Beat-Making Tips

• The art of the DJ has changed a lot in recent years.disc-jockey image by iMAGINE from Fotolia.com
  
  Most modern music has a heavy emphasis on rhythm and beats. Rap and techno, two popular music forms, are based almost entirely on rhythm and the interplay of many different types of rhythm. As music software progresses and becomes cheaper, it is easier for amateur musicians to create their own beat-based music.
  
  

Find Good Sounds

• Most beat software has many different types of sounds that you can use for your beats. Listen to the different types of sounds and find a good sound for your beat. Once you've found your sound, fiddle with the settings to find the exact tone you want for your beat. You should have a very clear idea of the kind of sound and style you want for the instruments in your beat. Know exactly how your beat sounds before starting. Achieving these beat sounds will help you fine tune your beat and create the perfect beat for the song you are writing. Make a simple beat, using a bass and snare drum to start. The bass drum is the thick "booming" drum and the snare is the sharp "snap" drum. Almost every beat is structured around carefully alternating these two sounds. Experiment until you find a nice solid beat.
  
  

Layering

• Once you have mastered the basics and have achieved a basic bass and snare drum beat try layering different sounds on top of your beat. Use a crisp high hat sound to bring a snap to your beat. The high hat is the "tish" sound you hear in beats and it can be open for a more crisp crashing sound or closed for a sharper, subtler sound. Your beat-making software should give you the option of opening or closing your high hat. Layer tom drums on top of the beat in clever and melodic ways. The tom drums are the drums that you usually hear on fills. They can be tuned to create melodies. Use synthesizers or other instruments to punctuate your beat. Adding a quick synthesizer thud to every bass drum hit adds a new dimension to the sound and will sound fresher and fuller than a simple bass drum thud.
  
  

Variety

• Once you have found a good beat style, it can be simple to stick to that beat over and over again. Try new things to avoid getting stale. Add a sampled instrument to your beat. A sample is a recording of an instrument, vocal or other sound source that is made outside of your beat making software. This can be you playing guitar, piano, singing or slapping a table, among many other things. Load your sample into your program and change its pitch and tone and use it as a percussive element. This adds a personalized touch to your beat that will make it stand out among others. Try to use many beats per song. Don't use one beat for the whole song as this will quickly bore most listeners. This can be as simple as layering your beats. For example, start a song with a basic bass and snare drum beat. As the song goes on, add new rhythmic instruments to the beat until you have dozens of instruments going at once. The beat never actually changes, but you add new tones and instruments to enhance the beat. Try this and many other styles to create diverse and engaging beats.