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Programming a basic jazz ‘comp’ rhythm on a software drum kit

1 Let’s start by giving the drums some context: a walking upright bassline of sorts. I’ve recorded this live – jazz should never be snapped to the beat. For true authenticity, you’ll want to record one continuous drum part through the whole track. In the interests of practicality here, though, I’m capturing an eight-bar loop. 2 The most important element of the kit in jazz is the ride cymbal, which plays that characteristic triplet-based or dottednote swing pattern: quarter-notes on every beat with extra hits on the third triplets of beats 2 and 4. The swung hits should be quieter than the main beats – try to feel the rhythm and dynamics. 3 Unlike every other style of music involving the drum kit, the hi-hats in jazz are pedalled rather than struck with the sticks the vast majority of the time. When comping, you’ll just want them clamping down on beats 2 and 4, at moderate volume. For a laid-back feel, play them very slightly late. 4 When comping, the kick usually plays very quiet quarter-notes if anything at all – it’s often left out of the main pattern almost entirely, used solely for accenting, which we’ll look at in part 2. For now, I simply record low-velocity hits on every beat of the bar. They’re barely audible, but you’d notice if they weren’t there. 5 While the ride cymbal emphasises the swung third triplet on beats 2 and 4, part of the role of the snare drum is to provide emphasis on beats 1 and 3. In its most basic form, this means low-velocity snare hits on the third triplets of those two beats, with occasional harder hits providing accentuation as the mood takes you. 6 For even more forward momentum, play quiet – almost ghost note level – snare hits on the second and third triplets. You can also fill the triplet gaps in between the main and swung ride cymbal hits with ghost snares. How often you do this will depend on the track and the level of density you’re shooting for.