Drum and drummer

About humanization, Todd wrote:

>Most drum parts are pretty much one beat for the verse and another for the
>chorus, so this works pretty well.

Well, yeah, in *some* kinds of music. Most pop is just three chords, etc... Todd, I'm sure it works, and for dance floor stuff it is just the call. But a recent topic has been the 'pitfalls' of MIDI, and I can think of nothing that has devalued "humanization" (as in the real thing) in music is that ability to cut and paste, which led to loop based sequencers (Acid on the PC platform is a good example: it *wants* to make all loops the same number of beats, not allowing easy overlapping of different length loops).

Not that these things can't be done other ways, but it's an indicator of how the technology has shaped both the homogeneity and sameness made with these tools. Listen the any great (hell, _good_) drummer and those chorus/verse patterns have a lot more subtlety than that. You've made a good stab at it with layering (which brings in all manner of new things that a human _couldn't_ play), but there is no substitute for the finesse of nuanced ghost notes and whatnot to lend...um, *humanity*, to any musical part.

But the above is completely without hearing your music, and is made in general terms and not your music specifically. I'm not a cad.

Cheers,
Jon

`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`
Real Life: Orchestral Percussionist
Web Life: "Corporeal Meadows" - about Harry Partch
http://www.corporeal.com/

> About humanization, Todd wrote:
>
> >Most drum parts are pretty much one beat for the verse and
> another for the
> >chorus, so this works pretty well.

Szanto replied:
> Well, yeah, in *some* kinds of music. Most pop is just three
> chords, etc...
> Todd, I'm sure it works, and for dance floor stuff it is just
> the call. But
<snip>
> these tools. Listen the any great (hell, _good_) drummer and those
> chorus/verse patterns have a lot more subtlety than that.

Well, I just want to say that certainly wouldn't recommend ANY amount of
MIDI sequencing or electronic drum kit use as a serious replacement for an
actual drummer and actual woods. My favorite drummer never plays the same
measure twice, and he plays for a heavy metal band (Tool), which also leads
to say that really the whole "pop is just three chords thing," well.. I'll
just assume that's hyperbole on your part. :)

Basically, I do drum sequencing because, as a guitarist, it's nice to play
along with SOMETHING, and when I don't have a band I have to 'make' one with
Cakewalk and the old Korg M1. Sounds like... well, lets just say it sounds
terrible, but its better than nothing.

I was just trying to recommend ideas for people in the same situation who
have nothing better than MIDI and a drum machine to work with. I'd own a kit
myself if I had any place to put it and a place to play it without getting
evicted.

"Dance floor stuff" indeed! :)

TOdd

I seem to have missed a digest or two. Anyway...

--- In tuning@egroups.com, "Todd Wilcox" <twilcox@p...> wrote:
> to say that really the whole "pop is just three chords thing,"
well.. I'll
> just assume that's hyperbole on your part. :)

Yeah, just making the point.

> Basically, I do drum sequencing because, as a guitarist, it's nice
to play
> along with SOMETHING, and when I don't have a band I have to 'make'
one with
> Cakewalk and the old Korg M1. Sounds like... well, lets just say it
sounds
> terrible, but its better than nothing.

Absolutely. I was answering pretty much in the abstract, and the list
does have a lot of people that make music alone in their
rooms/studios, and just don't want anyone to think that sequencing
drum parts, or any other, is a replacement for a human doing it.

Unless you *want* un- or inhuman parts! And you don't want to know
about my sequenced 'piano' parts...

> I was just trying to recommend ideas for people in the same
situation who
> have nothing better than MIDI and a drum machine to work with.

Yes, and I should have been clear and made a good case for these
tools for the value that you state. Much can be accomplished in these
mockups.

Cheers,
Jon