Beat makers I’m so garbage but I don’t want to quit

[SupaDupaFresh]

https://tunebat.com/Info/Very-Special-Debra-Laws/6wKAZB2lwOWeqpwquNHThG

So this song is in the key of B major.

Here is the B major scale. These are the ONLY notes you need to play around with and worry about, whether you're looking for chords or finding a melody/bass line. Forget all other notes on the keyboard.

But I'm gonna take it a step further:

This is the B major pentatonic scale. Now it's been broken down to just 5 notes (penta meaning five): 4 black keys in consecutive order, just one white key, B. Pentatonic scales are SUPER important to all black music, the blues, and pop music melodies.

You can remember this scale without even taking advantage of your DAWs features, easy. But chances are your DAW has a "chord mode" or "scale mode" or something that allows you to set a key and scale so you can see it from there.

Here what I want you to do: play around with the pentatonic scale along with the song. Dont play any chords yet (your sample fulfills your rhythmic section anyway). You can try improvising a bass line or you can try improvising a lead melody. But play along with the song using JUST THESE FIVE KEYS.

Come back and tell me what you think.

 

[MollyGalaga]

Chill nikka. Chopping samples and arranging is so much harder than playing to a certain scale. I’ll continue tmrw after work.

 

[Supa]

@NinoBrown @The Velvet Soul i got to work soon but yeah right now I just want to make hip hop beats by chopping samples.

I have an R&B song from 1981. I’m just trying to figure out how to go with this. I know the biggest thing is focus on bar loops, “moans and groans” like 9th wonder says, melodies whether it’s some instrumental or even with singing. I know to filter out high and lows if too much shyt going on. Definitely struggling to get out what’s in my head.

I only know the C major scale. Would be dope to compose in the future but I think this is a good place to start since I’m not that good at piano.

Post a song you're trying to sample and I'll walk you through the process of putting a beat together. You might be picking songs that don't have anything you can use and are trying to force a beat out of it.

Do not focus on making drums. Get a drum loop or a break beat, loop 1-2 bars, and put your sample over that. Once you figure out sampling you can create your own drum patterns by mimicking loops and breaks.


One thing I learned is not to overcomplicate things. Stop looking for 4-8 bar loops and grabbing a bunch of loops from the song. You don't need a bunch of beat switches, choruses, intros, and outros. Find a 2 bar loop, put it over a drum loop, and that will get you started. Make the beat about 60 seconds long so you won't notice the repetitions.

Shouldn't take more than 10 minutes and making simple beats will help you get your confidence up. If you can find a good soul loop it might not even need drums.

Another thing is don't create the beat in your head use your hands. Just load the sample into your DAW and start playing with it. Hit the pads and see what sounds good.

You DO NOT need to know music theory if you're 100% sample based. Don't let that confuse you early. You can pick up the basics as you go so don't focus on it.

 

[Amestafuu (Emeritus)]

Chill nikka. Chopping samples and arranging is so much harder than playing to a certain scale. I’ll continue tmrw after work.

no way don't disrespect musicians like that.

don't talk about hard. challenge is good. challenge is fun. that's where your creativity should peak.

 

[SupaDupaFresh]

Post a song you're trying to sample and I'll walk you through the process of putting a beat together. You might be picking songs that don't have anything you can use and are trying to force a beat out of it.

Do not focus on making drums. Get a drum loop or a break beat, loop 1-2 bars, and put your sample over that. Once you figure out sampling you can create your own drum patterns by mimicking loops and breaks.


One thing I learned is not to overcomplicate things. Stop looking for 4-8 bar loops and grabbing a bunch of loops from the song. You don't need a bunch of beat switches, choruses, intros, and outros. Find a 2 bar loop, put it over a drum loop, and that will get you started. Make the beat about 60 seconds long so you won't notice the repetitions.

Shouldn't take more than 10 minutes and making simple beats will help you get your confidence up. If you can find a good soul loop it might not even need drums.

Another thing is don't create the beat in your head use your hands. Just load the sample into your DAW and start playing with it. Hit the pads and see what sounds good.

You DO NOT need to know music theory if you're 100% sample based. Don't let that confuse you early. You can pick up the basics as you go so don't focus on it.

Hey breh. No disrespect. Can you show me an example of a song that is 100% sample based and has no studio synths or instrumentation layered on top? I'm just curious.

I think the Bomb Squad back in the day relied entirely on layers of dense samples cus they was geniuses but I can't seem to think of others off the top of my head right now.

 

[⠀X ⠀]

Just loop a sample and throw some drum on top

Have you checked out YouTube? They have people who recreate how tracks were made: so you can get some of the thought process of the producer.

 

[Supa]

Hey breh. No disrespect. Can you show me an example of a song that is 100% sample based and has no studio synths or instrumentation layered on top? I'm just curious.

I think the Bomb Squad back in the day relied entirely on layers of dense samples cus they was geniuses but I can't seem to think of others off the top of my head right now.

Do you even listen to hip hop?

A lot of sample/loop based producers don't know music theory or play any instruments. They grab a sample, pitch it, copy the loop, filter out the bassline, add drums, mix, and it's done. If they add any other sounds they pitch it until it sounds right. They can't tell you what key it's in

That's why I'm going through the thread and seeing how big of a disconnect there is between production styles. If you make trap or non sample based music you're going to give the wrong advice to someone just sampling.

Example:

 

[Rozay Oro]

no way don't disrespect musicians like that.

don't talk about hard. challenge is good. challenge is fun. that's where your creativity should peak.

Chopping and arranging is not beneath composing

 

[Supa]

Chopping and arranging is not beneath composing

Man just post a sample you want to flip.

 

[SupaDupaFresh]

Do you even listen to hip hop?

A lot of sample/loop based producers don't know music theory or play any instruments. They grab a sample, pitch it, copy the loop, filter out the bassline, add drums, mix, and it's done. If they add any other sounds they pitch it until it sounds right. They can't tell you what key it's in

That's why I'm going through the thread and seeing how big of a disconnect there is between production styles. If you make trap or non sample based music you're going to give the wrong advice to someone just sampling.

Example:

Well shyt. If this is what OP is aspiring too then

Just take the song, chop it up by the beat, maybe join together separate but similar parts of the song so it sounds interesting, transpose it, layer a drum pattern on top, process it so it sounds hollow and lo-fi or whatever you going for.

Ship it.



I thought breh was going for Trap or J Dilla type shyt or something

 

[Amestafuu (Emeritus)]

Chopping and arranging is not beneath composing

nobody said it was but you casually shat on musicians with that statement. you can't be an arrogant student. nothing you are doing is hard because it is challenging to YOU, you are a beginner. accept the challenge as a novice and take on lessons instead of speaking with a closed mindset. You only made that statement to excuse the fact that you didn't deliver on your own self imposed deadline.

You got brehs in here ready to hold your hand and walk you through the process breh. shyt will be as easy as you willing to make it or you can make excuses

you were trying to be a musician not too long ago amongst other things. now you making beats. ask yourself why? is it a work of passion? if so don't talk about hard no more... get on with it but most importantly stay dedicated. you want easy? that means work...through all the trash beats you will make until you get better or you can go down the path you are trying to already with the excuses and the qualifiers for when you fail and bail.

Hard was paying for every record you intended to sample. Hard was having the entry barrier to making beats be thousands of dollars in equipment. hard was needing studios to track out beats and mix them. hard was paying for studio time. Easy is music production today.... easiest it's ever been on easy street. You want to create mental blocks or you want to make music?

 

[Amestafuu (Emeritus)]

Do you even listen to hip hop?

A lot of sample/loop based producers don't know music theory or play any instruments. They grab a sample, pitch it, copy the loop, filter out the bassline, add drums, mix, and it's done. If they add any other sounds they pitch it until it sounds right. They can't tell you what key it's in

That's why I'm going through the thread and seeing how big of a disconnect there is between production styles. If you make trap or non sample based music you're going to give the wrong advice to someone just sampling.

Example:

you are both right

you make music without knowing any theory in a sample based setting but as you grow you will need to learn more and theory will start to matter.

 

[Supa]

you are both right

you make music without knowing any theory in a sample based setting but as you grow you will need to learn more and theory will start to matter.

Yes, but as I said make beats first and learn theory as you go. When people start talking theory to someone who doesn't know any I don't think they realize how confusing it sounds.

 

[Double Burger With Cheese]

What did I tell y’all pages ago? This nikka not making no beats Yall steady writing long ass books and shyt for no reason.

And reading through this thread; man y’all sound like some real nerds.

All you need to do to learn how to make beats is to make beats. I can sample three different songs on one beat and match them if I want to. I can grab a loop and add another random ass loop in there and match them. I can play everything in key when I add my own sounds. I can do shyt like this from simply making beats over the years. Your ear develops by making fukking beats, not by studying music theory lol. Hip hop raw and ain’t no rules. Get your fukking hands dirty

 

[Rozay Oro]

Man just post a sample you want to flip.

Scroll up I did breh.
Everyone my break is almost over. I will continue after work 6:30pm est