Convert your two-note bassline into a Kick-Snare rhythm and use it create a complete drum groove.
In creating your two-note basslines, you wrote musical fragments that were both melodically and rhythmically strong. Assuming you met the project's requirements, your basslines have several interesting characteristics:
In a drum set, the Kick drum functions as the primary (strong) beat, whereas the Snare drum functions as the secondary (weaker) beat. In much of Pop music, the Kick plays on beat 1 and beat 3 (the "downbeats"), while the Snare plays on beats 2 and 4 (the "backbeats"). There are some musical genres, such as Reggae, where this scheme is inverted, but for the most part, it's true.
This strong-weak dichotomy can also be heard in the melodic shape of the drum rhythm. The snare drum is smaller and is tuned correspondingly higher, often by as much as a musical fifth interval. This low-high pitch relationship can also be seen in other percussion pairs, such as conga drums, agogo bells, and samba whistles. As you listen to good drum rhythm writing, try to hear the pattern as a two-note melody.
The strong-weak division even extends to the way that the drums are physically played. For a right-handed drummer, Kick is played by the right foot, while Snare is played with the left hand—a weaker limb.
For your basslines, there is an implicit pulse on every eighth-note (in the case of Rock Music styles), on an every sixteenth-note (in the case of Dance Music styles). Normally a right-handed drummer would play this pulse on High-Hat with their strong (right) hand. Even here, the amount of emphasis on each note varies: Notes on the beat generally get a stronger emphasis than those that are off of the beat (on the "upbeats"). Certain genres, however, are noted for strong upbeats, for example Ska, House and Trance.
The vey best drum programmers pay close attention to the pitch and dynamics of the drum set as well as its rhythm, and make use of subtle shifts in emphasis during the pattern. As you convert your basslines to drum grooves, you may want to vocalize the rhythm to help you know when a particular note should receive a stronger or weaker emphasis. Doing so will take your rhythm from a simple beat to a propulsive groove.
The Ride Cymbal has a relatively long decay and frequently substitutes for high-hat when an increase in the overall energy level is desired (such as in a chorus or outro section). Tambourine, Shakers or Triangle can also fill in for high-hat by providing a steady pulse.
Other cymbals generally fall into the Crash category and are used to delineate sectional boundaries or to punctuate an important musical idea. Tom-Toms are generally used to create fills (lead-ins) but can also empahsize the melodic shape of a drum pattern. The floor tom frequently adds extra emphasis by substituting for, or doubling, the snare drum on beats 2 and 4. Occasionally, the floor tom substitutes instead for high-hat and provides a "tribal" pulse.
Convert three basslines to drum grooves by reassinging notes as explained below. Add a high-hat or ride cymbal pulse and other drums as needed to flesh out the groove. Your final product should be a Logic Pro or General MIDI file.
Converting your bassline is easy. Simply reassign your MIDI track to a drumset. If you are using a Gemeral MIDI set, such as those found on the Roland Juno-D, your low note will alrady be mapped to the Kick Drum. In Matrix (Piano Roll) View, click on G1 to select all of the high notes and drag them down to D1 or E1 (MIDI notes 38 or 40, respectively) to map the high note to Snare Drum.
Look at the velocities of each note. Kicks on beats 1 or 3 should have maximum velocity. Other Kick notes should be lowered. Kicks on weaker beats that preced strong beats should be lower in level. When two or more kicks lead into a snare or a strong-beat kick, they should increase (crescendo) to create a sense of forward motion.
Similarly, Snares on beats 2 and 4 should be strongest, with other beats lower in velocity. Again, multiple snare hits leading into a strong beat should crescendo, while multiple hits starting or following a strong beat should decrescendo.
This project can easily be completed in one week. Because the majority of the class is already comfortable using Apple's Logic Pro, it is assumed this will be used for sequencing. However, as the project focus is on musical concerns, rather than MIDI programming technique, you may use Reason or any other MIDI sequencing program for this project if you prefer. Please convert your file(s) to a Standard MIDI File so that it may be imported into Logic.
Submit the MIDI file(s) containing the three basslines. Email to sward@mercy.edu
Due Date: next class, September 24, 2008.