Due to the lack of any decent metal drummer within a 500 mile radius around my city that's within my age group (16-18ish), my band has opted the way of drum machines/programs to get that part of the sound down. And since I have a basic knowledge of how drums work (which the rest of them do not possess), they stuck me with writing the drum parts.

Could you people give me basic ideas for metal drum patterns? I dont care how simple and basic they are...i can work off the simple ones. I'm using FruityLoops/Drumkit From Hell for this....can anyone give me a good idea here?

Thanks in advance...

Well, a good start would be to listen to some bands that you would like the drums to sound like and work from there. Well, i'll share some basic info. The snare and bass drum usually create the beat and rythem. The cymbal keep time. The hi-hat and ride cymbal are the most common time keepers. The crash cymbal is mostly used to seperate different beats. If you want a basic metal beat, listen to some Slayer. It's mostly used in thrash. Everytime i try to note stuff out it gets messed up when its posted. But the beat is like Bass drum/hi-hat then Snare then Bass drum/hi-hat then Snare repeated. Lisen to Slayer- Raining Blood, it has the most common metal beats. The beggining is 16th bass drum notes, then the simple thrash beat. Hope i helped.

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Thanks! I'll take that advice to heart.

Anything about intersting blast variations? Right now i just kinda set constant 16th notes on both the snare and bass and throw a quarter note hi-hat in or something...i dont really think that's even a true blast o_O

Well theres a few types of blast beats.
Heres a link to a bunch of different types of blasts. That should be really helpfull.

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Mix it up...keep the audiance guessing.
A predictable beat gets boring fast.
Recently friends here got me to try a band I never heard....it wasnt bad but the drummer used the same 4 count beat through the entire songs. I mean there was nothing there but 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4 all the while the guitars and bass were shredding.
When I think of an excellent drummer I think Neil Pert (yes I know...not metal) is so "all over the place" it takes the music to a new level.
I remember when I was little hearing everyone gaga over "Helmet"....well...they suckedass because their drummer was little more than a 1,2,3,4 count monkey.

My opinion of course....and also, I'm no drummer either so there's always the chance I have no clue what I'm talking about.

good luck.

im sure you can find a friend who has an innate ability towards drums, there are people out there that can learn quick, i swear, i know so many people who have a basic understanding and a natural feel for it, IMO its the easiest instrument to learn, but the hardest to master.

Fuck...I'm Dead uses a drum machine. If you like the sound of their drums, find out what kind of machine they have and get it.

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There is a link in my sig to different varieties of blasts, Blastbeats 101. If you can read drum tab (which you should be able to do, since you are programming), have a look through. My personal favourite are fifth note blasts on the feet, screw triplets (hmm now I have to screw a set of triplets, damn). Just see what works for you, and if it sounds like a blast, it's a fucking blast! Give us some bands which influence you the most. Which subgenre are you going for?

Not all drummers have to be within your age group. A friend of mine is 20 and works with people in their 30's, and there is a band around here who have members aged 17-42, and they kick ass.

EDIT:
I'm responce to Bia's comment:
The same friend auditioned for a metalcore band who used drum machines before he came along. At the end of each bar of what those guys wrote, there was a fill. EVERYTHING was a fill.Beats would switch too fast. Fill fill fill. Sometimes it's better to go into dumbass mode and go with the beat and add an odd fill, but going over the top like you are suggesting will make any drummer sound like a retard on speed.

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Eh, well we're going for a death/thrash metal combination, as we wanna be thrashy, but thrash on its own is sort of boring for us. (it's more in the fact that thrash metal bands tend to have terrible vocals and the guitars seemed to be mid-scooped and faded in the mix)

I was surely not speaking of "fill" but more of changeups. You know....not 1,2,3,4 from beginning to end.
And of course I was speaking of personal pref....as I would never presume to tell a drummer how to do his or her job.

2 words... Flo. Mournier.

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mix it up

if you are using drum machines like fruity loops then you cannot write a drum beat out of time as long as you are at the right tempo and the right measure for the bar (eg 44) this means you can do whatever you like and it will fit, now obviously some things are more suite to certain areas than other but if you listen to lots of metal then you will have a goof feel for this, but try things like Cymbal work during a basic beat, Derek roddy in one drum solo has this cool Splash cymbal thing going on over the top of a simple (albeit fast as fuck) double bass beat. Also Toms are great fun not only for fills but also adding some spice and filling out basic beats.

Just remember YOU CANNOT WRITE OUT OF TIME, this means ANYTHING will sound good and tight no matter what it is so go sit down click some notes and have a play around, see what you can come up with.

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gust listen 2 as meny songs as u can find a little drum part u like somthing like the hi hat and snare and gust run with it making a drum beat isnt hard gust dont make so damn complicated that its ounds stupid

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