For those who aren't good at prec....

[Lopyt]

For those who are supposedly not good at percussion, I have a few tips, and a few simple drumbeats:


Simple rock beat (works for most things)
Cymbal: 1010101010101010
Snare: 0010001000100010
Kick: 1000100010001001

Simple jazz beat
Ride: 1001100110011001
Snare: 0000100000001000
Kick: 1001000110010001

Simple blast beat (1/8 notes, good for metal)
Cymbal: 10001000100010001000100010001000
Snare: 00000000100000000000000010000000
Kick: 11111111111111111111111111111111


If you prefer making your own drumbeats, here's some things to keep in mind:

Cymbals are usually used to keep the beat metronomically, so use them on beat and regularly.

Snares are the driving force. They keep the song moving forward, so it's better if they are not on the first or second beat, however, depending on the song, they can be anywhere.

Kicks are powerful and are good to mix up. They add power to your beat, and give the beat character, so make it interesting, however, this can be hard to do with blast beats.

The last and most important is to not follow these directly, but to do what sounds right. These are just a guideline if you're really in need of help, but be creative. Make it interesting. Do what's best for the song, as its the best part of music.

Another thing I should add is make multiple beats per songs. When a phrase ends, make a new beat.


II hope this serves useful for any of you "bad"percussionists! If anyone wants to add anything, please post it below.

[EtherBot]

Really nice advice sarge I could've used stuff like this a year ago lol. Some of it is helpful even now, tbh.

[Lopyt]

...Sometimes its better to be Lars than Peart

[UTComposer]

Another important thing to remember is that percussion REALLY helps segment to a new 'section' of the song. If you have a repeating drum line, and the next part of the song will sound different, or is significantly different enough from the previous section, spend 1-2 measures (depending on your bpm) and change up your kick/snare/cymbal setup. Crash cymbals help, but making your drums a bit quicker for a moment really helps with smoother transitions.

[EtherBot]

made a useful demo for your tricks