For the faint-hearted drum programmer, Nigel Lord this month suggests some patterns which reproduce the sophistication and syncopation of 'the real thing'

With the sequencer now the preferred means of generating rhythm, the drum machine appears to have slipped from its position as the instrument everyone loves to hate. Sequencing (particularly when software-based), is a somewhat more amorphous concept, and not such an easy target for those die-hard musos who viewed the beat box as the root of all evil.

Confronted with such Luddism, you really felt you had something to prove, if you plied your trade as a rhythm programmer, as I did during the 80s. Often, I would produce rhythm tracks of immense complexity, just to lead people off the scent and prove what it was possible to achieve. In the public mind, beat boxes were nasty mechanical devices devoid of human qualities, so I reasoned that by producing much more sophisticated rhythm tracks which avoided all the usual beat box clichés, I could fool people into believing they were listening to the real thing. I was usually right.

One of my ploys was to program tracks for various styles of music which people would never associate with the drum machine. Notable amongst these were African, South American and Carribean rhythms — and jazz. I have to say I got real satisfaction from watching peoples' faces (particularly other musicians) when I insisted that the drum machine was a perfectly laudable means of producing jazz rhythms — especicially when I could lend weight to my argument by citing Miles Davis' collaboration with Marcus Miller on albums such as Tutu and Siesta. To the chagrin of the purists, these albums relied heavily on electronic percussion.

I realised however, that I still had a real job on my hands if I was to prove to the sceptics that jazz and drum machines weren't at opposite ends of the musical spectrum, separated by an unbridgable gulf. It was necessary to use the right rhythmic techniques to ensure patterns were recognisably jazzy in flavour, but avoid the kind of cliché which would prevent them from descending into mere pastiche — even if this is something real drummers get away with repeatedly.

Since those days, the concept of programmed jazz no longer seems quite so left field; with the broad interweaving of jazz influences and beat box programming by rap and hip-hop artists in the US, people are ready to accept that these two very disparate elements can coexist. But this has done nothing to offset the difficulty most people encounter when actually trying to invest their rhythm tracks with a vaguely jazzy feel. Most know enough to move into 3/4 (or 'triplet') time and perhaps call up some of those long-dormant human programming features on their machines, but the actual structure of a pattern with a recognisably jazz flavour remains something of a mystery.

Because of this, many opt for the convenience of sampled grooves which, besides being quicker to get up and running, usually bring with them an ambient feel which is instantly associable with jazz. The downside, of course, is the sheer inflexibility of using a single sampled pattern as the rhythmic base for an entire jazz track. Clearly, this is exactly the kind of subject we should be addressing in On The Beat.

Like many people, I suspect, I don't actually know what jazz is. Whenever I've come close to developing an understanding of it, someone has come along and shifted the goal posts. I do, however, know jazz when I hear it, and it is this awareness that I have attempted to draw on when producing the rhythms I'll be presenting in this and next month's instalments.

Although there is no absolute requirement to move into 3/4 time when writing jazz patterns — or to use instruments such as the ride cymbal in preference to the hihat — the use of these programming techniques do provide strong musical clues and help identify rhythms as being jazz-based. And they certainly don't do anything to compromise the patterns in any way — as you will hear.

Similarly, there is no necessity to stick with the rather dry, brief-duration sounds that normally comprise the 'jazz' kits included on most drum machines and sound modules. However, given some of the fast bass and snare drum figures included in the patterns, you may find that there simply isn't room for heavier, more ambient instruments — though that's not to say you shouldn't experiment.

Once programmed, you'll find that the rhythms have been telescoped to include fills and variations within the few bars we have space to include. Needless to say, you should treat each bar as a separate entity, and place it at a musically useful point in the track you're working on. Also, though I say it every month, you must be prepared to extend programming beyond the four dynamic levels shown in the grids. This is particularly important with jazz patterns, and could be the factor which determines their ultimate success or failure.

To assist in this, try to imagine what a real drummer would do when playing a fast succession of four beats, for example. The chances are the first beat would be quite loud and accented, the second would be much quieter (... and briefer, though this isn't a factor with triggered sounds), the third would be a little louder, and the fourth as loud or louder than the first. Try tapping your fingers on a table as fast as possible and you'll see what I mean.

Obviously, to create a convincing rhythm track, you'll need to recreate this dynamic phrasing, using the full volume range at your disposal. The four dynamic levels presented here will get you into the right ball park, but it is up to you to complete the process by adjusting levels to points inbetween.

Programming in 3/4 time is quite straightforward on most machines, so I'm not going to delve too deeply into it here, other than to say watch out for the positioning of the beats on the grid divisions.

Because these are considerably wider than in 4/4 programming, it's easy to end up with beats slightly off the mark if your quantisation resolution is high, or switched off altogether.

With the use of fairly standard instruments, this month, those without access to a sampler should have an easier task of recreating the sounds included on the Re:Mix CD. Even those who do start off by using the sampled instruments are encouraged to experiment with other sounds (bearing in mind my comments about the duration of certain instruments).

I may have set out to produce recognisably jazz patterns, but by using different sounds, you'll find they have a wider range of applications.

(Click image for higher resolution version)

(Click image for higher resolution version)

(Click image for higher resolution version)

The drum sounds that correspond to the On The Beat patterns can be found on the RE:MIX CD

On The Beat regulars may have noticed a couple of errors in the pattern listings which crept into the November and January installments of the series. In the case of the November issue, this meant that Pattern 2 grids were not only printed out of order, but were wrongly labelled and given incorrect bar numbers. The main culprits were Patterns 2g and 2h, which were labelled 1g and 1h, and given bar number 13-16 rather than 9-12. The actual programming information was correct and should be left as shown, but Patterns 2c and 2d were placed out of order and should (...of course) be between Patterns 2b and 2e.

In the January issue, Patterns 3e and 3f were inadvertently substituted for duplicates of Patterns 2e and 2f. The correct patterns are included below.

Our apologies to all concerned for the confusion this may have caused.