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This is fantastic, thank you for sharing! Literally a no-fluff cheatsheet for drum patterns presented in the simplest to digest form possible, and without losi

This is fantastic, thank you for sharing! Literally a no-fluff cheatsheet for drum patterns presented in the simplest to digest form possible, and without losing any important parts. Programming drum patterns has always been daunting to me, as it seemed like everyone just "knew" their patterns and how to play around them. Even though I knew that it wasn't the case, it was still difficult to approach. But with this boilerplate, it's like a massive blocker is just gone for me. And by going through even just a a portion of the patterns, I can easily see how one can acquire a sense for them and is able to come up with their own takes.

chaosprint 3y ago
Have you tried to use the code to make drum/note patterns: https://glicol.org/tour#sequencer https://glicol.org/tour#sequencer I am open to all feedbacks!
dist-epoch 3y ago
Or you could just try to reproduce the beats of your favorite songs. It will be incredibly difficult at first, but after some tens of hours you should be able to slowly program the simpler ones. Obviously you need some native beat tracking capabilities, it seems some people just lack this skill. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00771/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2013.0077...
- agmand 3y ago
  There's a music teacher at NYU, Ethan Hein, that seems to be working on this exactly in the context of groove pedagogy. For example, he recently picked apart the amen break in a blog post [0] and tried to replicate it in ableton from scratch, methodically. He first lies out the basic pieces or the groove, then builds up the groove adding and removing elements, gradually complexifying it. As someone who has trouble with drum patterns as well I really liked the idea. [0] https://www.ethanhein.com/wp/2023/building-the-amen-break/ https://www.ethanhein.com/wp/2023/building-the-amen-break/
  - completelylegit 3y ago
    Look for the Ableton live realtime “reproducing prodigy’s fire starter in ableton”, it’s really a wonderful example. You’ll appreciate it.
    - dpflan 3y ago
      Wow, thank you!
  - notmypenguin 3y ago
    Might I suggest simply playing with a basic drumset in real life for a few hours? A kick snare and hihat are the principal components needed. I contend that you will organically discover a kind of conversational dialogue between the kick and snare that known beats are a result of. It’s something that will inform your drum programming immensely, even if you never pick up drum sticks again
    - vlachen 3y ago
      This pings on something I've been wishing for locally: I would like there to be a music shop that has a short time studio rental (30min to an hour) where you can access a trap set (specifically for me) or other piece of gear, already setup with headphones and monitors, such that you could just go in an play for a while, without an investment. A place to just jam for a little bit and explore, able to be separated such that any awkwardness or shyness can be reduced. Maybe this is a common thing and I just don't know how to ask for it.
      - freedomben 3y ago
        What would a reasonable fee/rate be like for such a thing? It's an interesting idea but I'm considering the economics of it.
        vlachen 3y ago
        I don't have the information to say. I would say that the kit doesn't have to be top of the line gear. The fee would need to cover wear and tear (and maybe a deposit or kicker if someone gets a little overzealous,) hourly rate of whomever is maintaining the setup, plus some margin. What I'd be willing to pay is something on the order of up to $50 for a session. I think the sweet spot would be $30-$40 for something like 20 to 30 minutes.
- murphm8 3y ago
  For anyone who is interested in structured learning around the idea of listening and reproducing, I suggest Audible Genius Building Blocks[1]. [1] https://www.audiblegenius.com/buildingblocks https://www.audiblegenius.com/buildingblocks
- completelylegit 3y ago
  For what it’s worth there is a builtin feature(s) with Ableton where you can: * Convert audio clip to MIDI drum track * Convert audio clip to MIDI melody * Convert audio clip to MIDI harmony None of them work exceptionally well but they get they get enough done that they’re useful for a first pass approximation in many situations.
- efields 3y ago
  > Or you could just try to reproduce the beats of your favorite songs. Depends! I went into hobbyist music production a few months ago probably bc I saw a cool midi controller that my kids might find interesting. Fast forward a few months and I've bought and sold a few $100s of gear and now I have these great immersive music making sessions with just a Korg Volca Beats and a MicroFreak. I'll save you all hours of YouTube synth hype bois by stating that the MicroFreak is hands down the best way to learn synthesizers. It packs SO MUCH into a small, tactile form factor. The manual is actually a fun read and explains each and every parameter in an engaging way. It is a masterclass in approachable documentation for a complex subject, (and was probably translated from French, since Arturia is a French company).

chaosprint 3y ago

Have you tried to use the code to make drum/note patterns: https://glicol.org/tour#sequencer https://glicol.org/tour#sequencer I am open to all feedbacks!

dist-epoch 3y ago

Or you could just try to reproduce the beats of your favorite songs. It will be incredibly difficult at first, but after some tens of hours you should be able to slowly program the simpler ones. Obviously you need some native beat tracking capabilities, it seems some people just lack this skill. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00771/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2013.0077...

agmand 3y ago
There's a music teacher at NYU, Ethan Hein, that seems to be working on this exactly in the context of groove pedagogy. For example, he recently picked apart the amen break in a blog post [0] and tried to replicate it in ableton from scratch, methodically. He first lies out the basic pieces or the groove, then builds up the groove adding and removing elements, gradually complexifying it. As someone who has trouble with drum patterns as well I really liked the idea. [0] https://www.ethanhein.com/wp/2023/building-the-amen-break/ https://www.ethanhein.com/wp/2023/building-the-amen-break/
- completelylegit 3y ago
  Look for the Ableton live realtime “reproducing prodigy’s fire starter in ableton”, it’s really a wonderful example. You’ll appreciate it.
  - dpflan 3y ago
    Wow, thank you!
- notmypenguin 3y ago
  Might I suggest simply playing with a basic drumset in real life for a few hours? A kick snare and hihat are the principal components needed. I contend that you will organically discover a kind of conversational dialogue between the kick and snare that known beats are a result of. It’s something that will inform your drum programming immensely, even if you never pick up drum sticks again
  - vlachen 3y ago
    This pings on something I've been wishing for locally: I would like there to be a music shop that has a short time studio rental (30min to an hour) where you can access a trap set (specifically for me) or other piece of gear, already setup with headphones and monitors, such that you could just go in an play for a while, without an investment. A place to just jam for a little bit and explore, able to be separated such that any awkwardness or shyness can be reduced. Maybe this is a common thing and I just don't know how to ask for it.
    - freedomben 3y ago
      What would a reasonable fee/rate be like for such a thing? It's an interesting idea but I'm considering the economics of it.
      - vlachen 3y ago
        I don't have the information to say. I would say that the kit doesn't have to be top of the line gear. The fee would need to cover wear and tear (and maybe a deposit or kicker if someone gets a little overzealous,) hourly rate of whomever is maintaining the setup, plus some margin. What I'd be willing to pay is something on the order of up to $50 for a session. I think the sweet spot would be $30-$40 for something like 20 to 30 minutes.
murphm8 3y ago
For anyone who is interested in structured learning around the idea of listening and reproducing, I suggest Audible Genius Building Blocks[1]. [1] https://www.audiblegenius.com/buildingblocks https://www.audiblegenius.com/buildingblocks
completelylegit 3y ago
For what it’s worth there is a builtin feature(s) with Ableton where you can: * Convert audio clip to MIDI drum track * Convert audio clip to MIDI melody * Convert audio clip to MIDI harmony None of them work exceptionally well but they get they get enough done that they’re useful for a first pass approximation in many situations.
efields 3y ago
> Or you could just try to reproduce the beats of your favorite songs. Depends! I went into hobbyist music production a few months ago probably bc I saw a cool midi controller that my kids might find interesting. Fast forward a few months and I've bought and sold a few $100s of gear and now I have these great immersive music making sessions with just a Korg Volca Beats and a MicroFreak. I'll save you all hours of YouTube synth hype bois by stating that the MicroFreak is hands down the best way to learn synthesizers. It packs SO MUCH into a small, tactile form factor. The manual is actually a fun read and explains each and every parameter in an engaging way. It is a masterclass in approachable documentation for a complex subject, (and was probably translated from French, since Arturia is a French company).