How Do You Get that Beat?
Remember when you would gather around with your friends in the cafeteria and make beat sounds? Someone would inevitably make the beat with their mouths, while someone else would bang the lunch table for some drums.
And now, you’re all grown up but you haven’t let go of your desire to create music. Especially when it comes to beats and percussion. If you’re still pounding the table for some beats, maybe it’s time to get to know percussion more, starting with a drum set.
The Right Drum Set
Also called a drum kit, a drum set includes pretty much everything you see when someone is playing the drums. The snare, the pedals, the throne, the sticks, the cymbals, the base drum, etc. It’s actually not complicated, but if you’re a beginner, you’ll need some help.
There’s no need to go for an expensive, all-decked out set when you’re starting out, but you do want it to sound good. Check out the sets at drumcenternh.com. They have new and used sets for the advanced and beginning drummer.
Don’t forget to take an extra drum set key with you. You won’t be able to put your drum set together without one and they get lost easily. Getting an extra one or two is a good idea.
Other Types of Percussion
Not all percussion is put together as a drum set. To create different beats, explore different instruments. Here are different types of percussion instruments you’ve likely heard in music, but didn’t know what they were:
Timbales: This is a set of only two drums, which stand higher than the average drum set, because they’re meant to be played standing up. These two drums are played with drumsticks for a fast beat and can traditionally be traced to Latin culture. Nowadays, you can hear the timbales incorporated in other sounds as well.
Cajón: The instrument is traced back to Afro Peruvian culture, with the word literally meaning “drawer” in Spanish. Why drawer? First, because the originals were more of a drawer or wooden box, and secondly, it makes a beautiful, hollow sound when you play it. One of the best parts about a cajón is that you can sit on it and you don’t need sticks. Your hands are your best instrument and you can tap or slide or a gentler beat.
Bongos: The bongos are two smaller drums that make a crazy good sound. This instrument is meant to fit between the legs, while the drummer sits comfortably to play it. This beat can be an accompanying beat, but when harnessed, it can easily be the main sound in your song. If you’ve never tried the bongos, give this small but powerful instrument at try.
Get Creative with the Beat
The table and mouth sounds are what we had back in school, but they were inspiration for sounds you still hear. Technology is a big player in creating sounds today and some sounds are simply replicas of a raw product.
If you say “boots and cats” consecutively to a beat, it still sounds good coming out of your mouth. While you don’t hear this literally chanted in music (that would be hilarious), it’s a sound that musicians can easily replicate with a drum set or electronically.
Conclusion
Music is cathartic and exciting at the same time. It’s OK to want to make music and not be a star, it’s also cool if you want to be a star. Just get going. Starting with percussion may drive some of your household crazy, but you’ll be serenating them in no time.
Photo by Gavin Whitner
TweetAbout the Author
Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.
