The Rhythm Method

Most song writers I know have a main instrument. And most of the songs they create center around this one instrument. But I have learned that song writers tend to greatly elevate their craft when they branch out and become multi-instrumentalists. Different instruments bring different colors into your songs. If you were a painter, would you paint with only a single color? Probably not. Then why would you want this in your song writing?

Musicians who have spent years working on their skills with their main instrument may be a bit reluctant to start that process over on a new instrument. But there’s no need to fear. Your learning curve won’t be as steep on your new instrument, since you’ll be able to apply your existing knowledge of music to the new instrument. In addition, there are instruments that you can incorporate into your writing that do not require much skill in order to play powerful parts that can greatly enhance your song writing works.

The category of instruments that I suggest adding first is something from the hand drum group of instruments. A djembe, doumbek, bongos, or congas are typical examples, but there are many others. Why do I suggest these instruments? There are several reasons.

First of all, they are relatively inexpensive, and don’t require lessons (or much practice) before you can begin incorporating one of these drums into your songs. And, of course, because there are no notes to pay attention to, it’s straightforward to plan out how to incorporate this instrument into your mix of notes, because it’s the rhythm and the dynamics that matter.

But the most important aspect of hand percussion for the song writer is that it frees you up from the confines of the metronome, or click track, drum machine or drum loops. If you haven’t tackled percussion instruments yet from a creative standpoint, then this is a great way to get started. As a song writer, now you have the rhythmic aspects of your compositions directly under your control, too! The rhythmic aspects of song writing are too often left up to machines or automation, but why would any artist leave a part of the creative process up to a machine? Artists should take control over the rhythm in their tunes, too!

For instance, when I write songs, I like to change the meter at strategic places in the song. Song writers use various characteristics of the underlying music to manipulate the feel of the song. And one of these characteristics that’s often over looked is the meter, the underlying length of the repeated patterns that support that music. Most song writers use 4/4 by default and never roam outside of it. Some will occasionally venture into a 3 feel, like 3/4 or 6/8. But I routinely venture into 5/8, 7/8, and even more “bizarre” underlying rhythmic structures. To me, it’s just another aspect of the music to alter in order to set the mood, just like changing the chord structure, the melody, or the dynamics. Taking control over this aspect of your creations is difficult if you rely on machines for your rhythm. But if you are composing the rhythm parts on your own drum, you open up a brand new world of characteristics to manipulate creatively, like the meter and the tempo as well.

I find that these changes in the underlying meter of the song are much more apparent, and much more grooving, if there is a percussion part to emphasize the new rhythmic structure. This is where hand drums come in. And it doesn’t take much percussion to really spice up a recording of a new tune or a new part of a song. All that’s really needed is for this percussion instrument to emphasize certain beats. This gentle guide for the listener can make the difference between a solid, grooving recording, and a lack-luster demo whose groove is M.I.A.

The other thing to keep in mind, as you contemplate the incorporation of some hand percussion into your work: DO NOT think along typical music boundary lines. For instance, most heavy rock music is dominated by distorted guitars and loud double bass drumming. Hand percussion is rarely found in this genre of music, because it’s normally regulated to Latin music, African music, or drum circles. However, some of my best heavy rock songs are just distorted guitars and a hand drum! Who says you need a fast-footed, double bass drummer supporting your heavy rock tracks? A hand drum can lock into a solid groove, just like that drummer on his expensive 12-piece kit! A hand drum is emphasizing certain parts of the beat, just like that drummer would do. So it fills the same role in the song. But what you have instead is a very creative new take on the world of heavy rock music. The results can be very powerful!

Even if you’re not into heavy rock music, you can still apply this concept to the style of music that rocks your world. I use heavy rock as an example here, because it illustrates the concept of applying hand drum percussion into styles of music where it’s normally not expected. When incorporating hand drums to your songs, this is the aspect you should pay the most attention to. Don’t just add this new instrument into songs that sound like they would normally have that instrument. Think outside the box! Add your drum into styles of music in which you’d not normally expect it! You will be pleasantly surprised at the results!

I have also written several songs that have no instruments except for hand drums and voice. These can be very powerful songs. In the mid 1980’s Bobby McFerrin won a Grammy for his song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” which was recorded with nothing except his voice and other sounds, like percussion, that he made solely with his body. This is proof that the power of song is in the creativity, not necessarily in the instrument at the center of your songs. And in McFerrin’s case, his “body” percussion was all his song needed to complement the sounds he made with his voice. That song is just voice and rhythm. There’s fertile territory here for your song writing, too, with just a hand drum and your voice.

The idea here is to branch out, and start incorporating new instruments into your song writing, and to do so initially with a hand drum. It will add a new dimension to your work, primarily because this instrument will force you to focus on the rhythmic aspects of your songs, too. Instead of letting a machine do it, you are taking the creative reins over the rhythm. The obvious benefit is that you are not only concerned with the chords and their notes (your main instrument) or the melody (your voice), but also with the very basis of most music: the rhythmic groove. And focusing your creative energies on this aspect of your songs as well, will greatly enhance your songs, and your evolution as a song writer.

So embrace the rhythm method with a simple hand drum! It will inject your music with new life!


Copyright ©2009 W.A. Blevins