohavetoconsiderhowthecymbalisplayed.
Youaregoingtowantatightsetofhihatsthatwhenclosedtogetherwillnotleaveanyextraringing
andleaveyouguessingonthebeat.Yourridecymbalsshouldhavealittlebitofsticknoisefromthe
initialimpactifyouwantaslightlymoreauthenticsound.
Howdoweusecymbalsamples?Thiswillbyfarbethebiggestpainintheentiretutorialbutoneof
themostessential.Yourcymbalsamplesshouldbefairlysimilar,closertothewaywedidthekick.
Why?Becausemostpeopledonotactuallysitthereandintentlylistenonthetoneofthecymbals.
Thereisalwaysvarietybutitisusuallysubtleandsotoshouldyoursamples.
Youusuallyhavetorandomlyassignyourcymbalsamplestogetthatpsychoacousticeffectof
knowingitistherebutnotnoticingit.However,ifyouareluckyenoughtobeusingamultisample
sampler,thenseeifyourplugincanrandomlyplaybackyoursamplesforyouinyourcymbalchannel
(seewhatImeanwhenIsaidIlovemultisamplesamplers?)Yougenerallywillneedabout34
samplestogettheeffect.
Toms
TomsaremuchmoreimportantinBrazilianandotherLatinfeelsthanmostotherformsofdrumset
music.Sincetheyareintegraltothebeats(theSurdoandCruzadoespecially)youneedtopicka
goodsetoftomsthatfitwellinyourkit.
Regulartomhitsshouldbefullandroundwithaclearattack.Youwillalsowantagoodrimclick
soundforthefloortomifyouwishtocontinuetheauthenticroute.Also,youwillalsowantagoodtom
rimshotsoundincaseyouwishtoaccentaparticulartomhitwhetheritingrooveorfill.
Iwouldnotworrytoomuchabouthavingdifferenttomsamplesforcontrastasagooddrummer
usuallycankeepthetoneevenonthetomhits.Instead,usethelowpassfiltertricktofakesofter
tomsbyremovingsomeofthehigherharmonicswhenthemusicgetssofter.
SoundColor:Review
Asaholeyouwillaboutthesameamountofsamplesinthistutorialasyoudidinthepreviousone.
However,ifcompletedthelastoneyoucouldprobablyusetheexactsamesetupsincetheyareboth
Latin.Makesureeachsamplefitswellwiththeothersandifyouhavetooverprocesstomakeitfit,
getabettersample.Ifyouhavetheoptionofbeingabletorandomlyassignsamplesfromamulti
samplesamplerthenbyallmeansgoforititwillmakeyourlifealoteasier.
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Fills,Fills,Fills
Iliketorepeatmyselfsoonceagainwefindourselvesinthefinalsectionofthetutorialfills!Asa
drummerIhavetoldyourandwilltellyouagainthatfillsareyourchancetobeexpressive,andthat
thepossibilitiesarebeyondwhatyoucouldwriteinwords.Therefore,tomeitisprobablyleastmost
importantsectionforprogrammingdrumsalsoinmyexperiencemostpeopledon'twanttobe
botheredtowriteoutadrumfillsoIwon'tfloodyouwithlongwindedfillsthatyouwouldhaveto
painstakinglyrewrite.Instead,IbelieveforAfroCubanmusic,ifyoufollowafewbasicconceptsyou
caneasilystartcreatingyourownfillsintheBrazilianstyle.
IfyoureadmyAfroCubantutorialthenyoushouldalreadyknowafairbitofthissection.However,
readthelastpartforsomemoreinsighttoLatinfills.Inaddition,listentoallaudioexamplestotry
andgetsomemoreideassincetheyareallnew.
TheAccent
ProbablythemostimportantaspecttofillsandsolosintheBrazilianstyleistheaccentednotes.
Whenyoulookatthegrooves,weaccentcertainaspects(liketheclavepatternforexample)todraw
attention.Bycarefullyplacingaccentsinyourfillsyoucanmakethemmoremelodic.
AsageneralruleofthumbwithLatinmusic,offbeataccentsareking.Theoffbeatiswherethe
syncopationcomesinandishowyourfillscansoundlesssquare.However,thisdoesnotmeanyou
canabuseoffbeataccentsallthetime.Addsomevarietybetweenonbeatandoffbeataccentsand
donotforgettoaccentthe16thnotesbetweenthebigbeatsandoffbeatsaswell.
Hereisaquickfillbasedaroundaccentstogetyourcreativejuicesflowing...
00:0000:10
FillMeIn:AndLeadMeIn
Notallfillsarelongintricateideas,somearesimpleafewnoteslong.Theseshortquickfillsusually
leadintoabighitbytherestoftheband.Mostofthetimetheyarenotflashyandusuallyareplayed
ontheirownwithoutanymovingnotesfromtherestoftheband.Essentiallythebandplays,cutsout,
thequickfillisplayed,andeveryonecomesbackinfullboardonthelastnoteofthefill.Thereisn't
muchmoretosayaboutthesefillsotherthanlookatwhatIhavecomeupwithandgetsomeideas.
Youwillhearonebarofgrooveandthelast2beatsofthesecondmeasurearetheleadinfill...
00:0600:11
Patchwork
Thereisnorealtricktocreatingtheseotherthanexperimenting.Theonlymethodologyyoureally
haveistotakeonebeatfragmentsandpatchworkthemtogetheruntilyougetafillyoulike.Again,
breakyourfillideasdownintoonebeatfragmentssothattheyareeasiertomanageandvarywhere
yournoteslandonthedifferentdrums.
Anothertrickistomimicthemelodyofthesongbutintheamongstthetoneofthedrumset.Ifyougo
thisroute,tryaddingvariousrhythmicflourishestothemelodyandinterjectsectionsthatarenotthe
melodyandarestrictlyjustdrumfill.
Hereisalongerfillthatencompassesdifferentideassothatyoucanhopefullygetsomeideas
yourself...
00:0000:15
BeatBase
Thelastconceptyoucanuseisacompilationofsortsofthepreviousideas.Youtakethebeatyou
justwereplayingandusetherhythmicmelodyandflowofthebeatasthebasistoyourfill.Youcan
mimethebeatverbatimoryoucanaddflourishestothefill,eitherwaywillwork.Takealistenandtry
topickoutthebeat...
00:0000:08
Fills,Fills,Fills:Review
ThereisnotmuchtosayaboutBrazilianfillsotherthanbecreativeanddon'tbescaredtotry
somethingnew.Ifyouareamoremethodicalpersonthentrygoingthemelodicmimicroute.Either
wayshouldexpandyourmindandbecreativethinklikeamusician!
BrazilianinReview
Repeatingmyselfonceagain,thatisanawfullotofmaterialtocover!Brazilianmusicistrickytosay
theleastandisnotnormallysomethingyouheareveryday.
RememberthatsyncopationandthekickarethekeyconceptstoBrazilianmusicandyouwillbeable
tobuildanythingfromthere.ThedrumsetismerelyareductionofafulldrumsectioninBrazilian
musicsoitshouldsoundlikeafulldrumsection.Rememberalsothattheoffbeataccentisintegral
toanBrazilianflavoraswellasAfroCuban.
IfyouhavedonebothmyAfroCubanandthistutorialthenyouarereadytogoforLatinmusic.Try
fusingbothifyourintocomposingandseewhatyouget!Ihopeyouhavelearnedalotfromreading
thistutorialandnowhavemoremusicalchoicesatyourdisposal.Thanksforreading!
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