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".
Let's use an example. Imagine a basketball team where Team A has a bunch of guys that just run up the court and shoot without any clear role. However, Team B has a shooter, a good rebounder, and good defenders. Team B is the team that will win. The same holds true for a beat. A beat where each sound has a proper role to play will be a hard-hitting beat that will be easy to grab people's attention and to sell.
What are these roles? We will explore each role a sound can play in upcoming articles. After learning and understanding the roles a sound can play, your beats for sale and tracks will immediately sound more professional, balanced, and impactful.
Drums: Kicks, snares, percussion etc. The tempo and rhythm of a song is set by the drums. Most modern music genres are partially defined by the drum patterns and beats used.
Pads: Long strings, electronic synth pads, and organs etc. Often occurring as long sustained chords, pads help establish a song's harmonic foundation and play a support role within a track.
Groove: Rhythm guitars, marcato strings, and techno plucks etc. The groove helps to establish the harmonic foundation and rhythmic foundation of a song at the same time. The groove links the rhythmic parts and harmonic parts so that they gel together.
Bass: Bass guitar, sine wave, low strings etc. The bass serves as the anchor of a song's harmonic foundation but can also play a part in establishing a rhythmic foundation in many songs as well. For example, in traditional jazz, the bass is considered part of the rhythm section. However, in songs in other genres, the bass may only be a basic drone sound that serves to anchor the harmonic section of that song.
Lead: Lead guitar, lead synth sounds, and samples etc. The part of the beat that gets stuck in your head or that is "catchy" is typically the lead. The lead is a part of the harmonic foundation of a song and are extremely important in electronic music. Leads are also prominent in other genres of music as well.
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).
The roles outlined occur in every genre of music, but the extent to which each role is emphasized depends on the genre. Techno has a heavy emphasis on pads and leads while classic hip-hop focuses on drums and very rarely has pads in it.
In the next section, we'll talk about one of the most important parts in urban music, the drums.
Let's use an example. Imagine a basketball team where Team A has a bunch of guys that just run up the court and shoot without any clear role. However, Team B has a shooter, a good rebounder, and good defenders. Team B is the team that will win. The same holds true for a beat. A beat where each sound has a proper role to play will be a hard-hitting beat that will be easy to grab people's attention and to sell.
What are these roles? We will explore each role a sound can play in upcoming articles. After learning and understanding the roles a sound can play, your beats for sale and tracks will immediately sound more professional, balanced, and impactful.
Drums: Kicks, snares, percussion etc. The tempo and rhythm of a song is set by the drums. Most modern music genres are partially defined by the drum patterns and beats used.
Pads: Long strings, electronic synth pads, and organs etc. Often occurring as long sustained chords, pads help establish a song's harmonic foundation and play a support role within a track.
Groove: Rhythm guitars, marcato strings, and techno plucks etc. The groove helps to establish the harmonic foundation and rhythmic foundation of a song at the same time. The groove links the rhythmic parts and harmonic parts so that they gel together.
Bass: Bass guitar, sine wave, low strings etc. The bass serves as the anchor of a song's harmonic foundation but can also play a part in establishing a rhythmic foundation in many songs as well. For example, in traditional jazz, the bass is considered part of the rhythm section. However, in songs in other genres, the bass may only be a basic drone sound that serves to anchor the harmonic section of that song.
Lead: Lead guitar, lead synth sounds, and samples etc. The part of the beat that gets stuck in your head or that is "catchy" is typically the lead. The lead is a part of the harmonic foundation of a song and are extremely important in electronic music. Leads are also prominent in other genres of music as well.
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).
The roles outlined occur in every genre of music, but the extent to which each role is emphasized depends on the genre. Techno has a heavy emphasis on pads and leads while classic hip-hop focuses on drums and very rarely has pads in it.
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 music production team and has been composing and beatmaking for over 10 years. He currently produces 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.
