If you want to make your own beats then you’re going to have to understand the ins and outs of beats. First, I’m going to go into detail about what beats really are to help get you started off on the right traps. Specifically, I’m going to talk about hip hop beats in this article.

So What is the Beat?

When you make your own beats, you’ll use a number of elements. You might use audio drum loops or midi drum patterns, samples, a bassline, and supporting instruments. All of these are what you would commonly think of as part of the “beat”. In short, the beat is your music but without the vocal. It’s the foundation for the vocal.

The beat generally repeats, and can be long or short – if it’s short it might be looped over again. But often it’s longer and contains different sections, like the chorus, verse, and breaks. Structures of songs differ according to the style you’re looking for.

A common hip hop form for the beat is:

Intro (8 bars) – Verse (8-16 bars) – Chorus (8 bars) – Verse (8-16 bars) – Chorus (8 bars) – Break (2-8 bars) – Verse/ Chorus (8-16 bars) and then an ending (often a fade out).

Once you have the beat, you can start working on how you’ll fit the vocals over the top. Remember, you don’t have to stick to a set pattern if you don’t want to. When you make your own beats, it’s important you inject your own style and flair into them!