RECORDING Field Notes - Learning to Think Like a Drummer

The Basics

If you are an engineer or composer who wants to add more realistic drums to your music, one of the most basic concepts is to learn to think like a drummer. Feel free to insert your favorite drummer jokes here, but suffice it to say that if you want to improve your skills at sounding more like a drummer, then learning to think like one is a great place to start.

One of the most useful ways to do this (and not just for drums) is to reverse-engineer songs that have drum parts you like. It’s like taking a magnifying glass to a familiar object and having it magically reveal previously unobserved yet remarkable details.

Let’s start with the basics: common sounds, patterns and variations in a drum performance, and then we can visualize the big picture.