How to Create Beats With Keyboards

MIDI-enabled keyboards let you assign a drum sound to each key.

A piano keyboard or synthesizer is a versatile tool. Keyboards can function as drum controllers as well melodic instruments. Even older keyboards typically have some sampled drum sounds that let you make beats by hitting the keys. This is ideal if you want to compose drum beats on the fly. MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) keyboards let you control the multiple drum sounds contained in your production software to create realistic and complex drum patterns. If you don't have a drum kit, this is a convenient and easily editable alternative.

Things You'll Need

• USB or Firewire cables
• Audio interface
• Music production software
• Computer

Instructions

Non-MIDI Keyboard

1. Scroll through the tone menu until you access the drum kit setting. The method of scrolling varies according to the make and model of your keyboard, but it is typically either a pair of up and down arrows or a scroll wheel.

2. Place colored stickers on the keys so you can easily identify which drum is which. Since the configuration of the keys is no longer laid out chromatically, its slightly more challenging to remember which key is which.

3. Tap out the bass drum with your left hand index finger and the snare drum with your right hand first finger. Use your second and third fingers to add cymbals and toms.

MIDI Keyboard

1. Connect your MIDI keyboard to an audio interface with a USB or Firewire cable, depending on the make and model of the audio interface. Connect the audio interface to your computer with a USB or Firewire cable. The MIDI cable carries the MIDI commands from the keyboard to the audio interface, which transfers the command into digital data. The music production program converts this data into sound.

2. Open your preferred music production software program, such as Cubase or Logic. Double click the desktop icon to open or select the program from the start menu. If using a Mac, you can open the program from the applications folder.

3. Click file and select a new track. When prompted, select MIDI track. This opens up a new channel on the interface. Click instruments and select your preferred drum kit. This assigns a different drum instrument to each key on your keyboard.

4. Hit the record button and tap in your bass drum pattern. The multitrack capabilities of your music production program let you play one drum at a time. This is preferable for recording purposes, as it allows you to mix and edit each drum separately. It is also easier to play complex rhythms in this manner, rather than trying to play all the drums at once with your fingers.

5. Click stop and open another new track. Lay down the high pattern by tapping it on the keyboard. Continue to add drum layers until your beat is complete.

Tips & Warnings

• If using a non-MIDI keyboard, use your cell phone to record your drum idea.

• Use the production program click track to keep your beat in time.

• Use the quantize function to correct mistakes after recording.

References

• Meet New Players: Recording MIDI using a Keyboard

Resources

• Erik Hawkins: Berklee Music Blogs: Playing Drums on a MIDI Keyboard