P33

Objectives

By the end of this chapter you will be able to:

  • Identify the three drum roles — kick, snare, hi-hat — by ear.
  • Record (or load) one of each into slots 9–11.
  • Place them on a basic 4/4 beat pattern.
  • Recognise the pattern in popular music.

Musical concept: the three drum voices

Almost every drum beat in popular music is built from three voices:

  • Kick drum (also called bass drum or just kick): a low-pitched, deep sound with a sharp attack. The kick provides the low end and the downbeat. It is the heartbeat of the beat.
  • Snare drum (also called snare): a mid-pitched, sharp sound with a noisy attack. The snare provides the backbeat (the “hit” that lands on beats 2 and 4 in 4/4 time). It is the clap of the beat.
  • Hi-hat (also called hat): a high-pitched, hissing sound. The hi-hat provides speed and energy. It is the shaker of the beat.

These three voices have different frequency ranges:

  • Kick: 40–100 Hz (the bottom).
  • Snare: 200 Hz–5 kHz (the middle, with the snare wires adding noise above 1 kHz).
  • Hi-hat: 5 kHz–15 kHz (the top).

Because they occupy different frequencies, they can layer — play at the same time — without muddying each other. This is why a beat with three voices sounds “fuller” than a beat with one voice. (See Hewitt, Music Theory for Computer Musicians, on the “frequency spectrum” of drum sounds.)

Sidebar — the PO-33’s polyphony. The PO-33 can play 4 sounds at the same time. A kick + snare + hi-hat pattern uses only 3 voices, so there is one voice of headroom for a fourth drum sound (a clap, a tom, a percussion loop) or for the start of a bassline. This is plenty for most PO-33 music. If you want to layer more, you’ll need to be careful.

The basic 4/4 beat

The most common drum pattern in popular music is the four-on-the-floor:

  • Kick on every beat: steps 1, 5, 9, 13.
  • Snare on beats 2 and 4: steps 5 and 13.
  • Hi-hat on every eighth-note: steps 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15.

Wait, that overlaps the kick and snare on steps 5 and 13. Of course — in 4/4 time, the kick plays on beats 1 and 3 (steps 1 and 9), and the snare plays on beats 2 and 4 (steps 5 and 13). Let me correct:

  • Kick: steps 1, 9 (beats 1 and 3).
  • Snare: steps 5, 13 (beats 2 and 4).
  • Hi-hat: steps 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 (every eighth-note).

This is the basic rock beat. It is the foundation of disco, house, pop, R&B, and hip-hop. Master it on the PO-33 before you do anything else.

Sidebar — Hewitt on backbeat. Michael Hewitt (Music Theory for Computer Musicians) calls the snare on beats 2 and 4 the backbeat and identifies it as one of the most universal features of popular music. Almost every song you have ever heard has a backbeat.

Variations

Once you have the basic beat, you can vary it:

  • Disco/house variation: kick on every beat (steps 1, 5, 9, 13), snare on 5 and 13, hi-hat on 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15. This is the four-on-the-floor.
  • Hip-hop variation: kick on 1 and 11 (a syncopated “boom-bap”), snare on 5 and 13, hi-hat on every odd step (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15).
  • Reggaeton variation: kick on 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 (every step), snare on 5 and 13, hi-hat on 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15.

The differences are tiny but they change the feel completely. Listen to one song in each style and you’ll hear the difference immediately.

PO-33 Playback: building a three-voice beat

You need three drum sounds, one in each of slots 9, 10, 11.

To record a kick:

  1. Hold REC + pad 9.
  2. Make a kick sound (with your mouth: “boom”; or hit a low drum; or sample from your phone — but the PO-33 only has a mic, so use your mouth).
  3. Release REC.

To record a snare:

  1. Hold REC + pad 10.
  2. Make a snare sound (“BP” or “tss” or hit a snare drum).
  3. Release REC.

To record a hi-hat:

  1. Hold REC + pad 11.
  2. Make a hi-hat sound (“tss tss tss” or a shaker).
  3. Release REC.

To write the basic 4/4 beat:

  1. Press WRITE.
  2. Press PLAY.
  3. On step 1: press pad 9 (kick) and pad 11 (hi-hat).
  4. On step 3: pad 11.
  5. On step 5: pad 10 (snare) and pad 11.
  6. On step 7: pad 11.
  7. On step 9: pad 9 and pad 11.
  8. On step 11: pad 11.
  9. On step 13: pad 10 and pad 11.
  10. On step 15: pad 11.
  11. Press WRITE to exit.

You have just written a basic rock beat. With practice, you can write a beat in under 2 minutes.

Guided exercise: the three-voice beat

Success criteria: you have a beat with kick on 1 and 9, snare on 5 and 13, hi-hat on every odd step. It loops cleanly.

  1. Record kick, snare, hi-hat into slots 9, 10, 11. (Use your mouth if you don’t have drums.)
  2. Set BPM to Disco (120).
  3. Write the pattern above.
  4. Press PLAY and listen.
  5. If the kick or snare sounds weak, try recording a new sample. The PO-33 lets you re-record into a slot — just hold REC + the pad again. The new recording replaces the old one.

Creative challenge: four variants of the basic beat

Write four different beats:

  1. Four-on-the-floor: kick on 1, 5, 9, 13. Snare on 5, 13. Hi-hat on every odd step.
  2. Boom-bap: kick on 1, 11. Snare on 5, 13. Hi-hat on every odd step.
  3. Half-time: kick on 1. Snare on 9. Hi-hat on every odd step.
  4. Double-time: kick on 1, 5, 9, 13. Snare on 5, 13. Hi-hat on every step (1–16).

Play each one at 120 BPM. Notice how the same three sounds make four completely different feels.

Listening assignment

Listen to:

  • The Ronettes, “Be My Baby” (1963). Four-on-the-floor kick, snare on 2 and 4, hi-hat on every eighth-note. This is the basic rock beat, the most influential drum pattern in pop history.
  • N.W.A., “Straight Outta Compton” (1988). Kick on 1 and 11, snare on 5 and 13, hi-hat on every odd step. This is the boom-bap. The “Compton beat” is the foundation of West Coast hip-hop.
  • J Dilla, “Workinonit” from Donuts (2006). Kick on 1 and 11, snare on 5 and 13, hi-hat with skips. J Dilla’s hi-hat pattern is famous for having “holes” — eighth-notes where the hi-hat doesn’t play. We will learn to make Dilla-style hi-hat patterns in Chapter 6.

Summary and checkpoint

Key takeaways:

  • Three voices: kick (low), snare (mid), hi-hat (high).
  • Basic rock: kick 1+9, snare 5+13, hat every odd step.
  • Variations: four-on-the-floor, boom-bap, half-time, double-time.
  • 4-voice polyphony is enough for kick + snare + hat + one more.

Self-check:

  • [ ] Can you record three drum sounds into slots 9, 10, 11?
  • [ ] Can you write a basic rock beat?
  • [ ] Can you hear the difference between four-on-the-floor and boom-bap?
  • [ ] Do you understand why kick, snare, and hat occupy different frequencies?

If you answered “yes” to all four, move on to Chapter 5.