How to Make Beats with Your Pencil
Set up a table drum kit., Understand the cymbal’s function., Play a steady Hi-hat part., Utilize your hands and feet with the pencil.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Set up a table drum kit.
You can imitate a lot of tones from a drum kit with the proper table setup.
Since most people like to use pencils to procrastinate at school and work, you might have a variety of notebooks and books.
Hardcover books or textbooks make great drum tones when played with pencils.
Notebooks create a smoother tom sound.
Experiment with the supplies you have.
Water bottles can create a variety of tones based on how full or empty the bottle is.Play around with two pencils and pretend like you are John Bonham playing Moby Dick. -
Step 2: Understand the cymbal’s function.
Many people, without knowing it, imitate playing a cymbal on a drum kit using a pencil.
There are several types of cymbals on a drum kit.
The common cymbals are the hi hat, ride, and crash.
The Hi-hat is the most commonly used drum cymbal because drummers can have it closed or open, which make the cymbal versatile.
The ride is a smoother cymbal that creates a larger sound than the Hi-hat.
A crash cymbal is usually for accenting parts of a song.
The crash is used sparingly and for louder parts.
Both the Hi-hat and ride cymbals are used as a steady beat indicator., An easy sound to imitate with a pencil is the closed Hi-hat.
The closed Hi-hat is a crisp tone that doesn’t resonate like a ride or crash cymbal.
Practice playing a steady beat by counting 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 while tapping along to the number with your pencil.
This is a standard 4/4 timing.
To play an even steadier beat, play along to a metronome or to the radio.
Not all songs are played in 4/4 time.
You can also practice triplets by counting 1-2-3 1-2-3.
A triplet is a beat that equally balances three notes as a measure or half of a measure., All good pencil beats are accompanied by other parts of your body.
If you use the pencil as the cymbal, you can utilize different hand shapes to create other sounds of the drum kit.
Create a fist to imitate a bass drum, or kick drum.
You can then use an open palm to create a snare drum.
You can also use your feet to imitate a kick drum or low toms.
Toms are parts of the drum kit that vary in pitch.
They are typically used for drum fills and soloing.Try to incorporate other drum sounds with your cymbal pencil. -
Step 3: Play a steady Hi-hat part.
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Step 4: Utilize your hands and feet with the pencil.
Detailed Guide
You can imitate a lot of tones from a drum kit with the proper table setup.
Since most people like to use pencils to procrastinate at school and work, you might have a variety of notebooks and books.
Hardcover books or textbooks make great drum tones when played with pencils.
Notebooks create a smoother tom sound.
Experiment with the supplies you have.
Water bottles can create a variety of tones based on how full or empty the bottle is.Play around with two pencils and pretend like you are John Bonham playing Moby Dick.
Many people, without knowing it, imitate playing a cymbal on a drum kit using a pencil.
There are several types of cymbals on a drum kit.
The common cymbals are the hi hat, ride, and crash.
The Hi-hat is the most commonly used drum cymbal because drummers can have it closed or open, which make the cymbal versatile.
The ride is a smoother cymbal that creates a larger sound than the Hi-hat.
A crash cymbal is usually for accenting parts of a song.
The crash is used sparingly and for louder parts.
Both the Hi-hat and ride cymbals are used as a steady beat indicator., An easy sound to imitate with a pencil is the closed Hi-hat.
The closed Hi-hat is a crisp tone that doesn’t resonate like a ride or crash cymbal.
Practice playing a steady beat by counting 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 while tapping along to the number with your pencil.
This is a standard 4/4 timing.
To play an even steadier beat, play along to a metronome or to the radio.
Not all songs are played in 4/4 time.
You can also practice triplets by counting 1-2-3 1-2-3.
A triplet is a beat that equally balances three notes as a measure or half of a measure., All good pencil beats are accompanied by other parts of your body.
If you use the pencil as the cymbal, you can utilize different hand shapes to create other sounds of the drum kit.
Create a fist to imitate a bass drum, or kick drum.
You can then use an open palm to create a snare drum.
You can also use your feet to imitate a kick drum or low toms.
Toms are parts of the drum kit that vary in pitch.
They are typically used for drum fills and soloing.Try to incorporate other drum sounds with your cymbal pencil.
About the Author
Harold Baker
Harold Baker has dedicated 5 years to mastering media and communications. As a content creator, Harold focuses on providing actionable tips and step-by-step guides.
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