Originally Posted By: dcuny
Some drum basics.

A drummer has 4 limbs, typically used as follows:

  • Right foot on the kick drum, playing on beats 1 and 3.
  • Left hand playing the snare on beats 3 and 4.
  • Right hand playing the eighth notes on the hi-hat (during a verse) or ride cymbal (during a chorus).
  • Left foot on the hi-hat opening and closing to give the ride cymbal some variety.

The hi-hat is typically played on the verse, and the cymbal on the chorus.

Of course, there's a lot of variations, but this is the bread and butter drum part.

Should the hi-hat be open or closed? It depends on your song, and the amount of energy you want. A closed hi-hat will be quieter, and and open hi-hat will be louder. In actual use, a drummer will typically open and close the hi-hat during the measure to make the pattern more interesting. There's also "half-open", and they can "splash" the hi-hats together with their foot without having to stick the hats.

When a song moves into a verse or chorus, the drummer will typically hit a crash cymbal with the stick in their right hand on the first beat of the new section.

Fills are typically placed in the measure just before changing to a verse or chorus. They can be a single beat long, or can fill the entire measure. A fill is typically played with the right hand hitting the toms or the snare. A fill replaces what would normally be played at that time.

Simple fills (such as an added hit to the snare or tom) are often added to the fourth bar of an eight bar verse or chorus. It helps remind the listener where they are in the song, and add a bit of variety.

Here's how it fits together with a simple song:

Verse 1
measure 01: Play on the hi-hat throughout Verse
measure 02:
measure 03:
measure 04: Short fill here, signalling halfway through the Verse
measure 05:
measure 06:
measure 07:
measure 08: Longer fill here, because the next measure changes from Verse to Chorus
Chorus
measure 09: Crash on beat 1, switch from hi-hat to ride cymbal throughout Chorus
measure 10:
measure 11:
measure 12: Small fill at end of measure, signalling halfway through the Chorus
measure 13:
measure 14:
measure 15:
measure 16: Longer fill at end of measure, because the next measure changes from Verse to Chorus
Verse 2
measure 17: Crash on beat 1, switch from ride cymbal to hi-hat throughout Chorus
measure 18:
measure 19:
measure 20: Short fill at end of measure, signalling halfway through the Verse
measure 21:
measure 22:
measure 23:
measure 24: Longer fill at end of measure, because the next measure changes from Verse to Chorus
Chorus
measure 25: Crash on beat 1, switch to from the hi-hat to the ride cymbal throughout Chorus
and so on...

WOW! David, thank you so much for this! I feel like I actually learned a bit tonight. Can't wait to try it with the MIDI drums. I truly appreciate this!!!