Percussion sounds can be all you need to make a beat. Throw several on top of a simple kick/snare/hat beat and you get something sounding great.
Let's break it down the following beat (or take a look on TikTok):
The Basic Drum Pattern Behind The Beat
Here's a look at the kicks. As you can see it's a simple kick pattern that includes a second kick:
And here's a look at the snare pattern. Even simpler. It does get a little busier at the end, but that's to create the midi drum fill pattern.
And the hats, we have two of them: A open hi-hat, and a closed hi hat. Again, straightforward with a little bit of extra at the end to work on the fill.
The bulk of this beat was made with patterns from the Boom Bap MIDI Drums.
I then added more percussion on top:
The Percussion Sounds Behind The Beat
This is where it gets a bit tricky. We have several percussion elements going on.
In this beat we have:
- Additional Snare
- Shaker
- Djembe (an African hand drum)
- Clap
- another Snare
- Low Tom
- Dununba (an African bass drum)
A couple things to note. The snares are heavily modified and EQ'd in way that they sound unique. They are then used in a way that compliments the main snare.
Have Fun Making Drum Patterns
If you said "hey wait those are just more snares, not percussion" you'd be right too. "or hey, that low tom and Dununba are basically kicks" you'd might be right.
It's all music and creativity at work and there's no clear cut definition with creativity.
Just have fun and put together what works and sounds good.
Sound Selection Is Key
One of the main things to keep in mind is sound selection is key. You can put this together with random drum sounds and it might sound bad. Or maybe great.
Try with different sounds and find sounds that work with you and your ear.
Boom Bap Drums
An easy way to get started is with Boom Bap MIDI Drums. Drag and drop MIDI Drums into your DAW and get started. Tweak with your own samples to find the perfect beat.
Boom Bap MIDI Drums helps you get started, get over beat block, and make better beats in less time.
