Page 46 of Love is a Drum Beat
“That’s what I thought. You have an electric drum set here, right?”
He nodded.
“Can you bring it here?” She’d at least be able to use that from the couch.
Dax retrieved the electric set and positioned it in front of Jo before handing her the drumsticks. “You sure you can do this?”
Jo nodded. “Just position some pillows behind my back so I don’t fall.”
He did as she asked. It crossed her mind that Dax hadn’t asked for thoughts on his song, that he might not want her opinion. Yet, she couldn’t help herself. If this was going to have Dax and Ben’s names on it, it had to be perfect.
“So, Piper wrote the lyrics, right?”
“Sort of.” His cheeks reddened. “I changed them before showing them to Ben. So, they’re mostly her words and some of mine.”
“I don’t think Piper would expect anything less of you. Okay, play the track, sans drums.”
Again, he didn’t argue.
The song flooded the studio, and Jo counted down in her head before starting to move with the flow of the song. She started with the snare, a slow beat followed by a bass kick. As the song rose and fell, she sped up, keeping time with the pace. At the chorus, she tapped one stick lightly against a cymbal while using the snare at intervals before launching into the next verse.
By the time the song ended, her back ached from sitting up like that for so long.
With the electric drums, Dax didn’t have them set to hear the beat in real time. Instead, it was recorded.
Jo set the drumsticks on the kit and leaned back. She watched Dax’s expressionless face as he played back her beat.
His brow scrunched. “Why isn’t the beat more complicated than this?”
“A good drum beat is one that’s in the background, not overpowering the rest of the song. It’s understated, but it also follows the beats of the music. Listen here.” She paused to hear it. “The drum part speeds up as the anthem rises to its apex and then slows down as it’s coming to an end.” Really, Conner should have been able to do this. The only drummers who played a song the way he had was someone who cared more about his own talent than the song.
“The drum beat needs to create a harmony with the other parts of the song.”
As Dax stared at her, she couldn’t get a read on how he felt about her changes.
“Okay.” He blew out a breath. “Let’s layer it with the rest of the song.”
As he cued up the song, Jo understood parts of Dax. They’d found common ground. Both escaped into their music.
When the song started, a smile spread across Dax’s face.
That was a good thing, right?
He dropped onto the couch. “You’re talented.”
She snorted. The world saw her as Noah Clarke’s understudy, his drummer. They were famous because of his talents, not hers.
“Why don’t you believe me?” Concern flashed across Dax’s face.
14
Dax
Dax’s question hung between them.
Why didn’t she believe she was good?
Dax watched her shove a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth to avoid answering him.
