Shavano Music Online

    4/4 Drum Patterns, Part 1

    5/99 - Jens Moller - http://www.colomar.com/Shavano/44patterns1.html
    See also Drum Machine General Information

    Download a MIDI sequence of these patterns. This is a single sequence where one pattern follows the next in the order listed below. Press your Shift Key then click on the above to save it to your system.

    This article deals with pattern based Drum sequencers. These Sequences can be adapted to any type of hardware or software sequencer that allows you to define a fixed length sequence of MIDI events. My experience in this area has almost entirely been with Roland pattern based Drum Machines (Including the TR-505, TR-606 and TR-707 models of the mid 1980's). Some Drum machines work differently than the Roland models (The Alesis SR 16 works very differently, but can still use these sequences), as do Software Sequencer programs that can be used to loop a few measures. This should not prevent you from trying these patterns.

    Each of these patterns is 4 measures long and can be played back at any tempo. Typically, I use them somewhere between 80 to 150 Beats Per Minute.

    I did not invent any of the patterns that are presented. They are simple replications of fairly common drum patterns used by drummers the world over. I have used these in MIDI sequences in songs for many years - They fit a certain class of song but may not be appropriate for other songs.

    Those listed here are the simplest of general 4/4 timing Rock and Roll. There are thousands of others that exist. Use these as start points to help you get started in your music and feel free to vary them any way that you see fit. I've tried to reduce these to the bare essentials.

    Pattern Title: Start Count (Lead In) - Pattern #: 1
    Beat
    Sound
     1
     2
     3
     4
    		 5
     6
     7
     8
    		 9
    10
    11
    12
    		13
    14
    15
    16
    CH
     X
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     
     

    Pattern Title: General Rock and Roll - Normal - Pattern #: 2
    Beat
    Sound
     1
     2
     3
     4
    		 5
     6
     7
     8
    		 9
    10
    11
    12
    		13
    14
    15
    16
    CH
     X
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    OH
     
     
     X
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 
     
     X
     
    		 
     
     
     
    SD
     
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     
     
    BD
     X
     
     X
     
    		 
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 
     
     X
     
    AC
     X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     

    Pattern Title: General Rock and Roll - Closed Hi-Hat - Pattern #: 3
    Beat
    Sound
     1
     2
     3
     4
    		 5
     6
     7
     8
    		 9
    10
    11
    12
    		13
    14
    15
    16
    CH
     X
     X
     X
     X
    		 X
     X
     X
     X
    		 X
     X
     X
     X
    		 X
     X
     X
     X
    SD
     
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     
     
    BD
     X
     
     X
     
    		 
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 
     
     X
     
    AC
     X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     

    Pattern Title: General Rock and Roll Ride Cymbal 1 - Pattern #: 4
    Beat
    Sound
     1
     2
     3
     4
    		 5
     6
     7
     8
    		 9
    10
    11
    12
    		13
    14
    15
    16
    RC
     X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    SD
     
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     
     
    BD
     X
     
     X
     
    		 
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 
     
     X
     
    AC
     X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     

    Pattern Title: General Rock and Roll Ride Cymbal 2 - Pattern #: 5
    Beat
    Sound
     1
     2
     3
     4
    		 5
     6
     7
     8
    		 9
    10
    11
    12
    		13
    14
    15
    16
    RC
     X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     X
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     X
    SD
     
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     
     
    BD
     X
     
     X
     
    		 
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 
     
     X
     
    AC
     X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     

    Pattern Title: General Rock and Roll Ride 'Quiet Part' - Pattern #: 6
    Beat
    Sound
     1
     2
     3
     4
    		 5
     6
     7
     8
    		 9
    10
    11
    12
    		13
    14
    15
    16
    CH
     X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    RS
     
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     
     
    BD
     X
     
     
     
    		 
     
     X
     
    		 
     
     X
     
    		 
     
     X
     
    AC
     X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     

    Pattern Title: General Rock and Roll Fill - Pattern #: 7
    Beat
    Sound
     1
     2
     3
     4
    		 5
     6
     7
     8
    		 9
    10
    11
    12
    		13
    14
    15
    16
    CH
     X
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    CC
     X
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    HT
     
     
     
     
    		 X
     X
     X
     X
    		 
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    MT
     
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 X
     X
     X
     X
    		 
     
     
     
    LT
     
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 X
     X
     X
     X
    SD
     X
     X
     X
     X
    		 
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    BD
     X
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     
     
    		 X
     
     
     
    AC
     X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     
    		 X
     
     X
     

    Pattern Title: Song End (Finish) - Pattern #: 8
    Beat
    Sound
     1
     2
     3
     4
    		 5
     6
     7
     8
    		 9
    10
    11
    12
    		13
    14
    15
    16
    CC
     X
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    SN
     X
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    BD
     X
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    AC
     X
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     
    		 
     
     
     

    How/When to use these

    A song would be comprised of some or all of these 4 measure sequences strung together.

    The Start Count would be used to queue the rest of the musicians that the song is about to start and define the tempo. A live drummer often does something similar to start off all the band members at the same beat and speed by rapping drum-sticks together at the start of each measure.

    For regular verses, General Rock and Roll - Normal would be used in until the bridge. You could use General Rock and Roll - Closed Hi-Hat as the last 4 measures until going into the bridge, or alternate these 2 for different verses to provide more variation. Sometimes you will want a quiet interlude, and use the pattern General Rock and Roll Ride 'Quiet Part' for as few measures.

    For a bridge (also commonly called the Middle 8 even if its longer than 8 measures), you might shift to General Rock and Roll Ride Cymbal 1 or also use General Rock and Roll Ride Cymbal 2, which ever works better for the song. Switching back to the General Rock and Roll - Normal for the verses.

    Often between verses, a live drummer will play a fill. In MIDI sequences you often put in a fill to cue people that something is about to happen. In this case, you could perform the General Rock and Roll Fill as the last four measures of a verse or a bridge. Audio clues of this nature are quite useful - real drummers tend do it, so it sounds more natural, and you'll quickly find that a Sequence waits for no one - the more you build into it to help you navigate a song, the better job you tend to do with it.

    When you end a song, you normally want to end it on a high note, rather than just abruptly stopping. The Song End does this by providing a Crash Cymbal along with a Snare and Bass Drum beat. This would be the last fragment (pattern) played in the song.

    Drum Machine/Sound Naming Key

    • CH = Closed Hi-Hat
    • OH = Open Hi-Hat
    • RC = Ride Cymbal
    • CC = Crash Cymbal
    • HT = High Tom-Tom
    • MT = Mid Tom-Tom
    • LT = Low Tom-Tom
    • SD = Snare Drum
    • RS = Rim Shot (Snare Rim)
    • BD = Bass Drum
    • AC = Accent (higher velocity on all sounds this beat)

    • Normal MIDI Velocity = 90 (any beat that does not have an Accent)
    • Accent MIDI Velocity = 110 (any beat that has an Accent)

    Values in RED are for steps 1, 5, 9 and 13. They are in RED simply to make it easier to follow - each RED value indicates the beginning of a Measure. All other steps are shown in BLUE.

    X or X indicate that you are to select a specific percussive sound at at given beat.

    Questions? Comments? .

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