Music Beats
For those that get frustrated with creating musical art whether it be boombap beats, jazzy beats, or just music beats in general, this article is for you. Throughout this post, I will be using the term “music beats” just to include all beatmakers no matter what genre or style you do. I know that many of us get caught up with trying to keep up with the latest trends in music. I say us because I must admit that sometimes I wanna know what’s considered “hot”. Shortly thereafter, I always come to the conclusion of “I really don’t care since I’m gonna do me anyway”. I want you to consider 3 basic things you need to know in order for your music beats to stand out from the rest.
1. Rhythm
When it comes to music beats, rhythm has to be the most obvious thing to consider. It is the heart of the beat and therefore, cannot be overlooked. The rhythm has to do with the drum pattern you create. Now there are endless possibilities for drum patterns but i’d like to suggest a quick tip. If you prefer to start a beat with the drums first, try tapping on the table to see what comes out. Use your hands including your fingers. You may be surprised at what comes from your head down through to the hands. Once you establish that drum pattern, translate it to whatever piece of equipment you are using. Here’s a visual example of what I am talking about. [youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb2hHenw4kk” width=”400″ height=”200″]
2. Melody
The melody is what I believe makes your music beats memorable. It’s normally the one thing that most of us hum to ourselves or out loud once it gets inside our head. It can make or break a beat because it’s kinda like the lead singer of a band. If the singer is dope than you definitely love the band, but if wack you know the rest. Sometimes a melody can be so annoying that I don’t listen pass 10 seconds. For melodies to work, they need to be pleasing to the ear. How is this achieved? You must use catchy lines or musical phrases that match whatever feeling you are trying to evoke. Use scales as a guide to help you with this sort of thing.
3. Body
The body is basically the meat of the sandwich if that makes any sense (I’m hungry while writing this LOL) Who wants 2 slices of bread with nothing in between? That’s what I call an empty sandwich. Same thing applies to music beats. The body can be considered chords, samples, hits, fx, ect. It’s what basically fills your music beats up. The secret to having your beat stand out is to remember not to be too busy. You don’t want too much in the sandwich. It’s ok to have the usual works like cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, but once you start adding fruit, candy, and syrup to the meat sandwich…c’mon man! That’s just way too busy not to mention NASTY! Think simple and your music beats will come together nicely once everything is in place.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject so feel free to write your comments down below. Keep making those very sick beats and thanks for taking the time to read this! Peace!!