[sdiy] harmonics & vibrato - drums

[Theo]

With a little practice even a non drummer (like me) can get pretty accurate
in hitting things with wooden sticks.
According to my Alesis HR16 about plus or minus two 1/384 notes from target.
The variation you get when playing with feel is much larger then that and at
first sight looks more random.
Time to enter the thin ice ;)

Seems humans often "push" when playing fast(er) passages or when the melody
goes up or when approaching a (musical) "climax". <free space for corny
joke>
And "layback" after a (musical) "climax" <even more free space for corny
joke> or when the note density is low or when the melody goes down.
Note: Rappers are a different breed, they layback when the tension rises.
>From my own playing I suspect that the "random" distribution is not
symmetric but has a high peak around what we feel as the "right" time in
relation to what we play.

Swing is a similar case on a smaller scale.
When playing a swing feel you don't shift the notes some ticks fore- or
backward in time, but modify the tempo for each beat.
Err, lets try again, you don't play second note late, but play the first
note slower than the second.
IMO this variation is strongly influenced by the players emotion/response to
the music,
even when it looks random the emotion part is what the RND generator will
lack.

Same thing applies to loudness variation or timbre changes.
A drummer may play like this:
- On 1 hit the ride closer to the bell and move slowly to from center with
the next hits, on 3 move up a little then closer the rim again.
Well that is a nice rule, add a little gaussian distribution and the
computer can do it too.
But then a change to a part with more energy is coming...
- On 1 hit a bit less close to the bell than before, move the next beats
slowly to the rim, on 3 stay where you are, next move to the bell again and
on 4-re hit the bell and stay there for the next n measures.
Again nice rule, but you need to interpret what is coming to pick the new
rule and it just one of many options.

Next case, improvise a solo.
Is it random? any universal rules to apply?
Maybe, but IMO a listen to the music form algorithmic composition software,
is a strong advocate for the "there is more than random+algorithms going on
in humans" point of view.

Just some (loosely associated within the cognitive network but therefore not
random) thoughts,
Theo


From: Scott Gravenhorst <music.maker at gte.net>

> Hmm.  First, I'm here to learn.
>
> This is a very interesting topic since I like to sequence and have no drum
set and couldn't play it
> if I had it.  I had always looked at a human drummer as something that
physically cannot have
> quartz crystal tempo perfection.  To my way of understanding, that means
that a "good" drummer will
> hit very close to on the beat (or _consistently_ ahead/behind for feel as
Harry said), but being
> human, cannot achieve absolute perfection at this.  The actual beat
accuracy would, I think, look
> like a bell curve where the peak is at the desired timing point.  The
better the drummer, the
> narrower s/he can make this bell curve (if that's desired) and the more
accurately s/he can align
> the peak with the desired timing.  I could only best describe the data on
both sides of this bell
> curve peak as "random".  It was this thinking that first made me try
weighted random distribution
> of beat accuracy in my sequencing.  Instantly, a piece that sounded
robotic and mechanical (from
> quantization) sounded more pleasant, erm more "human".  However as some
have pointed out, there are
> other factors besides beat accuracy variation such as slight variation in
striking strength
> (velocity) and variations in drum timbre due to different parts of the
surface being struck.  The
> drum sounds I use are not analog, so I'm stuck with the control I get from
the sound module (Roland
> U-110).  Unfortunately, I can't do anything to make subtle timbre changes,
but I can certainly
> control velocity, which affects amplitude.  I suppose this is the tradeoff
between sampled drum
> sounds and real analog electronic drums.
>
> Are there any really good analog drum synth circuits that can emulate (for
example) a snare sound
> as convincingly at least as a sample?  If so, these would be a good
candidate to get a more
> live/real sound.  Most of the circuits I've looked at are rather simple,
like pulse excited
> gyrators and enveloped noise stuff.
>
>
> Someone dry me off if I'm "all wet"...
>
>
> harrybissell at prodigy.net wrote:
> >My theory of drum 'feel' is that it is not randomization, but
> >very subtle phase shifting of the drum hits with respect to the
> >absolute (correct) beats.
> >
> >If you play a snare drum just a shade AHEAD of the actual beat, you get
> >a very energetic 'rock and roll' sound. Tempo is not affected and there
> >is not a random distribution causing the effect.
> >
> >Play a shade after the beat and the effect becomes laid-back, bluesy,
> >etc.
> >
> >I try to instruct my drummers (when its not me...) to play on the front
> >edge of the beat, or stay on the back edge of the beat to achieve
> >different feels. Most times this results in them increasing or
> >decreasing tempo (ie they'rs not getting it). You CAN experiment
> >using sampled sounds and a good sequencer like Cakewalk... to
> >slide a snare or hi-hat track just a millisecond early or late,
> >without moving tempo. Slight 'random' differences in timbre are
> >very helpful... and I like to layer cymbals and have higher
> >velocities trigger samples that are detuned down slightly. Try
> >that too... H^) harry > >On Wed, 18 Dec 2002, Richard Wentk
> >wrote: >> >Randomize the quantisation of drum machines to get a
> >human touch ? >> >As if a good drummer would play around the beat
> >at random! >> Agree with you on that one. That approach has
> >always been really - uh - >> random. :) >> But be fair - it is a
> >great way to simulate a really bad drummer. :) > I remember the
> >thread on this a while back. Perhaps a more >productive approach
> >might be to slightly vary the amplitude of >the impact, rather
> >than (or along with) the tempo. I suspect >that timing is more of
> >a matter of psychology and coordination >than physical ability,
> >and that a competent(!) drummer may be >better able to keep on
> >tempo than to ensure that each beat >sounds the same; muscle
> >fatigue, small changes in position, >and many other factors can
> >affect the speed and force of the >impact. Maybe it's a bogus
> >theory, but I believe that's a >significant "humanizing" element
> >electronic drums lack. >-- >--Robert Kent > hanuman at ccsi.com
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