Creating interesting and unique drum parts to originals?

Drumsarefun

Member
Hi all, so I've managed to join a few bands who have some original material, and for the first time in playing drums for 8 years, I have to write/create my own drum parts to full compositions.

I'm used to making up drum parts when playing in my room etc, but this is quite different to actually making beats to a fully formed song, where the drums need to to fit the music.

These songs are mainly in the alternative rock or rock genre.


I really want to play interesting rhythms and drum parts to these songs, I feel I'm at least a decent drummer and so I would like to make parts that aren't necessarily just the bog-standard rock drum beat.

I want to separate myself from other rock drummers, otherwise in a sense I feel like - why take me over any other drummer, if I just play the same beat as everyone else?

I know this sounds a bit egotistical maybe.

I realise know it's super important not to sacrifice the feel of the song, and ultimately the most important thing is to serve the song. I get that most people don't listen to songs FOR the drums, but I still feel like I could add more to the song if I create something unique.



So are there ways to create interesting parts without just going insane on the chops (rudiments and doubles etc.), are there are time ideas I could play around with, different phrasings?

What are your general philosophies on writing drum parts to songs? (within this genre, obviously it varies for jazz etc)
 
One thing I like to do is to listen to a demo, consider the other instruments, and figure out how I can make them sound better. Where can I fit? Where can I enhance? Where should I dominate a bit more? Is there a dramatic build? A specific emotion? I'll even consider a vocal part and how I might interact with that or the lyrics.
 
What are your general philosophies on writing drum parts to songs? (within this genre, obviously it varies for jazz etc)


I think it's a lot more about HOW you play as opposed to WHAT you play.

I understand wanting to "make your mark" of sorts and not do the same ol' same ol'; however, concentrate on playing for the song. If they want you to do something differently, then they need to write differently. Watch for dynamics.

Most of all, if you like these guys, be easy to get along with. Also, feel free to ask them if THEY want you to do anything differently or if what you are playing sounds ok. This will go a long way.
 
I like your concepts!
I've always thought of creating drum parts as using the mind of a sculptor and a painter.
First the sculptor sets the idea for what they don't like and then the painter adds the interesting color.

I'm partial to initially thinking in two different styles when attempting to create novel concepts. Iterations of the Mozambique and the Mercybeat are usually the first feelings in my patten-head. This is directly relating to the original music that I play, so it doesn't always fit with other peoples' conversational style.

I try to stay away from rudimental patterns and fills because for me, it sometimes stifles my feel. I'm always looking for something that is mesmerizing and unpredictable, and for me, rudiment use seems often too predictable.

You might like to find your own alternative styles that you can manipulate to your own music, but beware of the people who are quickly dismissive of your choices because they may be laboring under the standard formula theories of you being only the back beat timekeeping person who should not be attracting undue attention away from the artist.
 
The 3 previous posts offer excellent advice.

I would add that writing original drum parts is very difficult because you can almost guarantee that someone has already played it.

So I would say to do this:

1- Create the backbeat for the verse/chorus/bridge etc using only single hits
2- Create a "signature fill" - one that you always use to bring the chorus in / out so everyone knows whats coming/finished. Smells like teen spirit is the best example of this
3- Leave out "ghost notes" - whilst they sound good in a groove, check to see if that groove matches the song. Most of the time, in a rock song, you won't hear them and trying to add them in sounds a like over-playing. Listen to Tesseract - Nocturne. In the studio, the ghost notes sound excellent (as it's a sample) but when they go live with it, in order to hear the ghost notes, the bottom snare mic is turned higher. Then, the ghost notes don't match the groove of the guitarists and they are way too loud for the rest of the song. They do in the studio, just not live. Don't add what the song doesn't need.
4- Record yourself and try various compositions (even it's just with your phone)
 
Ok, lets just get one thing out of the way. There is no such thing as originality in music. At least not in the strict sense if the word. You will not create something unique. If you do it probably won't fit the song. What you want to do is listen to the song and match the hits and nuances just as you would a cover song. This does not mean that you are going to play the same boring beat you always do. You can create something interesting without too much trouble. You cannot create something original or unique. Music doesn't work like that. Hell, most art doesn't either. I'd spend more time trying to capture the right feel than trying to come up with something unique.
 
Let the music and vocals dictate what you play, don't assume that your parts must be unique in order to benefit the song. There are a hundred tried & true beats & fills that are perfect for the majority of songs, and you're not going to break that mold.

I'm not saying don't explore... I'm saying don't resist playing a basic part that you think has been overused, when that's exactly what works. You can't be different just for the sake of being different. Let the music guide you. You probably aren't going to make the songs better with your inventive playing, although you can quickly make them much worse. Then, you will indeed get your wish: "I want to separate myself from other rock drummers."

This is one of those concepts that define whether you're a drummer, or a musician.

Be a musician. The career possibilities are much greater.

Bermuda
 
Two things that come to mind:

1. Learn as many different styles as you can - Blues, Jazz, Latin, Funk, etc. Over time these influences will seep into your playing.
2. Prioritize making the music groove - many times differentiating yourself from other drummers is a grooving part that gets the rest of the band and the audience much more excited than anything else you’re contributing. Always remember that every drummer plays a beat differently - like PorkPieGuy said - it might be how you play something, vs. what you play...
 
Be a musician. The career possibilities are much greater.

Ha!

The overwhelming majority of original songs are just not that "original" -- simple beats and fills work best.

If you want to create interesting drum parts, then the band first has to create interesting rhythms on their instruments. You can't play the drum beat to "Cold Sweat" if the band is strumming the rhythm of "Free Falling". (Well, technically you can, but you won't last once they figure out the drums are all wrong.)

Another option is to actually jam the songs with the band (instead of overdubbing tracks one at a time in the studio), and see if you can get any rhythm interaction going between you and the guitar/bass/keys. It's totally possible that a guitar riff can be made better with some tweaks to the rhythm.

But this idea that you should "create interesting parts"? No way. Drums are accompaniment, not lead.
 
Let the music and vocals dictate what you play, don't assume that your parts must be unique in order to benefit the song. There are a hundred tried & true beats & fills that are perfect for the majority of songs, and you're not going to break that mold.

I'm not saying don't explore... I'm saying don't resist playing a basic part that you think has been overused, when that's exactly what works. You can't be different just for the sake of being different. Let the music guide you. You probably aren't going to make the songs better with your inventive playing, although you can quickly make them much worse. Then, you will indeed get your wish: "I want to separate myself from other rock drummers."

This is one of those concepts that define whether you're a drummer, or a musician.

Be a musician. The career possibilities are much greater.

All that. Be unique by doing that really well.
 
But this idea that you should "create interesting parts"? No way. Drums are accompaniment, not lead.

For the vast majority of music (that anyone actually wants to listen to) that's true. That's how 99.9% of working drummers manage to stay working.

I have a career as a musician because I play what the song requires - no more, and no less. The songs aren't mine to decide the extent to which I get to express myself and shine. The only option is to play parts that everyone else likes, and I have a knack for knowing what those parts are without having to be told.

If I ever feel the need to express myself drumming-wise, I'll form my own project with players who know up front that I'm going to be in the lead. Many musicians have done just that, and I'm sure it's very personally and artistically satisfying for them.

Bermuda
 
I can only speak from my own experience, which is limited to playing MY own "songs".

I usually record the drums FIRST by recording all my practices. Within those tracks are usually a couple "grooves" that inspire interesting music to be played on top.

So I guess what I'm saying is that you should play what THIER songs require, and if you want "interesting and unique" drum parts, compose your own material.

Bear in mind that while I have been recording my own music for years (most of which will never get beyond the "for fun" stage) I just started drumming on it last year. I don't have the chops to make up clever drum parts for someone else's music.

Another thing I have been doing is put on headphones and record myself playing to another established song, which I never play EXACTLY right, and then I have a drum track to play with for new music, which I can tweak to fit.
 
Some excellent advice here in this thread. I play in a band that plays original music. It is fun to create drum parts. 80 to 90% of the parts are standard drum rhythms. However, when it comes to the beginning and ending of the song and the fills it’s great fun to create interesting drum parts.

One thing to remember, if and when you go into the studio to record original music, you must add a few strange and exotic tempos. Like starting the song on the 3&. Or adding a couple of bars of 5 or 9 beats in the middle of the song. Why you ask? So that just in case your song becomes a hit song, you can laugh for years to come as cover musicians try and figure out how to copy your song…. LOL


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Thanks all, good advice.

Some excellent advice here in this thread. I play in a band that plays original music. It is fun to create drum parts. 80 to 90% of the parts are standard drum rhythms. However, when it comes to the beginning and ending of the song and the fills it’s great fun to create interesting drum parts.

One thing to remember, if and when you go into the studio to record original music, you must add a few strange and exotic tempos. Like starting the song on the 3&. Or adding a couple of bars of 5 or 9 beats in the middle of the song. Why you ask? So that just in case your song becomes a hit song, you can laugh for years to come as cover musicians try and figure out how to copy your song…. LOL


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I've been listening to the debut album by a band called "American Football" quite a bit recently, and it's very inspiring for me drum wise.

There are lots of odd time signatures as well, nearly every song has me trying to figure out how many beats in a bar.

For example the first song "Never meant" to me is a perfect of example of what I think is very interesting. That song is in 4/4, but the backbeat falls in interesting places. But what I'm wondering, is a drum part like only able to be created because of the guitar line/melody? It would most likely not work if the guitar line was more standard?

Another example of a fantastic drumming album for me would be Grace by Jeff Buckley. Again though I suppose the drums fit those albums, they cant be put in any rock song
 
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Thanks all, good advice.




I've been listening to the debut album by a band called "American Football" quite a bit recently, and it's very inspiring for me drum wise.

There are lots of odd time signatures as well, nearly every song has me trying to figure out how many beats in a bar.

For example the first song "Never meant" to me is a perfect of example of what I think is very interesting. That song is in 4/4, but the backbeat falls in interesting places. But what I'm wondering, is a drum part like only able to be created because of the guitar line/melody? It would most likely not work if the guitar line was more standard?

Another example of a fantastic drumming album for me would be Grace by Jeff Buckley. Again though I suppose the drums fit those albums, they cant be put in any rock song

Yes, I love interesting song tempos. Especially if the song makes your body move in some way.

Here is a song that my band The westerns wrote called Railway Gal.

https://westernsarizona.bandcamp.com/releases

It has a definite pulse. But it can't be counted in straight 4/4 or 3/4. It's a mixture of both. After I learned to play it I don't count it out anymore. It just comes natural.



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For example the first song "Never meant" to me is a perfect of example of what I think is very interesting. That song is in 4/4, but the backbeat falls in interesting places. But what I'm wondering, is a drum part like only able to be created because of the guitar line/melody? It would most likely not work if the guitar line was more standard?

Yes. The initial guitar riff is written in groups of 3 measures -- not exactly standard stuff. Then the bass/rhythm guitar part is syncopated on top of that (accents are on the 1, the and of 4, then and of 3, and then beat 3) Not at first, but the drums eventually support this rhythm, and not the rhythm of the intro guitar part.

Another example of a fantastic drumming album for me would be Grace by Jeff Buckley. Again though I suppose the drums fit those albums, they cant be put in any rock song

Yep, the guitar riffs are very unique, and very rhythmic. In "Grace" and "Last Goodbye", the kick and snare pretty much mimic the rhythm of the guitars.

You can't just shoe-horn drums beats into any music. No matter how "cool" the beat is, if it doesn't match, support, or interact with what's already happening in the rest of the music, then it's just a distraction.
 
One thing that I sometimes do is what I call "addition by subtraction". I play a lot of surf music. You probably know the standard surf beat with the snare on the "2 and" and the "4". On one song I changed the beat on the bridge and didn't play on the "2", just the "and" and the "4". It gave an entirely different feel to the song.
 
Yes. The initial guitar riff is written in groups of 3 measures -- not exactly standard stuff. Then the bass/rhythm guitar part is syncopated on top of that (accents are on the 1, the and of 4, then and of 3, and then beat 3) Not at first, but the drums eventually support this rhythm, and not the rhythm of the intro guitar part.



Yep, the guitar riffs are very unique, and very rhythmic. In "Grace" and "Last Goodbye", the kick and snare pretty much mimic the rhythm of the guitars.

You can't just shoe-horn drums beats into any music. No matter how "cool" the beat is, if it doesn't match, support, or interact with what's already happening in the rest of the music, then it's just a distraction.

Thanks for helping me understand that song, I still don't really understand what is happening with that initial guitar riff, being written in groups of 3 measures.

But I see how it's odd with the bass/rhythm guitar part. Makes me appreciate the song even more

Really makes me want to get a better understanding of music theory so I can make drum parts that make more musical sense
 
Interesting and unique drum parts are stupid. Stop working on everything except hitting your bass drum really fast with two pedals. Then you can just do that for every measure of every song. You can even be really creative by slightly altering the rhythms of your kick notes! Under no circumstances should you do anything new or unique. Quarter notes on a crash or china at most with lots of bass drum. It's best if your bass drum is devoid of tone and just sounds like a little slap noise.

You'll be hailed as a musical genius unlike those lame-o jazz guys who can't even hit their bass drum really fast.
 
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