A major reason for this is because music across genres, geographies, and generations regularly share universal patterns. In the tutorial video above, Nick Chen<\/a> breaks down ten rhythmic,<\/a> melodic,<\/a> and harmonic<\/a> musical patterns that every music creator needs to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Watch along above to hear each pattern in action, and see highlights below, as well as timecodes for where they’re discussed in the video. With each topic, Nick also shares examples from both popular music and actual productions in the DAW<\/a> so we can better understand how they’re applied in context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Feel free to use the table of contents below to navigate to a specific musical pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let’s dive in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n New subscribers can try all of Splice\u2014including 200 monthly sample download credits, full access to all premium INSTRUMENT presets, and more\u2014for $4.99\/mo.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Asymmetrical rhythms<\/strong> are musical patterns built on uneven groupings of beats (ex. groupings of two and three).<\/p>\n\n\n\n A four-on-the-floor pattern is a great example of a symmetrical<\/em> pattern\u2014as soon as you add some asymmetry to this foundation, the energy changes completely. You start to get really effective grooves when you blend both symmetry and asymmetry to achieve a balance between drive and bounce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Go to 0:35 in the video<\/a> to hear some asymmetrical rhythms in action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A polyrhythm<\/strong> is a groove where two or more different rhythmic feelings are stacked on top of each other. For example, a three-over-two polyrhythm can be achieved by stacking three evenly spaced hi-hats over two evenly spaced kicks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When making polyrhythms, it’s good to know how your DAW handles odd subdivisions of the grid. Beyond what we cover at 1:41 in the video,<\/a> you can also check out our dedicated guide on polyrhythms<\/a> for more examples, tips, and techniques:<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe 10 musical patterns you need to know:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\n1. Asymmetrical rhythms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n2. Polyrhythms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n