Hi
How do I program fills that are not just rolls? All my fills recently just turn into rolls, when what I'm trying to do is just break up the rhythm or introduce some variation.
At the moment I'm working on a housey track without the usual 4/4 beat but with the kick on 1,9 & 11, the snares on 5 & 13, with toms & side stick action and the usual HHs. Everything I come up with is pretty crap or descends into a roll, when I just want is some underlying variation. I've got the same problem on a unfinished breakcore tune, where I'm trying to break up the rhythm with my fills.
Thanks
Garry.
How do you program drum fills?
-
Barbed Wire Kiss Barbed Wire Kiss https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=6926
- KVRian
- 1353 posts since 28 Apr, 2003 from The brief past.
"God...He's my favourite fictional character." Homer.
-
Barbed Wire Kiss Barbed Wire Kiss https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=6926
- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 1353 posts since 28 Apr, 2003 from The brief past.
Bump.
"God...He's my favourite fictional character." Homer.
-
- KVRAF
- 13119 posts since 7 May, 2006 from Southern California
Try placing a snare (or toms) on the 6, 10 and 15 but at lower velocity and move the kick on the 9 to the 7 again at a lower velocity. Also try adding a snare at the 3 and a soft kick at the 4. Play around with triplets on the last four our eight beats. These are all commom techniques drummers use to vary the beat you are using.
3am
3am
-
- KVRer
- 1 posts since 25 Feb, 2007 from BBritish Columbia, Canada
Garry,
I don't think there's a "formula" for it. The best way to learn how to program drums and fills is by transcribing what real drummers have done, hence I suggest you take some time and transcribe/program a performer you like and indentify with. For Pop/Jazz styles, I personally suggest Vinny Colauita (great fills), Steve Gadd (great grooves), Peter Erskine (for simplicity and groove), and so forth.
After transcribing and programming about 10 songs from at least four different drummers, you'll end up with a huge database of midi and groove files you may use in any song.
I hope I could be of some help.
Edward
I don't think there's a "formula" for it. The best way to learn how to program drums and fills is by transcribing what real drummers have done, hence I suggest you take some time and transcribe/program a performer you like and indentify with. For Pop/Jazz styles, I personally suggest Vinny Colauita (great fills), Steve Gadd (great grooves), Peter Erskine (for simplicity and groove), and so forth.
After transcribing and programming about 10 songs from at least four different drummers, you'll end up with a huge database of midi and groove files you may use in any song.
I hope I could be of some help.
Edward
-
- KVRian
- 553 posts since 24 Feb, 2005 from Prana
When programming fills for my 4/4 house/trance choons, I take a drum pattern used in the track, remove one or a couple hits from it (where depends on the pattern and the effect I'm after) and add a couple of new ones generally not in the same places where I removed hits, sometimes using the original drum samples, sometimes new samples, sometimes a mixture of old & new. Varying pitch & velocity or other (slight) modulation may also be needed.
This way the fill isn't too different from the rest of the drum track, but is sufficiently different so as to break up the monotony. It's quite an easy method too, once you develop a "feel" for it and have good basic drum patterns to build on.
This way the fill isn't too different from the rest of the drum track, but is sufficiently different so as to break up the monotony. It's quite an easy method too, once you develop a "feel" for it and have good basic drum patterns to build on.
“Somebody said to me, ‘But the Beatles were antimaterialistic.’ That’s a huge myth. John and I literally used to sit down and say, ‘Now, let’s write a swimming pool.’ ”
-
Barbed Wire Kiss Barbed Wire Kiss https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=6926
- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 1353 posts since 28 Apr, 2003 from The brief past.
Thanks for the ideas. I've already come up with something of my own, which, barely even gets noticed in the pre-mix stage. I'll have a further play with jivamukti's & justin3am suggestions though. And I've already started Edwards idea with analysing the drums in songs that interest me.
"God...He's my favourite fictional character." Homer.
-
- KVRer
- 2 posts since 12 Nov, 2006
Something that's come in handy for me:
Get a drum controller, like a Pad Kontrol or Trigger Finger, and just improvise for awhile over a chord progression and record it. Really let yourself get into it and go nuts. Then listen back to what you just did, pick out the best parts, and insert them into your beat wherever you want a fill.
It gets really fun in Ableton because you can then assign those fills to clips and fire them off as you listen from the same drum controller. Have a couple drinks beforehand for maximum results : )
Get a drum controller, like a Pad Kontrol or Trigger Finger, and just improvise for awhile over a chord progression and record it. Really let yourself get into it and go nuts. Then listen back to what you just did, pick out the best parts, and insert them into your beat wherever you want a fill.
It gets really fun in Ableton because you can then assign those fills to clips and fire them off as you listen from the same drum controller. Have a couple drinks beforehand for maximum results : )
-
- KVRian
- 553 posts since 24 Feb, 2005 from Prana
I forgot to mention that if you want a live feel to your fills, playing them live is probably the best way. If the track's BPM feels too fast for live playing, slow it down a bit temporarily.
“Somebody said to me, ‘But the Beatles were antimaterialistic.’ That’s a huge myth. John and I literally used to sit down and say, ‘Now, let’s write a swimming pool.’ ”