How to create Hip-Hop Beats

By Dj Byrd


Would you enjoy producing Rap, Hip-Hop and R&B beats? With the cost of production and beat downloading online you might think about producing your own personal beats. Whether you're creating beats to sell, to make your own music or just for fun, I'd like to describe the various pieces that I use when building beats. I've been associated with audio production for 20 years however i am certainly no expert but I'd like to discuss my knowledge.

To begin with allow me to clarify there's really no wrong or right way to create a beat. Many people might begin with percussion like kicks, snares and hats. Other people will start creating their melodies and chords. Now there is no one method to make a beat. Occasionally I simply begin with percussion and after that put in a bassline and melody. In other cases I began creating the chords and melody 1st, then put the drums later on. These are the 4 primary elements that I use when creating hiphop and rap beats.

1) Drums/percussion - Percussion instruments includes all of your drum sounds like kick drum, snare drum and cymbals. These sounds can either be electronic like those included within drum machines and software. They can also be live drums that you would see in a rock band.

2) Chords- Chords will be the sounds most probably played with a keyboard. These sounds would be played utilizing a piano or comparable sound like an body organ. However the choices are endless. You may use mostly any other instrument like pads, keys and strings also for your chords.

3) Melody-Melody is yet another element utilized when building a beat. This particular element isn't necessary however it does make the track a great deal fuller and helps out a lot whenever you reach the hook, chorus and various parts of the song. Once again this could certainly be any sound in your library but I recommend steering clear of the low tones simply because this might conflict with the Bassline.

4)Bassline-The Bassline is another critical part in creating rap beats. Once again this part is not required but it does add fullness to the track. A lot of times if you are using a heavy 808 kick you may not need a heavy Bassline. You can also use the Bassline to play along with the melodies and chords that you have within your song.




About the Author: