Tips on making beats more technical?

Foxxy66

Member
Hi guys, been a while since I posted.

I've been playing alot of Opeth recently, and with my own beats I'm making for my band's music, they just aren't as technical as I'd like. I would like to take a slightly more progressive route with my drumming compositions, and just wondered if there is anything in particular I should learn, practice or look at. I understand that more complex styles come with skill, but I can play some pretty complex stuff, but I'm just struggling to come up with anything.

I don't want to totally clutter the music, but some of it is becoming a bit stale for me to play and I'd like to freshen it up abit and make it more fun to play whilst it sounding good as well.

Make sense? If so, some good advice would help alot.

Cheers.
 
I think the best thing to do is just to start basic and keep adding in things and taking them away. Figure out what each limb will do, then put it all together. Work on your independence. Try coming up with different patterns with different limbs and just juxtaposing them together.
 
listen to what the guitars are playing and try to "dance around" their accents.... sometimes a seemingly odd placed accent on a splash does it all ...

listen to anything off the cd SYMBOLIC by death .. you'll get the idea (gene hoglan on drums .. very awesome stuff )
 
listen to what the guitars are playing and try to "dance around" their accents

Listening is key. Try to embellish the other instruments through rhythm. If you try to make a technical beat just for the sake of playing a technical beat you may end up playing something completely irrelevant to the music.

By listening to the other instruments and complementing what they are playing you are more likely to come up with an excellent beat that truly fits the music.
 
Listening is key. Try to embellish the other instruments through rhythm. If you try to make a technical beat just for the sake of playing a technical beat you may end up playing something completely irrelevant to the music.

By listening to the other instruments and complementing what they are playing you are more likely to come up with an excellent beat that truly fits the music.

that's so true. sounds like Foxxy66 just want to play more technical stuff to show off some skills. but that's not the way. you need to make music and not to play your exercises...
of course, you have to practice a lot - and by that I don't mean just playing what others did - you also have to get into some stuff more deeply. e.g. paradiddles: you should be able to combine the 4 basic paradiddles freely in order to be able of coming up with new ideas spontaneously. that takes time...
 
Get an experienced drummer / tutor to listen to you play live and let them critique you. Then follow their suggestions.

Davo
 
I don't want to totally clutter the music, but some of it is becoming a bit stale for me to play and I'd like to freshen it up abit and make it more fun to play whilst it sounding good as well.

It's a paradox: you seem to recognize that clutter is not good, yet you're occupied with your drumming agenda over serving the music. You may not be able to satisfy both in a given band or song or genre, and that's fine. What's important is that you recognize it, and maintain a professional approach. Meaning, a pro does what the music requires, regardless of personal playing desires, and the joy comes from the playing itself. But if it's absolutely killing you to not play technically, then don't force yourself or the music to suffer.

Case in point: do you think it bothers Vinnie that he gets called for a lot of 'normal' recording work, and doesn't get to show off his chops all the time? Of course not. He's a pro, and that means serving the music regardless of the level of technicality it requires.

Bermuda
 
funny song choice, Hoglan admitted to overplaying on Symbolic in his last interview in MD (or was it "DRUM!" ?). I can't say agree with him tho... It's a great one (altho Human will always be my favorite).

i did read that interview... i will disagree with the over playing thing ... i think he played very interesting and awesome things that fit very well
 
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