Level Up Your Productions With These 10 Drum Programming Tips

Guitar is my instrument of choice, my baby, the bread and butter of my music expression. I can play drums, as in hold down a beat, but I am by no means a drummer. I’ve always loved exploring rhythm, and annoyingly air drumming on tables.

The problem is I still wanted to create finished projects. Since I can’t always outsource to a real drummer, I learned the nitty-gritty tedious work of programming realistic drums.

How are your rhythmic chops?

Over the years I’ve come to understand the concepts surrounding rhythm thoroughly. The experience of playing around with MIDI and different groove ideas lead to an expanded arsenal of beat making. That knowledge has leveled up my rhythmic chops and my overall production skills.

If your like me and don’t play drums, or you produce music where the drums are programmed. Or, even if you a drummer but are feeling more “programmy” then hit “stuff-y”. These tips will level up both your rhythmic expression and programming skills!

10 Hard Hitting, Drum Drawing Tips

1. Play With The Kick And Snare — Experiment with different snare placements and kick patterns. Sometimes synchronizing the kick and bass works well, other times keeping a repeating kick pattern is better. Where the snare lands in a drumbeat drastically influences the overall pulse of a section. Try changing what beat is emphasized with the snare or adjusting the space between them.
2. Add Variation — Sprinkle interesting embellishments and subtle variations throughout a reoccurring drum beat. Incorporate rest notes and silence for impact. Add or remove elements to keep it engaging. Spend time programming fills to smooth transitions.
3. Edit Velocities — Adjust note velocity to match the dynamics of the songs, quiet for intimate parts and louder for intensity. Stagger the velocity values of the hi-hat, ride, and cymbals to accent downbeats or offbeats. Randomize the overall velocity to humanize the rhythm.
4. Use Ghost Notes — Use notes with low velocity to contribute to the overall groove and add a layer of complexity to your pattern.
5. Swing it! — Subtle swing to your drum patterns can make a huge difference in feel. Try different “feels” such as a shuffle, swing, stagger, ahead or behind the beat. Explore different styles such as Latin, jazz, reggae, drum n’ bass, and double kicks.
6. Jam On A Midi Controller — Map a midi controller to trigger the drum samples you are using, loop a section and jam out what pulses naturally. You will always be better able to feel out a groove by playing it live. Start with kick and snare then add other elements individually. Quantize your performance under 100% to retain some human feel. Bonus points for a full electronic drum kit.
7. Think Like A Drummer — Picture the ergonomics of how a drummer would play and emulate those dynamics. Emphasize one arm in strength when creating snare rolls, fills and tom grooves. Move with the music. Make sure what you program would be physically possible for a drummer if you’re going for something realistic.
8. Experiment With Different Time Signatures — Try triplets on the hi-hat or kick patterns. Discover unique pulses with odd timings such as 5/8 or 7/4. Get progressive with polyrhythms and see how you can create interesting interplay between simultaneous different rhythms.
9. Listen To The Music — Listen carefully to what the other elements in the song are doing and try to find accents that compliment and work with them. Program a pulse to keep a driving groove, then add extra elements and embellishments to make it more interesting.
10. Play With Percussion — Experiment with different percussive sounds and instruments such as a shaker, tambourine, tablas or bongos. Something such as a double-time shaker part can really add to the energy of a chorus, for example. Don’t hesitate to experiments with bleeps, bloops and arpeggiated rhythmic synths!

How do you drop mad beats?

Interested in learning more? Click here to download your Mindset Map and discover your next steps in your musical journey.

My name is Alexandre Joyal. I help music creators achieve success with their music by teaching them how to produce themselves and adopt a creative mindset.