You are on page 1of 12

Lesson 3: Working with rhythm patterns and phrases

This lesson explores the concept of rhythmic ideas (or patterns), and how these can be repeated and combined to form phrases. Students will work with a song file containing several sequenced tracks, but no drums. They will create their own drum track, using some provided drum patterns that can be recorded into the sequencer and edited to fit the musical structure of the existing material.

Lesson preparation - What you need to know


Teaching this lesson requires some familiarity with the sound channels and pattern section of Redrum. If you are new to Reason, you can prepare for the lesson by reading the following pages, A teacher guide to Redrum and pattern playback and exploring the provided song files. This will give an overview of how to access, play and switch between drum patterns in real time, allowing you to audition the provided drum material alongside the sequenced tracks. In order to record the drum patterns into the sequencer, some basic real-time recording techniques are also introduced. The pages A teacher guide to recording and editing patterns outline techniques for setting up a sequencer track, recording patterns and editing their playback order. The lesson introduction also includes some basic listening work and theory about rhythmic phrase construction, which you can use or develop as appropriate.

! Check out the Student


Worksheet for an immediate overview of the lesson tasks.

About the lesson song files


The song file Lesson 3 is intended for use in Tasks 1 and 2. It contains a short sequenced song with no drum track. The drum patterns that will be used to create the drum track have already been recorded and stored in Redrum. After auditioning the different patterns, students can record selected ones onto the empty sequencer track named Drums. The file Lesson 3a contains some short rhythmic examples that you might want to use in the lesson introduction about rhythm patterns and phrases. (Material based on music producers' original file BeatRock.)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
47

Lesson 3: Working with rhythm patterns and phrases

Lesson preparation and background reading


A teacher guide to Redrum and pattern playback
In this lesson Redrum will be used for playing back pre-recorded patterns. It will not produce any sound unless drum samples are loaded into the sound channels.
Drum samples can either be loaded individually (1) or as a patch (2). This basically loads a whole drum kit, including all samples and settings. Click on the arrow button (3) at the top of each sound channel to audition the different sounds. You can create and record patterns using the step buttons (4) and Redrums pattern sequencer (see Lesson 4). These drum patterns are saved with the song.

3 1

Selecting and playing patterns


Patterns are stored in memory banks and can be selected using these pattern buttons. You can store up to 8 patterns in each of 4 different banks. For this lesson, several patterns have already been created.

! When switching
between patterns in this particular lesson, the pattern changes should always occur on the 1st beat of the bar. Here you can simply click the next pattern button any time during the bar before you want the change to take place. (Pattern change points are normally determined by the time signature setting on the Transport Panel and the resolution setting in Redrum, see Lesson 4.)

D To hear the different patterns, first click the RUN button, then click buttons A1-8 to change from one pattern to another. You may notice that, when starting the Reason sequencer, Redrum will probably start to play as well, even if there is nothing currently recorded on the linked sequencer track. This is because Redrums pattern sequencer is designed to synchronize with the main Reason sequencer. It means that any pattern you record in Redrum will automatically play back in sync and at the same tempo as any other material recorded on the sequencer tracks. This is useful when experimenting with different rhythm patterns before actually recording them. If you dont want Redrum to play automatically with the sequencer, you can click the Enable Pattern Section switch (which turns white) to disable the pattern sequencer. Or you can simply mute pattern playback by clicking the Pattern switch (which will also turn white).

48

Lesson 3: Working with rhythm patterns and phrases


Lesson preparation and background reading

Pattern steps and note lengths


The patterns you will use in this lesson each consist of 16 steps, with each step equivalent to a sixteenth note value (as set by the Resolution switch). This means that one 16-step pattern fits into one bar of 4/4 time. This is the program default setting.

A 4-bar phrase recorded into the sequencer might therefore consist of 3 identical 1-bar pattern repeats (e.g. pattern 7), followed by a 1-bar fill (pattern 5). When you come to create your own patterns you can of course set the number of pattern steps and note lengths to whatever you like.

Experimenting with shuffle


Pattern playback can be made more interesting by experimenting with the Shuffle function. Shuffle adds a swing feel to the rhythm by delaying some of the notes that fall between beats.

Shuffle can be activated for individual patterns by clicking the Shuffle switch (1).

The actual amount of Shuffle applied to the patterns is determined by the Pattern Shuffle control (2) on the Transport Panel.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
49

Lesson 3: Working with rhythm patterns and phrases


Lesson preparation and background reading

A teacher guide to recording and editing patterns

3
The Song Position marker (1) determines the point from which recording will start, so move this to the place where you want to start your drum pattern recording. You can record from any point on a track.

During the lesson, different patterns will be recorded onto the sequencer track called Drums.

1 2 3
To help you see the start and end points of your recording, you can also set the Left and Right Locators (2 and 3) as markers.

1 Select the Drums sequencer track by clicking on it. 2 Now click the In column of the track and a MIDI icon will appear. This enables you to
record onto the track.

! Note: Reason does


not give you a countin beforehand.

3 Click the Record button (6) on the Transport Panel. Recording will not actually start until
you click Play (5).

! Make sure that you


have already selected the Redrum pattern you want to use first, since the currently selected pattern will automatically start playing when you click the Play button on the Transport Panel.

4 Change patterns while recording by clicking on the numbered pattern buttons with the
mouse. When youve finished recording a section, click the Stop button (4).

7
What actually gets recorded on the sequencer track is pattern change information. On the Drums track you should be able to see where the pattern changes have occurred ( 7). If not, try enlarging the sequencer track view by clicking on the + magnifying glass icon to the right of the sequencer window.

D If you look at Redrum you will also notice a green frame around the pattern buttons. This indicates that pattern playback has been automated (more on automation in later lessons).

50

Lesson 3: Working with rhythm patterns and phrases


Lesson preparation and background reading

Viewing and editing patterns


You can look at the actual pattern playback order by changing to Edit view.

1 Select the drum track by clicking on the name Drums, then click the icon at the top left
of the sequencer window (1).

2 Click on the Pattern icon (2) to display that lane.

Having viewed the pattern changes, you may decide that you now want to change the playback order, or replace a pattern with a completely different one.

3 Select the pencil tool, by clicking on it. 4 Select a pattern from the drop-down menu (4).

5 Draw in the newly selected pattern at the required place (5). If you want the new pattern to play for several bars, keep the mouse button pressed and drag to the right. Should you drag too far, select Undo Draw Events from the Edit menu and try again.

Inserting silence using empty patterns


Redrums pattern sequencer will automatically play whichever pattern is currently displayed. If you do not want the drums to play at some point in your song, you can insert an empty pattern - a pattern that contains no notes.

1 Open the Pattern lane and select the pencil tool. 2 From the Pattern drop-down menu, select a Redrum pattern that you know is empty, for
example D8.

3 Now draw in the new pattern at the required place. When the sequencer starts you
should not hear any drum sounds, because the pattern being played is empty.

Important: About snap values!

When editing pattern changes you may want to restrict these to occurring at the start of a bar. The Snap drop-down menu at the top of the sequencer window needs to be set to Bar in order to do this, and the Snap to Grid button activated. Setting smaller values such as 1/4 or 1/8 allows you to move items to the next quarter note or eighth note instead.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
51

Lesson 3: Working with rhythm patterns and phrases


Lesson preparation and background reading

Teaching Plan - Lesson 3

3
! Lesson Aims:
Introducing the concept of rhythm patterns and how these can be combined to form structured and varied phrases. Introducing the musical significance of rhythmic feel. Exploring drum pattern selection, playback, recording and editing. Understanding basic musical concepts of pattern and phrase construction. Playing and changing drum patterns to synchronize musically with other material. Recording drum pattern changes in real time to build up longer rhythmic phrases. Editing the playback order of patterns to fit the musical structure and phrasing of other material.

! Student Skills:

Introduction: Rhythm patterns and phrases


Rhythm is an important element in many pieces of music. Certain musical styles rely heavily on rhythm tracks to create drive e.g. Rock. In some music styles, more emphasis is placed on rhythm than on melody or harmony. Different rhythm patterns can also be characteristic of particular styles e.g. Hip Hop. Many current music styles are constructed from rhythmic, melodic and harmonic phrases that are commonly 2, 4 or 8 bars in length. A rhythmic phrase can be constructed from one or more short ideas or patterns. A song section might contain several such phrases, some of which repeat exactly, while others contain changes to some of the individual ideas or patterns.

Introductory activity
! It is suggested that
this is done as a class listening activity in order to save time. However you may prefer to go straight to Task 1 instead.

1 Open the song file Lesson 3a. 2 Play bars 1-5. How many different rhythmic ideas are used in this 4-bar phrase?
(This is a 1-bar idea or pattern, which is simply repeated.)

3 Now play bars 9-13, and ask the same question.


(This phrase uses two different ideas/patterns, sub-dividing the phrase into 2 x 2 bars.)

4 Play bars 17-21. How have the ideas or patterns been used here?
(This phrase contains three identical pattern repeats followed by a 1-bar fill.)

52

Lesson 3: Working with rhythm patterns and phrases


Teaching Plan - Lesson 3

Task 1: Playing and changing patterns


Students can begin by checking out the Redrum patterns and playing these with the recorded tracks. Briefly introduce this task as follows: D Open the file Lesson 3 and play the sequenced song. Ask students what is noticeable about the rhythm. (The same rhythm pattern plays throughout. This is actually played by Redrums internal pattern sequencer, even though nothing is recorded on the Drums sequencer track.) D Using Redrum, show how to audition the individual drum sounds that make up the kit used in the song. Show how to select and switch between different drum patterns in real time.

! You may want to click


on Redrums Enable Pattern Section switch to disable the internal sequencer so that no drums play with the sequenced tracks.

! Dont forget to enable


Redrums pattern section again!

Student practical work


Students open the song file Lesson 3 and work as follows:

! see Student
Worksheet

a. Try out the different sounds that make up the drum kit. b. Click RUN and listen to the patterns you've been given (click pattern buttons 1-8, bank A). c. What happens when you click the Shuffle switch on Redrum?
Play some of the patterns again. How would you describe the difference? Do you prefer any particular patterns and why?

d. Start the main sequencer and change drum patterns as the music plays.
Which patterns could fit with the main musical ideas in 2-, 4- or 8-bar rhythmic phrases? Which patterns are similar, but have a slight rhythmic change? Which patterns could be used as whole or half bar fills at the end of a phrase?

Your notes:

Task 2: Recording drum patterns and editing rhythmic phrases


Students can now try recording some of the patterns onto a sequencer track. Briefly introduce this task as follows: D Show how to set up for recording on the sequencer. Demonstrate a basic recording, including one or two pattern changes. (Pattern change information is actually recorded on the track.) D Go to Edit view and select the Pattern lane to see the recorded pattern changes. What happens if you want to make a change to the pattern playback order? Show how to edit pattern changes using the pencil tool, by selecting a different pattern from the dropdown menu, and drawing this in at the required place. D What if you decide not to have any drums playing at the start of the song (or in other places)? Show how to add an empty pattern (use D8) from the drop-down menu using the pencil tool.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
53

Lesson 3: Working with rhythm patterns and phrases


Teaching Plan - Lesson 3

! see Student

Student practical work


Students record some rhythm patterns onto the empty sequencer track called Drums. Guidelines:

Worksheet

a. Aim to record 4 or 8 bars of patterns and changes at a time. b. Listen for different song sections. Perhaps use a drum fill at the end of a phrase that
leads into a new section or idea.

c. Drums and bass work together as a team in many styles of music. Try soloing the bass
to hear the length and style of its phrases. Now try and match your drum pattern repeats, changes and phrase lengths to those of the bass.

d. Did you click the wrong pattern during recording? Try editing the playback order of your
recorded patterns in the Pattern lane.

e. The drums could perhaps drop out at some point for a change. Try inserting an empty
pattern in the Pattern lane to cover the number of bars in which the drums dont play. Your notes:

If time activity: Creating a final mix


Students who have finished creating their drum track can revise mixing skills from the previous lesson by balancing all the sequencer tracks (and perhaps adding some effects and EQ to the drums), so that the new track integrates with the rest of the material. Additional lesson notes and comments:

54

Lesson 3: Working with rhythm patterns and phrases


Teaching Plan - Lesson 3

Student Worksheet Lesson 3


In this lesson you are going to add a drum track to a song. Some drum patterns have been provided as a starting point. Open the song file Lesson 3 and find Redrum.

! Use your How to...


guide to help you play, record and edit your patterns.

Task 1: Playing and changing patterns


a. Try out the different sounds that make up the drum kit.
Check out: How to audition Redrum sounds.

b. Click RUN and listen to the patterns you've been given (click pattern buttons 1-8, bank
A).

Check out: How to change drum patterns.

c. What happens when you click the Shuffle switch on Redrum?


Play some of the patterns again. How would you describe the difference? Do you prefer any particular patterns and why?

Check out: How to add Shuffle to drum patterns.

d. Start the main sequencer and change drum patterns as the music plays.
Which patterns could fit with the main musical ideas in 2-, 4- or 8-bar rhythmic phrases? Which patterns are similar, but have a slight rhythmic change? Which patterns could be used as whole or half bar fills at the end of a phrase?

Task 2: Recording drum patterns and editing rhythmic phrases


Record some patterns onto the sequencer track called Drums. Think about how they fit musically with the other material.
Check out: How to set up and record from the start of a track. How to record from a different place on the track.

a. Aim to record 4 or 8 bars of patterns and changes at a time. b. Listen for different song sections. Perhaps use a drum fill at the end of a phrase that
leads into a new section or idea.

c. Drums and bass work together as a team in many styles of music. Try soloing the bass
to hear the length and style of its phrases. Now try and match your drum pattern repeats, changes and phrase lengths to those of the bass.

d. Did you click the wrong pattern by mistake during recording? Try editing the playback
order of your recorded patterns in the Pattern lane.

e. The drums could perhaps drop out at some point for a change. Try inserting an empty
pattern in the Pattern lane to cover the number of bars in which the drums dont play.

Check out: How to edit pattern change information. How to insert silence using empty patterns.

! Save your work regularly!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
55

Lesson 3: Working with rhythm patterns and phrases


Student Worksheet Lesson 3

Lesson 3 How to student guide

3
How to audition Redrum sounds: Click on the arrow button (1) at the top of each sound channel. How to change drum patterns: Click on the pattern number buttons 1-8 (2) to change pattern. How to add Shuffle to drum patterns: Click the Shuffle switch (3) on Redrum. To alter the amount of shuffle applied to the rhythm, adjust the Pattern Shuffle control (4) on the Transport Panel.

How to set up and record from the start of a track 2 1 3

1 Select the sequencer track you want to record on, and click the In column (1) so that
the MIDI icon appears.

2 Make sure that the Song Position marker (2) is set to the start. 3 You may find it useful to set the Left and Right Locators (3) as start and end boundaries
this will help you see where to stop recording.

4 Click the Record button (4) on the Transport Panel... 5 ...then click Play (5). 6 When youve finished recording, click the Stop button (6).

This is what you can expect to see on your Drums track when youve recorded some different patterns. It is information about the different pattern changes youve made.

56

Lesson 3: Working with rhythm patterns and phrases


Lesson 3 How to student guide

How to record from a different place on the track


Set up as before, but move the Song Position marker (1) to the place where you want to start recording this time. Click Record, then Play. When youve finished recording, click the Stop button.

How to edit pattern change information


After recording your patterns, you may decide to change the playback order, or replace one pattern with another.

2 1

3 5

1 Select the track on which youve just recorded the drum patterns (1). 2 Switch to Edit view by clicking the icon in the top left corner of the sequencer window
(2).

3 Click on the Pattern icon (3) to display the Pattern lane. This shows which particular patterns you recorded in what order.

4 Select the pencil tool (4).


! Note: Editing pattern

5 From the Pattern drop-down menu (in the top left of the lane - 5) select the pattern number you want to use.

6 Now draw in that pattern change at the required position. If you want the new pattern
to play for several bars, keep the mouse button pressed and drag to the right. Should you drag too far, select Undo Draw Events from the Edit menu and try again.

positions is normally affected by the snap value set in the sequencer drop-down menu. A Bar snap value means that pattern changes can only be edited to start at the beginning of a bar. A 1/2 snap value will allow you to draw in changes at half bars etc.

How to insert silence using empty patterns


If you do not want the drums to play at some point in your song, you can insert an empty pattern - a pattern that contains no notes.

1 Open the Pattern lane and select the pencil tool. 2 From the Pattern drop-down menu, select a Redrum pattern that you know is empty, for
example D8.

3 Now draw in the new pattern at the required place. When the sequencer starts you
should not hear any drum sounds, because the pattern being played is empty.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
57

Lesson 3: Working with rhythm patterns and phrases


Lesson 3 How to student guide

58

Lesson 3: Working with rhythm patterns and phrases


Lesson 3 How to student guide

You might also like