2.1 The Hi-Hat and the Snare

Silence

Before using the snare, let's take a look at the silence. The z represents a pause in the rhythm. Let's try placing kicks only on the first and third beat.

Do you feel that space? Perfect, because that's where the snare will come in.

The snare hits with a dry, cracking sound. It's that sound that makes you want to nod your head to the beat.

We will place it on beats 2 and 4, right in the silences we left. This creates the backbeat pattern, the foundation of thousands of songs.

Listen to this rhythm in 'The Fat Man' by Fats Domino:

We already have the kick and snare working together. Now we just need to add the hi-hat.

The hi-hat adds brightness and speed to the rhythm. Its sharp, metallic sound fills the gaps and keeps the beat constantly moving.

We want it to sound faster than the other instruments.

Remember that before we wrote x x x x which created 4 beats. But now we want to put several sounds within a single beat, so they sound faster. Specifically, we want 2 hi-hat hits to sound within the time of 1 beat. To do this, we simply divide the time of the hit x by 2 x/2. This way, 2 hi-hat hits will fit into 1 beat.

Let's add it to our beat:

Done! You have created a complete and classic beat.

This beat is so popular that you'll find it in thousands of songs. Listen to it in "Save Your Tears" by The Weeknd:

The Role of Each Instrument

To truly understand the importance of each instrument. What would happen if we removed a piece of the rhythm? Experiment by removing each instrument and you will see how the feel changes completely.

The complete rhythm:

Without the Kick:

It sounds light, doesn't it? It's lacking weight. That foundation that anchors you to the ground is missing.

Without the Kick

The rhythm is still there, but it lacks power. It misses that hit that makes you move. It feels incomplete.

Without the Charles

Now it sounds drier and more basic. As you can see, the hi-hat added brightness and speed.

These experiments demonstrate that each instrument has a specific and irreplaceable role in the rhythm.

Rhythmic Conversation: Question and Answer

A good rhythm doesn't have to be repetitive. In fact, variations make it more interesting.

In music, we talk about creating a question and an answer, like in a conversation. The question creates tension, while the answer resolves it.

In the following example, the first measure is our 'question' (the rhythm we already know) and the second, the 'answer'.

In the next lesson, we continue with the drum rhythms and will see some real examples. 👉>>