The Complete Guide To Finger Drumming

Master the art of finger drumming with Gnarly and get a comprehensive understanding of sampling techniques for live performances.

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Masterclas Details

Join internationally renowned finger drummer Gnarly and discover her tips and secrets for executing a top-tier live performance.

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What will I learn?

01. Introduction.

In this chapter, you will be introduced to Gnarly, a renowned finger drummer. You will learn about her journey, accomplishments, and how she got into finger drumming. You will also get to see some introductory patterns on the Novation Launchpad, a partnership device, which will help you get started with finger drumming.

02. Initial Setup for Ableton Drum Rack.

This chapter will guide you through the process of setting up Ableton Drum Rack. You will learn how to use Splice to import one-shots and drop them into an empty drum rack. You will also learn about the Novation Launchpad and how to connect it to Ableton. Gnarly will explain why using fewer sounds can enhance creativity. Additionally, you will see Gnarly chop a chord hit from a loop, pitch it, and adjust its tempo to match the project.

03. Setting up your Maschine.

In this chapter, Gnarly will show you how to set up Maschine as a VST with Ableton. You will learn about the 16-grid and how to drag sounds into Maschine. Gnarly will also teach you how to use fades and remove clicks in samples to make them sound smoother before starting on a track.

04. Live Jamming Routine.

This chapter is all about live jamming and creativity. Gnarly will walk you through her thought process before starting a pattern or jam. Gnarly will demonstrate her flow and feel for the samples and show you how to structure your jams. She will also go through different styles like house, drum bass, and hip-hop to illustrate that there are no boundaries.

05. Recording With Drum Rack.

In this chapter, you will learn how to record and expand your ideas using Ableton Drum Rack. Gnarly will hook up her Maschine into MIDI mode and guide you through session and arrangement views. She will also show you how to record the jam into Ableton’s arrangement view through a MIDI file and adjust the MIDI information after recording.

06. Recording With MIDI in Maschine.

In this chapter, Gnarly will track out the sounds involved and guide you through the settings in Maschine to record MIDI into Ableton. You will get a walkthrough of setting up Maschine and recording into Ableton’s MIDI.

07. Recording Audio From Maschine to Ableton.

In this chapter, Gnarly will show you how to route audio from Maschine into Ableton Live. You will learn how to create audio tracks in Ableton and record all the lines from Maschine into each audio channel. You will see all the audio channels being recorded in one take, in arrangement view. This chapter aims to demonstrate all the audio lines so you can mix better in real-time.

08. Arrangement & Effects.

This chapter is all about arranging your track, starting from the initial idea from the arrangement view. Gnarly will go over the different types of breakdown for a song, such as chorus, intro, outro, etc. She will break down how she approaches her arrangement and the use of automation to achieve this. You will also learn how to add more sounds on top to keep the listener engaged. Additionally, Gnarly will show you how to use all in-built Ableton plug-ins for mixing.

09. Creating a Live Performance Set.

In this chapter, Gnarly will talk about groups and her live show, and how she approaches it herself, focusing on her routine. You will learn about the importance of creating transitions and flow when thinking about a live set.

10. Final Tips.

In this final chapter, Gnarly shares some valuable tips to help you improve your finger drumming, recording, and live performance skills.

Gnarly

Gnarly is a British Sri Lankan finger drummer, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, live performer, content creator, and educator. She’s gained international recognition for live finger drumming with 80k followers and 1M social media views/year. Gnarly released albums with Stereofox and collaborated with brands like Native Instruments and Red Bull. She performed with poet Nikita Gill at events like Southbank Centre, Dialled In Festival, and won Beat Masters at Red Bull UK with dancer Omni.