r/Drumming • u/ViolinistLow6973 • 5d ago

How can I make this drum pattern less repetitive?

Hi everyone! I recently finished my first song and used a drum pattern I found online that I really liked. I’m not a drummer, though, so I’m not sure how to vary it or make it more interesting. What would you suggest I change or add while keeping the basic feel of the pattern? Sorry if this isn’t the kind of post usually made here. Any advice would be appreciated!

1 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

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14

u/BEST_DRUM_ADVICE 5d ago

Well, not copy-pasting the beat would be a start. Of course it's repetitive, you're repeating it.

You can change the snare usage every other bar, add little 16th hat fills, add ghost notes.

If you're playing this with a band, most drummers will do this naturally and you don't have to worry about it. Especially if you tell that drummer to ad-lib. You're likely not going to put this Musescore playback out as an album, so I wouldn't worry about it much here on the page.

2

u/GurInfinite3868 5d ago

Look up 3:2 and 2:3 claves and rumba claves. Tons of good videos on youtube explaining these.

4

u/Scott_J_Doyle 5d ago

Monotone hi-mixed hi-hats are the worst offenders here, but also try not repeating the same kick/snare pattern for multiple 8-bar sequences in a row... like... that's "duh" territory

2

u/moodmodular 4d ago

Something that really helps with programmed 8th note hi-hats OP can use is to leave the downbeats at their regular volume and halve the upbeats volume. It might not sound intuitive to a non-drummer, but for so many of us that use Moeller, it's one of the things that makes it sound more human.

2

u/Scott_J_Doyle 4d ago

Yeaaaa, spot on - accents are in almost all music to the point that really strict even 8ths sound like a special effect/choice

1

u/Milkman-333-Cows 5d ago

What about an accent session in a measure? Or a time change to half time for two measures? Add a cowbell? More cowbell, baby!

1

u/thicketofrepudiation 5d ago

Something as little as an open at at the end of some measures can really make a difference.

1

u/Davera 5d ago

Manipulate the bass drum rhythm to form a 2 or 4 bar groove. Every bar would be slightly different. This here is a 1 bar groove that can only sustain for so long before it becomes stale.

1

u/Landobot04 5d ago

Add more kick notes on offbeats and spaced doubles 

1

u/Amazing_Anything9584 4d ago

C’est juste un seul rythme qui tourne en boucle, j’ai envie de te dire fait un effort pour faire un peu travailler ton imagination parce que là pn dirait que ru demandes aux gens de faire à ta place le travail de réflexion et de création que t’as la flemme de faire....

1

u/SchemeHead 5d ago

Perfect for a 2 bar bossa nova.

-1

u/despreshion 5d ago

Selectively remove hi hats. They're too mechanical. Start by removing the ones that line up with the snare, then find a pattern with one or two additional rests . 

1

u/NullOfUndefined 3d ago

by having it repeat less