5 Rhythms That Changed My Life (Important Patterns for Ableton, FL Studio - Splice)

Get the sounds used in the video:
on.splice.com/3oqDEuz
Learn music production on Splice:
on.splice.com/354fPxr
Splice on Discord:
/ discord
Check out Nick:
@nickthechen
In this video, Nick from Splice shares 5 life-changing and important rhythms that can be used from anything to drum patterns to basslines, melodies, or chords!
00:00 - Intro
00:11 - Tresillo
1:41 - Hemiola
2:57 - 12/8 Bell
4:00 - Clave
5:18 - ThaDhiGiNaThom
6:23 - Outro
One of the incredible things about music is the infinite possibilities that you have when it comes to aspects like rhythms and patterns.
That said, there are some particularly influential rhythms that have shaped a wide array of genres and styles across the globe. Below, we summarize the origins and musical qualities of five of these rhythms-make sure you also check out our video tutorial above to learn more and hear them in action.
1. Tresillo
The tresillo is the most fundamental rhythmic pattern in Sub-Saharan African music as well as Latin American music. The term translates to “triplet”-that said, it’s important to note that even though there are three notes in the rhythm, it’s a duple-based pattern (meaning we divide the beat with even numbers). In common time, the tresillo could look like two dotted quarter notes followed by a quarter note.
2. Hemiola
An extremely common application of polyrhythms, the hemiola creates a two-against-three feel (i.e. one rhythm is playing three evenly-spaced notes in the same duration of time that another rhythm is playing two). Hemiolas are widely used in drum patterns as well as melodies.
3. 12/8 bell
Also simply known as “the bell pattern” in Central and Western African music, the 12/8 bell is a unique pattern that can easily be heard in both 4 and in 3. An audio illusion of sorts, this pattern can really open up a listener’s ears to the idea of rhythmic perception.
4. Clave
The clave is one of the staple rhythms of many Afro-Cuban genres as well as Sub-Saharan African music. It’s a four-beat pattern that builds on the structure of the tresillo, and slight variations create the son clave, rumba clave, 2-3 son clave, and 2-3 rumba clave. Influences of this rhythm can be found across an incredibly wide range of genres, even including the likes of EDM and hip hop.
5. Tha dhi gi na thom
Last but not least, tha dhi gi na thom is an element of the South Indian tradition known as Solkattu. Constituted by five-note groupings, this rhythm can really help musicians develop their understanding of subdivision and tuplets.
#rhythms #drumpatterns #musicproduction
#splice
#sampling
#beatmaking
#beats
#beatmaker
5 Rhythms That Changed My Life (Important Patterns for Ableton, FL Studio, etc...)
5 Rhythms That Changed My Life(FL Studio, Ableton, Logic etc...)

[@splice]

What other types of videos would you like to see on our channel?

[@crtnycrtny]

Are there more rhythms out there that I’m unfamiliar with? I also will love to learn more about odd time signatures.

[@philipkarst7918]

What is the difference between all these types of house music? Pop house. vocal house tech house Acid house Deep house Funky house Diva house Hard house and beyond

[@skatealex1]

Retrowave (melodic synth led) genres would be interesting. Thanks for the videos.

[@keithce]

The way that you've explored rhythms from around the world...perhaps you could explore tunings (i'm not talking about scales, but tunings other than equal temperament).

[@Notacet]

This was very well executed, illustrative yet compact video! I’d love videos like this about - classic synth sounds and their history - subgenre defining songs - rare instruments that you’ll recognise from hit songs

[@LuisaLopesTV]

i really wasn't expecting this video to be so thorough and mind blowingly diverse. i'm latin-american and is simply amazing to know not only the rhythms but their names and origin. this video might change my life

[@chopebeef]

changed my lyfe!

[@chopebeef]

@@theFastestSloth_001 hi

[@gaudi77]

ok chillax

[@jomesias]

If you found this one cool, you might want to look at Victor Wooten's Groove workshop!! 👍👍🤟🤟

[@christiantaylor1495]

Anybody: Says something originated outside Europe Everybody: wow

[@crtnycrtny]

This is why I love watching videos from Splice. I did not even know that there were names for these rhythms. Thank you, Nick ! 💎✨🔥🙏🏿

[@nickthechen]

❤️

[@kurticelewis146]

Facts same here

[@hitomukawakami7124]

There’s a name for everything

[@jewnersey7413]

Boom clap boom boom boom clap

[@PapaBPoppin]

Watched this earlier, hopped on the sequencer and in 5min had a much more interesting sound than I had achieved before. Just watched again to retain more and put into practice shortly. Thank you so much for this knowledgeable insight and helping to broaden my international ear!

[@pavmx703]

This kind of thing is insanely useful. The examples REALLY showed the versatility of these and how they could be applied.

[@rawr4444]

3:33 Absolutely, the perception of rhythm is so fun to play with! I've made tracks using 5/4 having a melody play ten normal 8th notes and then lowering the tempo slightly playing the same ten notes but with five-tuplets instead in 4/4... So the "personal/subjective tempo" of the ten notes of the main focus, the main melody being played, is almost exactly the same, but everything else around it changes. In other words the actual absolute length of the notes don't change even though both the tempo and their designation changes (from straight 8ths to fivetuplet 8ths). Such a fun track to make! This video reminded me of that and has made me want to make more! (and I'm only halfway through the video) Thanks!

[@keeganbrown5156]

Metrical Modulation is a hell of a drug

[@ReyHolliday]

Really amazing breakdown and infographics that ties these rhythms to their origin. Kudos to Nick.

[@handldyDandidlyD.ezzzzz]

only after finding a desire to make my own music did i realize how much more i could have learned and absorbed from carnatic music, which i felt i was 'forced' to learn growing up. very clear and informative vid thanks mate

[@electropunkzero]

Wow, this really opened my eyes. I've learned a lot of theory, but almost none of it was related to rhythm like this. This was enlightening.

[@novikovPrinciple]

Hey Splice, thanks for sharing these rhythms. This is a video I keep coming back to, since it opened my ears to a lot of things that I didn't notice before. Just this morning, I noticed a Tha dhi gi na thom beat in "Hyper Bass", by yunomi when I was playing through an old playlist!

[@cccootje3978]

This video is amazing. I love it when people use the origin and show examples from real songs to reinforce the examples.

[@Mumblebee]

Dude, I tip my hat to an amazingly well done, educational (in the least possible beige-sounding or stuffy way) and inspirational video! Plus, I love how chill you sound throughout while explaining the wares. Thank you so much for this.

[@RmaNYouTube]

6:18 blender detected, respect for this guy to even make the motion graphics of his tutorial himself.

[@nickthechen]

🙏

[@gxrsky]

Damn. It's so easier to do mograph that way than in After Effects!!! Thx for the info

[@CandidNib]

Can't believe this is free! Thank you for adding so much value to community

[@john_atco]

Good to see a vid covering rhythms such as these getting some exposure. Very interesting.

[@thomasdeserville]

Really very interesting. Seeing as you asked, I think a world history on rhythm and instruments and music styles etc would be great to experience. I think these videos are presented very well. That 12/8 Bell section was soooo cool

[@TwoPieceSam]

I was really going to skip this but I’m so glad I didn’t; absolutely riveting, informational and historical to watch! Fantastic video.

[@ClickerFest]

As someone of Ghanaian descent it's amazing to see Ghana being recognised for their influence on rhythm. Thank you for this great video and pronunciation of Ewe

[@bhaveshtochabbra6853]

If you explore more of the Indian music, there is lot of learning from there. Id love to learn.

[@nickthechen]

I studied South Indian music in college and must say out of all musical genres it’s probably the most complex rhythmically! So much so it’s almost to it’s detriment as it can get pretty “heady” but i absolutely love it. Will definitely try to include more concepts and techniques in future videos thanks for watching!

[@joeanderson1307]

@@nickthechen hello ! loved the video, very informative and entertaining ! I have a question, what would be some good artists to get into to start checking out this South Indian music?

[@OFFICIALRUDRAX]

Indian music is complex you have to go to the roots of it to understand it better

[@cosmonauteable9151]

you're a learrrnooor?

[@TheSinlessAssassin]

Omg I needed this because I'm not well versed at making drum beats, they're usually what's lacking in my compositions.

[@prod-et]

This was such a dope insightful video! I feel that when sped up on hihats, tresillo forms the fundamentals for Drill drum patterns. So cool

[@helyxmusic]

yep, that's exactly it:)

[@FunkyJay]

Really great breakdown my man. Gonna keep this in my library to reflect on later.

[@davideisele8256]

Of all your videos I’ve watched, this is by far my favorite. Please do more like this

[@mattster303]

Great, informative video. Drumming examples and all the other details much appreciated. Thanks

[@Simon-is2xd]

He really used every rythm in every VST in every genre...

[@hiddenself]

This is huge, I've been looking for such a video for long time...

[@jiat_spacejams]

Ah yes, splice always coming through with the goodies. Gracias mi amigo 🙏🏼

[@SamuraiGuevara]

This was really well produced! This format is great

[@jasonbarton9352]

this just changed my life- not joking..thank you for this- I have been stuck and this opened a world of new ideas

[@Robot62014]

Thank you for this video! It was very useful! Discovering polyrythims was an eye opening experience for me too and 3/2 was my first also haha I remember sitting for hours trying to figure out how to play it right

[@mrjoeybeats]

Love that this dude gives credit to the homies who taught b4 him🐐

[@barrywilliams8289]

Coming from the Caribbean TRINIDAD 🇹🇹 &TOBGO this beat really change not only my life but the way I see music production Especially the dancehall/reggae to transition

[@gondiulaurentiu3804]

You opened a gate to another world. As a composer of orchestral music who received a classical education, it seems to me a fascinating world with a lot of opportunities!

[@mieszkogulinski168]

Tresillo in melody is used in, for example, Airbase - Genie (in the main synth), and sometimes (or often?) in bassline in trance tracks.

[@dtm9792]

one of the best music production videos I've ever watched

[@hasumiamusic]

as a producer I could watch this kinda videos for hours, very informative!

[@Sergio-nb4hj]

I've been wanting to get into more African drum music since I heard the Orchéstre Baka Gbiné, which blew my mind with how intricate yet catchy the rhythms are (Example: the song Boulez Boulez) Thank you for putting up examples! I'm going to have a lot of fun diving into these recordings

[@1000eyes55]

Great video breaking all these rhythm it down awesome. There so much info here I appreciate you Big Ups💯

[@switch1e]

This video is awesome. I especially love the editing, it early makes things easy to visualize

[@Vintsent]

MAN ! THANK YOU SO MUCH ! Amazing video !!! I would love to see piano or guitar pattern in those style of Music (Rumba/ Salsa/ etc…) Loved that video

[@Raeswizzy]

seeing the ways you apply it is amazing great work!

[@miguelmerino4209]

Amazing video, so much knowledge to absorb. Thanks for uploading.

[@phil8542]

excellent video! so much info and brilliantly edited 🔥

[@BorisBarroso]

Wow this is really great, knowing all this rythms will help me, I will follow your channel now

[@stevecarter8810]

Great stuff! Too many consumers of mainstream music and music education never get this rhythmically literate

[@Teo-te2us]

one of my favourite videos in a long time. thank you

[@nnamdi1292]

I love these kinds of videos you guys make, very helpful !

[@kburson2008]

This was extremely helpful. Thank you!

[@WhatAreDrums729]

Cool introduction to terminology for common rhythms. Also, dig the instructor shout-outs. AQ represent!

[@jordanrattanavong2655]

This is exactly what I have been needing. My rhythm is so basic it makes my music stale. I’m gonna try some of these with dubstep basses.

[@Jimmyknapp2]

Great video, thank you These types of rythms really bring computer music to life

[@misterphb2183]

... reinventing music every day with new tools. This video is an inspiring must_have for people who want to refresh styles.

[@glavobeats]

Super informative video, love the 12/8 bell!

[@yopawpaw7408]

I immediately experimented with tresillo and proceeded to make the hardest rhythm i ever made in sub 5 mins or so just off the core pattern you showed.

[@kaevox]

this was PHENOMENAL thank you

[@Koropokel]

high quality beginner content! everyone should see this!

[@olivercharles2930]

Genuinely fantastic video

[@xSurfa]

I love this video. Dope breakdown of basic rhythyms that people never really paid attention to.

[@DarkPsy4]

This is the best video ever, love you bro!

[@adamburger858]

Really nice video brodda I'm glad I found your channel. I'm very intrigued with all these concepts lol So I really liked the part where you were using the ride for the rhythm, I guess? I will have to go back and watch, but I would love to see a little bit more of that type of stuff. Cheers!

[@staysmuth]

This is awesome. It’s great to see a fellow percussionist talk about production. Exactly the video I was looking for.

[@FairianEdw]

I loved this, thank you for this awesome job!

[@NiallC]

Well that was awesome. More of this please 🙏

[@sjb8178]

this guy is using blender as video editor. what a king bruh

[@B_dev]

buh

[@MrArtist1971]

Brilliant video! Thank you.

[@diaryofr7]

Mind Blowing video. 🙌🏼

[@dicasys]

This is great! I love this!

[@Knarryofficial]

That 5th Rythem Is So Mind-blowing And Complicated

[@mrboss7580]

Tresillo is also what some call the “drill pattern” used with hi hats and countersnares within a majority of drill songs

[@jorgea.2318]

Is weird because in Spanish tresillo actually means what in English Is called Triplets. I was about to correct this guy xd

[@zentiremusic123]

man... the most inspiring video is saw for a long time 🙏

[@grdnrush]

I feel this every time, but you're amazing! Thanks

[@ozannidayi]

Brilliant! Nicely explained

[@Neverkilltime]

That was really dope, thanks for the vid! 🎶☠🎶

[@tybaldt]

UNT Alum here. It was wonderful seeing Srini and Gideon mentioned. And Ewe music. They changed my life too

[@markgivens2557]

This was so amazing 👏

[@okashasunami32]

Wow! A well thought out and informative video

[@SpiralFlip]

Ok really wasn't expecting a video with this much value

[@samlonde]

Excellent! Thanks

[@bradleyrsx]

Great topic loved this!

[@PatrickObiang]

BRAVO!

[@wowerman]

Great examples.Many thanks

[@heyshugi]

This is amazing!

[@cristiansosa1512]

You managed to make me see rhythm from a new perspective.

[@nelsoning5803]

Excellent video! Thanks

[@timspencer1]

This is great! Thank you!

[@DJ.wubzy.music22]

This is not only a great tutorial, but a great history lesson. Love it.

[@splice]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@tomholli]

Move videos like this please! Props for giving a shout out to your mentors.

[@DannyKakol]

This was so informative! Thanks man!

[@noodlessynth7777]

It’s a good morning second very useful composition tool video found today. Loads of great stuff to test out on my music.

[@marcinstokowski7848]

Great video! Thank you very much!

[@djdada4148]

Nick is the really best instructor.

[@man-win333]

That's amazing ❤

[@K00I00R00A00]

Thank you so much for this video

[@Lorichwilson]

wow! perfect

[@tw8009]

Awesome! Great explanation!

[@markmallory2528]

That’s DOPE! Thank you man! 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

[@nertis2408]

Great video, thank you so much for inspiration !

[@paulinskipukprogressive4903]

Epic video man Instant subscribe

[@ritonlevrai1]

Thanks for this, this is epic

[@IslandArcherMusic]

Excellent video. I learned alot. Thanks homie!