How to Make a Beat

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Write for your genre.

   Every music genre has its own rules regarding beats.
   
   Know what you're writing for and how those beats are usually structured.
   
   This is what gives a particular type of music its "sound".
2. 2

   Step 2: Stay simple.

   Start off with something very basic: four beats per measure (a sort of musical sentence), and eight measures long.
   
   This will give you a reasonable structure to start with. , When the beat gets to the end of eight measures, it should be able to loop back to the beginning and sound okay.
   
   For a beginner there are two ways to do this:
   Have very short, identical beat sections (da da da DA! da da da DA! etc.).
   
   Have a general section which builds in the final measure and crashes back down to the basic beat of the first measure (think that drummer hitting all of his drums really fast before going back to a normal beat). , This will provide the main "beat" for your loop.
   
   Think of it as the baseline for your beat.
   
   A note on every fourth beat should do the trick. , This will be the more noticeable drumming beat.
   
   You will need to come up with a pattern for this, usually by messing around (sorry, even the pros have to mess around until they find something that sounds good). , Once you've got a basic structure from the bass line and the melody, you can add in effects.
   
   These are occasional instruments which add just a little flavor to your beat. , Don't add in like forty instruments.
   
   This will just make your beat sound way too busy.
   
   Remember: the beat is only background noise to make the real music sound better.
   
   You want to feature your song, not the beat.
3. 3

   Step 3: Loop the beat.

4. 4

   Step 4: Have a constant sound.

5. 5

   Step 5: Have a "melody".

6. 6

   Step 6: Add effects.

7. 7

   Step 7: Don't clutter your beat.

Detailed Guide

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