In the beginning stages of beatmaking, we often add sounds randomly because they "sound good". However, after awhile, we notice the track is not "hitting" right or that "something is missing". By randomly putting down sounds, our sounds have no purpose and thus fight against one another. The sounds don't come together to form a "beat".
For example. Imagine a chef that randomly adds whatever spices he has in his cabinet to a dish without regard to the other spices. Meanwhile, another chef carefully considers all the flavors in the dish and how they work together. The chef that pays attention to balancing the dish will have the better dish. It's the same with music. Consideration about the role each sound plays will result in a polished and hard-hitting beat.
The next natural question is, what exactly are these roles? In the following articles, we will go in depth on each one of them. By understanding and listening for these roles and applying them into your own tracks, your beats for sale will be tight, powerful, and hard-hitting. The roles are:
Drums: Kicks, snares, percussion etc. Drums are the heartbeat of a song that establishes the rhythmic foundation. Many modern genres of music are partially distinguished by the drum sounds and patterns used.
Pads: Long strings, electronic synth pads, and organs etc. Pads play a support role and help to establish the harmonic foundation of a song as well as filling in dead space. They are often long sustained chords.
Groove: Rhythm guitars, marcato strings, and techno plucks etc. The groove links the harmonic parts of a song (pads, leads) with the rhythmic parts (drums, percussion) so that they gel.
Bass: Bass guitar, sine wave, low strings etc. The bass is versatile instrument in the sense that it serves as the anchor to a song's harmonic foundation, but it can also establish the rhythmic foundation of a song as well. For example, in some electronic genres, the bass is arpeggiated and helps provide movement to the song. In other genres, the bass may just be a drone that helps to anchor the harmonic foundation of the song.
Lead: Lead guitar, lead synth sounds, and samples etc. The lead part is typically the most prominent part and it is a part of the harmonic portion of a song. Within the lead part, I'm including counter leads/counter melodies as well that we will dive into later. Leads are extremely important in electronic music and are often synth based. Leads often occur in other genres as well on acoustic instruments.
You will notice immediately that each part either contributes to the harmonic foundation of a song, the rhythmic foundation of a song, or both. Music is essentially the synchronization of rhythm and harmony. Without rhythm, the song has no "beat" or movement (although this can be desired, especially in ambient music) and without harmony, the song sounds more noise like and evokes less emotion(this can also be a desired effect).
Almost every genre of music has these parts, but the extent to which each part is emphasized in each genre varies. For example, reggae music emphasizes the bass but pads are almost non-existent in classic reggae. Techno music on the other hand relies heavily on pads.
In the next section, we'll talk about one of the most important parts in urban music, the drums.
For example. Imagine a chef that randomly adds whatever spices he has in his cabinet to a dish without regard to the other spices. Meanwhile, another chef carefully considers all the flavors in the dish and how they work together. The chef that pays attention to balancing the dish will have the better dish. It's the same with music. Consideration about the role each sound plays will result in a polished and hard-hitting beat.
The next natural question is, what exactly are these roles? In the following articles, we will go in depth on each one of them. By understanding and listening for these roles and applying them into your own tracks, your beats for sale will be tight, powerful, and hard-hitting. The roles are:
Drums: Kicks, snares, percussion etc. Drums are the heartbeat of a song that establishes the rhythmic foundation. Many modern genres of music are partially distinguished by the drum sounds and patterns used.
Pads: Long strings, electronic synth pads, and organs etc. Pads play a support role and help to establish the harmonic foundation of a song as well as filling in dead space. They are often long sustained chords.
Groove: Rhythm guitars, marcato strings, and techno plucks etc. The groove links the harmonic parts of a song (pads, leads) with the rhythmic parts (drums, percussion) so that they gel.
Bass: Bass guitar, sine wave, low strings etc. The bass is versatile instrument in the sense that it serves as the anchor to a song's harmonic foundation, but it can also establish the rhythmic foundation of a song as well. For example, in some electronic genres, the bass is arpeggiated and helps provide movement to the song. In other genres, the bass may just be a drone that helps to anchor the harmonic foundation of the song.
Lead: Lead guitar, lead synth sounds, and samples etc. The lead part is typically the most prominent part and it is a part of the harmonic portion of a song. Within the lead part, I'm including counter leads/counter melodies as well that we will dive into later. Leads are extremely important in electronic music and are often synth based. Leads often occur in other genres as well on acoustic instruments.
You will notice immediately that each part either contributes to the harmonic foundation of a song, the rhythmic foundation of a song, or both. Music is essentially the synchronization of rhythm and harmony. Without rhythm, the song has no "beat" or movement (although this can be desired, especially in ambient music) and without harmony, the song sounds more noise like and evokes less emotion(this can also be a desired effect).
Almost every genre of music has these parts, but the extent to which each part is emphasized in each genre varies. For example, reggae music emphasizes the bass but pads are almost non-existent in classic reggae. Techno music on the other hand relies heavily on pads.
In the next section, we'll talk about one of the most important parts in urban music, the drums.
About the Author:
"The Architect" is one-third of the Jam Sonic beatmaking team and has been composing and beatmaking for over a decade. He currently composes music full-time in the form of beats for hip-hop artists, jingles for small businesses, and instrumentals for film/tv. Please visit his site to view hip-hop beats for sale as well as beatmaking videos and articles.
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