MAKE BEATS FOR RAP

First of all, is your music as good as it can be? Are you 100% happy with your songs? If not, so you better think twice if you should start spreading the word around. Because once the word is out, it's out. You can only do first impression once and if that fails, it's no good. So listen to your tracks and beats, give them some thought and maybe get few opinions elsewhere before doing anything.

Many people rush into things and maybe even release unmixed tracks and beats and then just tell people: "The better, fully mixed version will be out soon". I mean c'mon, a proper mixing/mastering can do wonders to a song and you should NOT release unmixed tracks, ever, period. Only release songs that you are satisfied with.

Second of all, you've probably been to Myspace at some point in your life? If you've been there so i'm sure you've seen the next thing there what I'm about to say. Don't send huge amount of "spam" messages to people telling them to check out your beats/songs. In example:

"YO DUDE, I GOT SOME SICK ASS HIPHOP BEATS, SOME REAL DR. DRE SHIT!!!! ONLY 5 BUCKS TO LEASE!"

No, no, no and no. Would you check out his beats? Because I guarantee your inbox is full of these kind of messages. Here's some reasons this message sucks:

1. You can see clearly this is meant to hundreds of people, clearly a spam message who nobody reads.
2. All letters are capital letters, shows that the guy wants to stand out, it never works.
3. The message doesn't show any kind of professional attitude whatsoever.

So what could you do to make a message like this better? Personalize it for the specific person you're sending it to. People appreciate you checking them out first and commenting/asking something about them. I guarantee they will more likely read your message and get back to you.

What would you do, send 100 "spam" messages and get 0-5 replies. Or in the same amount of time send 20 personalized messages and get 15-20 replies? You can see it now too, huh?

It's all about connecting on a personal level, look professional and use common sense. Do this and you will gain more exposure for your music, underground beats, hiphop beats and what not.

Underground beats

If you want to position yourself apart from the tight playing field of rappers, hip-hop artists & other would-be artists, you've GOT to make good tunes. It requires a set structure. It must occupy the listeners subconscious & stay there after they are done listening. To do this, you have to have killer beats.

In an industry where a fresh beat rules, you can not afford to use just any old hip-hop instrumentals, rap beats or R and B instrumentals. You have to have pro beats. There are online services that can provide you with the major label sound - from to 0 per. OUCH! Double-check that what they give you is a superior sound. You require Pro underground beats and nothing less.

Recognize from the start that you should have a sharp understanding of what sort of instrumental beats you desire.

Initially, you probably need to conduct experiments. This involves downloading a series of different rap beats. You could also download software and make your own beats. The software is usually a one time purchase, between - 0. BUT! Once you have it you can make unlimited number of beats for free. Stay away from the free beat makers - they are usually crap. Just remember, you get what you pay for. Start small and work your way up. Choose from a wide range, musically & stylistically. Simple, is sometimes more potent, particularly in rap or hip hop. The question mark here is which mode or style you need.

If you like the west or east coast styles of Rap? Is your strategy to R and B-based or jazz in flavor? The genres do blend & there are several sub-genres, but it's important that you choose for your own recognisable personality. Make sure before you start messing with the rap beats, you know your personal musical style. Your rap beats must reflect this aspect. This way you can keep it real.

Still, there are added dynamics to consider. You must splice the beat to many other factors. These consist of the makeup of the texts or vocals you want to use, the wants of the listeners & the marketability - or not, of the complete composition. If you can not come across hot rap beats to fulfill those requirements, you wont be able to present music on tape or live in a convincing way. This is about identifying with & claiming the beats & make them your own.

Once you've decided on the factors & arrived at a decision, begin the process of compiling a comprehensive rhythmic package. Don't download & use just any ol' dusty beat. Select them according to your own, recently accepted criteria. The outcome will make it easier to blow away your audience.

The last part of the puzzle is practise. You need to perfect your composition, sharpen your skills. Take the hip hop beat & work it. Rearrange it when it's needed from section to section to make it work. Structure & restructure it. Be ready, even when it works, to go back over it all over again. Working that much harder will help give you a competitive edge. By continually working to polish your sound, your personality & your expertise, you'll stand out from others with the same goals for the prime spot in the music world.

There is no better way to progress as an artist than by making hot sounding beats for instrumentals - after all, the notable artist all pay money for beats for a reason & see the importance of first-rate hip-hop beats & rap beats. (Of course they can afford it too, but you can make your own beats to start with.)

When deciding upon what specific type of music you are interested in, there are only a few variables you should have to deal with. Most of you probably do rap / hip hop, house, reggae, jungle, and other well known urban music. So let's begin by establishing focus on these areas and explore creating some heart thumping beats.

The best approach is to take a little time, go through and look at some of the more well used beat builds and what they should indicate to you. I will also explain some design structures and expand upon them during our discussion. In addition, you can check out a great video with pictures located in the resource area in order to follow along as we go. if you so desire.

Rap / Hip Hop - Although rap and hip hop can be all over the place with a variety of tempos, the majority usually stay with 75-105BPM. The drum kits and samples used are all from the classic 808's too slick new multi-drum sounds like Timba / Neptune. But one thing is certain - the pattern of the drums themselves are usually off the wall and can easily be broken down. After you get started this will make much more sense and is something else for you to look for.

House / Trance - If you are serious about bar building and repetition, get ready! House tracks usually begin with uncomplicated patterns in the 120-140BPM range and typically build and drop a few times until a chorus or bridge. House is simple and fun to make, and often you do not need more than a few nice 16's looped with a selection of bridges and change ups. anything and everything goes with house and the drum kits and samples are getting more and more mash up style. The house scene is now being recognized and broken into by the big hip hop artists - mainly because of increasing popularity and the niche has largely been untapped until now. Ya just gotta love to grove to a great new track with a couple of beers in the club, I certainly do.

Reggae / Reggaeton: Reggae - There are some exceptions of course, but this genre generally holds the same tempo Hip Hop / Rap (75-105). Sick baselines coupled with hard hitting kits are contrasted with the drum kits and samples and their usually light keys. If you can build a wicked rhythm with the right patterns and drops, nothing comes close. Reggae is very similar to reggaeton in the patterns and production area anyway. The keys generally have an offset three quarter loop, then all you need is a few tweaks
to double up the kick and snare per bar.

I think once you absorb the videos and maybe go over a few more genres, you'll agree that it's relatively simple to take your bars, change them up, duplicate them, tweak, and bam you can go from one genre to the next with a few EASY steps.

Cool fam, glad you have stayed with me so far. If you already know most of this stuff, you are ahead of the game but I also want the newest of noobs to a receive a full understanding of our world in as little time as possible here.

Next time we go in the sampling and how to make your own sounds, drums, keyboard and more categories in Turbo beats do get a few clicks...

Keep making those hot beats until then!

Weekday monotony is brutal. Weeks come. They go. Every week I look at myself in the mirror and promise to be more organized, more actively engaged in learning activities with the kids, more productive with my home business, more on top of chores, more like Wonder Woman (including her figure). I have a traveling husband so after my Calgon bath and bon bons in front of Oprah, I'm the nanny, maid, accountant, treasurer, cook, chauffeur, personal assistant and any other duties needed to run a house and live sanely. I can't do it all. That's right - you read it here. But I can prioritize and then I can accept things will go undone and that I will have to do things I don't want to do.

My weekday survival guide:

• Wake up an hour before the kids. My 8 month old thinks waking up with the roosters is perfectly normal. Someday I know he'll sleep later. Even my 3 year old insomniac sleeps until 7am now. So I dig deep when that alarm clock goes off at 5:30 and get up. By doing this, I can get dressed peacefully. I get lunch made for my 3yr old, coffee dripped for me, breakfast ready for both of them.
• 40 for you. Barring "crazy" days, schedule 40 minutes for you during morning nap and afternoon nap. This is like drop off and pick up. It has to be done. Period. You can't leave them at school right? If they aren't napping anymore, quiet time. They can do it for 40 minutes. A walk helps get them engaged. But time in their rooms with books and toys is a minute for you to read a magazine article, make a phone call, maybe get in a 30 minute workout...it's a healthy thing for everyone.
• Preplanned Activities. You don't need subscriptions to every parenting magazine out there. The internet is money. Search it for age appropriate activities. Noggin has some great ones: go to http://www.nickjr.com. Sometimes you need supplies. I do this research and shopping on the weekend when the hubby is home. Have 2 activities a day, one for morning and one for afternoon. Don't worry about new and exciting. Kids love continuity and predictability. Many of these activities can be changed up just by counting from 10-20 instead of 1-10.
• Outside play. Every morning and every afternoon, inclement weather not withstanding. You can pack them up for the park or just hit the back yard. Here's the deal, you have to run it out with them. They'll only run around by themselves for so long (and that's not very long). So put on your superhero cape and run and jump and climb trees. Hey, you can count this as your workout.
• Story time. Read, read, read every morning and afternoon. Libraries are awesome resources for new books without putting in the monetary investments. Many libraries also offer free group classes that can help break up the day.
• Enlist the troops. My 3 year old likes to say he is my "supa helpa". I wouldn't call it help so much but it does keep him engaged when I'm doing the mundane acts of life. I get his play vacuum, turn up the kiddie music to concert decibel (not really but you get me), and we dance and vacuum our way through the house. Every chore has a "supa helpa" parallel that lets you work without listening to crying or whining babies.
• Preplanned meals. What question is worse: what's for lunch or what's for dinner? They are both dreadful. Beat the rap and start the planning early, like Thursday. Write down meal ideas, lunches and dinners for the next week. Shop on the weekend or whenever you can get some help. Freeze, freeze freeze. See my other articles: 'What's for Lunch? Easy, fun, edible for the Lunch Box Crowd' and 'What's for Dinner? Dinner Impossible for the Busy Family'.
• Fun Goals. Everyone deserves rewards for good behavior. If kids know that towing the line will get them something good later in the week, it's remarkable how compliant they can be. So plan a fun goal every week: a picnic at the park, a trip to the museum or zoo, a movie (if they are older). And follow through with your promises. Kids are savvy and know when they just got hustled. With kids, they'll play fair if we do.
• Call It a Day. Pick a time, 7, 8, 9, 10 and stop. Make sure that time is at least an hour before you have to get into bed in order to be functional the next day. There's no joy in working all day until bed, dropping, then getting up and doing it all over again. Give yourself an hour or more to - read, take a bath, surf the web, watch TV, whatever gives you joy (outside of your family, of course).

The reality is a great majority of independent artists do not end up with record deals period. The truth is the music industry doesn't want you or your music until you can start your own buzz. It doesn't matter how good your music is. If they don't know about you they don't want you.

The dream factories like 'American Idol' are a long shot for an artist to get discovered. Having an A & R person from a major record label end up at the live show and offering you a deal is another long shot.

You're probably thinking, "Hey I thought this was going to be about taping my live show", we will be getting into that later in this article. I just wanted to set the stage for how important a marketing tool a promotional video is to an artist.

Thousands and thousands of unsolicited CD's are sent off to record labels by hungry artists every month. They range from the submissions that are labeled by hand that always end up in the trash to the more well packaged CD's that include artwork or maybe a press kit.

An awesome way to make your CD submission stand out and get noticed is to include some footage of you performing live. I guarantee it will make you more appealing to record labels as an artist. Music videos are a different animal all together, but in this article I want to focus on sharing with you how to shoot a promotional video for next to nothing.

Maximize the opportunity you have to perform at a venue in front of a live audience to the absolute fullest by taping your performance. A performance lasts for one night, while a promotional video of you crushing your set lasts a lot longer.

Regardless if you're the opening act or headliner you're taking the stage to rock the show. You know you're the next big thing. Unfortunately, many talented artists do not have major music labels or sizable marketing budgets behind them when they start to have a professional camera crew tape their show and capture behind the scenes interviews.

I taped live shows for a music management company. Sometimes I had a camera crew of four, but most of the time it was only me as a one man camera crew. I learned a lot and saw a lot covering these shows at clubs all over Southern California.

Some artists make the mistake of having a friend or family member tape the show on any camcorder with nothing more than the infamous words, 'just point and shoot' as guidance. The performance captured is often grainy, out of focus, or you get dizzy from the zooms in and out.

You've just lost a powerful marketing tool when you didn't have to. Be clear in what you want. It's easier then ever to tape a show for next to nothing that looks good. I avoided getting into specific video equipment, software, and other non-essentials. This is all about the shoot. Now let's get to it.

Tip #1: Plan. Planning the shoot yourself doesn't cost anything but some footwork and energy. Who cares more about your career than you? Let whoever is running the show know you're going to have your performance taped. This will keep your camera crew from being hassled, be it one person or more. Know the layout of the venue and get there early. Be realistic. If you have one person behind a camera do not expect them to be everywhere at once. Work with within your resources. The most important images to capture are of you on stage in the moment. Let your camera crew know how long you're going to be in the spotlight. Nothing worse than running low on tape or battery power.

Whoever you have running the camera won't be a professional, but that doesn't mean you can't plan like one. Hand out a simple shot sheet telling them what you want. If you want tight mostly close-ups of yourself or wider shots with all the performers on stage let them know. They might not be able to get all of it, but they won't waste tape on useless footage either.

Be positive that whoever is taping your show knows how to work the camera. We've all heard someone ask, 'What button do I push to record'. I would have them practice. It might seem stupid, but doing a walk through rehearsal of your show with them taping it will be a big help. You can shoot it in your living room, garage, or backyard. The key is to act like it's the stage and let your natural movements come out. It's like a director does when he has actors walk through a scene so he can plan where the camera needs to be. It's called blocking. Anything can happen in the moments on stage, but your camera crew will be ready to roll with you because you've planned.

Things are going to be very chaotic at the show. You will be focused on doing what you need to do and that's performing. If you take the time before the shoot to plan as much as possible will payoff huge when it's show time.

Tip #2: Two is better than one. Hustle to get a second camera for the shoot. Go online and look for college kids advertising themselves as videographers or filmmakers in your area. Visit the local colleges and post flyers. Sell them on how hot the show is going to be, the beautiful people, etc. Be straight away that you can't pay them. But would they rather be at home or out taping a rising music force? They need the experience and resume filler, you need the extra camera.

If you find someone always provide them the videotape, for gas, and your deepest thanks. Sometimes believe it or not your friends or family will bail on you. This backup camera person might be all you have to cover the show. If they agree early enough make sure you get them your shot sheet and outline of what you want just in case they do end up covering your ass. I worked for free in college sometimes when a show was supposed to be hot. Those were good times I had. No money, but I saw some amazing shows and mixed with some very cool people. Sell them on that.

If you come up short finding someone you don't know to work for free, hit up everyone you know to lend you their camera, hopefully with them as a human tripod. I was doing a show hip hop show at the Santa Monica Pier and the crowd was going to be huge. I begged a friend to come with and bring her camera. She stood in the middle of the crowd with her camera and didn't move. She was my human tripod. I was able to move around more and get better shots because I knew she had the master of the show pretty well covered if I got in a pinch.

Tip #3: One person and their camera. If you only land one person to tape your show don't trip. When the first lyric or sound from your performance explodes from the stage have the camera far back enough to capture you or the entire group. No matter if you're all over the stage you will always be in frame and on camera. This will also allow the crowd to be taped in the foreground filling the frame with energy.

Make sure the camera is above the crowd. Not towering over the crowd, but enough where the performers on stage are clearly visible. Each venue is different, that's why during your planning stage take a look at what your up against. Will you need a small step ladder? Will a chair work? Use this master shot to get a majority of your footage.

One thing I like to do is start back in this master then walk in to a closer shot mid-way from the stage, not zoom, walk. You captured the entire shows vibe from the back now you're moving in to make it more intimate. You don't need to get fancy here. You have to be steady.

I was working a show alone covering the background musicians. The headlining artist had their own three person camera crew.

They were all over the place and looked real professional laying on their backs, crouching, and striking all kinds of camera crew poses. I followed my master back and walk in formula. After the show these guys clowned me pretty hard about the way I taped the show.

They asked me if I got this, did I get that. One described in detail how he started on a extreme close-up of the guitar players pick while he was playing then zoomed out. A camera crew at a bar after a show always talk about the footage they got. I listened and actually felt I did a bad job covering the show compared to what these guys did.

Later I get a call from the music management company praising me on the footage I got. Apparently the other guys wanted to direct a music video and it showed in the footage they taped. All their trick shots and gimmicks were mostly unusable. The artists record label actually used most of the footage I shot that night for a promotional video. I was just their to cover the background musicians, but luckily my simple formula captured the whole show.

That's what you want to do. Capture your whole show. Trust me a mostly master shot won't get boring at all. The key is to use this footage later as a promotional video of you as an artist. It's not meant to be some slick MTV style music video with quick cuts and crazy shots.

Tip #4: Forget in camera effects. Avoid using any in camera effects. You will be stuck with them and can't remove them from the footage if they look bad. I would stick with shooting the show in the normal camera setting. Let the performance and venue speak for itself. Plus the in camera effects will make it look like a total home video.

Later on if you feel the need to add effects do it with some over the counter editing software.

Tip #5: Do not use zoom or whips. Start off by putting tape on the zoom button or control so it can't be used. Nothing viewers hate more than dizzying zooms. How often have you watched a home movie where people went zoom happy? I for one can't watch videos like that. Think of the reaction you will get when you send out your promotional video to a record label or to anyone you're contacting to further your music career.

If you want to move into a closer shot always slowly walk in to the subject. If the crowd makes it hard to do this cut the camera off and fight your way to the spot you need to be. Don't sweat turning the camera off. The footage you got would have been useless shots of the ceiling, floor, and body parts of the crowd. When you're in the best spot you can get fire up that camera and shoot away.

Don't whip the camera to some action on the stage then whip to something crazy that happens in the crowd. The footage will be all over the place and have less impact. The fight in the crowd might be pretty cool, but are you there to get footage of an artist performing or taping a reality video? Stay focused. You can follow the action and adjust. Just make sure every move you make has a reason and is not over done.

The bottom line is to shoot in the performance in blocks. Get a master of the over all performance with closer still shots mixed in. Watch other promotional videos or the news and you'll see it's a series of locked down shots.

Tip #6: Wear headphones: Almost everyone has headphones already.If not they are inexpensive to buy. It's a must that you plug them into the camera when the show is being taped. The audio you capture when shooting a live show will not always be pristine, but it helps to know what audio you are getting.

Stay with using the cameras built in audio mic. You do not need to make the audio set up more complicated at this stage by adding an a external mic or plugging into the venues sound system. I can't stress it enough stick with the camera's built in mic for all your audio needs related to the show including behind the scenes interviews. People say whenever you can use an external mic and avoid the built in camera mic. For your situation of shooting a promotional video for next to nothing you'll be fine with the in camera mic.

If you get distortion or the audio is too loud where you're taping at you'll know by wearing the headphones. Then you can adjust and move your filming position. I am not audio expert or sound mixer. I use common sense and my ear to gauge the audio of the video I'm shooting. It seems to work.

Tip #7: Keep the camera steady. If you can absolutely buy or borrow a tripod for the camera you will be using. Shaky camera work will take away from the performance on tape. Nothing is better than footage that is well framed and steady. The beauty of a tripod is you can set your shot, lock off, and let the camera roll. A good rule of thumb is to hold shots for at least 20 seconds before moving the camera angle.

If you can't get a tripod lean against something to support yourself if possible. You can also lock your elbows close to your body with your eye firmly in the viewfinder to reduce camera shake. I have on more than one occasion been forced to turn myself into a human tripod. It beats the heck out holding the camera with one hand.

Tip #8: Dealing with stage lighting. I've never met stage lighting that I liked as a camera operator. In fact you will hate it. Mostly because you're the only one that will be concerned with the lighting. Everyone else in the place will give two shakes about your lighting issues.

It doesn't hurt to ask the lighting person to turn up the lights a little for the performance. Low moody light is good for the live crowd watching, but bad for your video.

I was taping a rap artist at a small club in Los Angeles. The house lights were turned down to almost nothing and the stage was lit with a few lights. I asked the lights be turned up a little and was told no. Another time the artist requested that the lights be turned up slightly while they performed and "presto" they made it happen. An artist always carries more weight than a grunt camera operator.

I will avoid going into a technical rant about gain levels etc. But I'm figuring if you're having a non-professional or fairly inexperienced person tape your show that will only add to confusion. I want to keep it to the basics that anyone can handle to improve the quality of footage being taped of the the show. If you have a more camera savvy person taping they will already know the deal on gain etc.

It's not a bad idea to buy a light for the camera. You get these at major electronic retailers for as cheap as . They can even be used off the camera in some situations. I was in a jam once near center stage and had to cradle the camera while sticking the light closer to the artist with my free hand. They're small size makes them great on the move. These small lights won't give you a huge light boost, but it will help.

If you can use the Auto-Exposure this is a great time to do it. Outdoors camera's adjust much better to lighting. Indoors you need to adjust to the lighting you're dealing with. This goes back to planning stage. If you were able to practice using the camera Auto-Focus will not be intimidating to you. Low light means you will have to open the eye of the camera up as much as possible. This should get you through.

Tip #9: Be low key. The crowd is unavoidable at shows. They will cross your in front of your camera when you're taping. They'll look into the camera and all the things we've seen people do when they know a camera is present. Try to be as low key as possible. Be the fly on the wall. You do not want the artists on stage or crowd distracted by you.

This is where it's to your advantage to not have a full blown professional camera crew coming into the venue like a bull in a china shop. People become keenly aware of cameras and act differently. You want the footage to be as natural as possible.

Start by turning off the red light on the camera when you hit record. Cover it with tape if you need to. I have found at live shows the light is distracting to those around you. Earlier I talked about getting a light for the camera. The same thing applies here. If you do not need to turn on the light don't.

When people see that camera light they cover their faces and other things. They're doing everything but acting natural when they see the light. Pick and choose the spots where your camera light needs to be used.

Tip #10: Always get a backstage interview. As soon as your done with your show take time to give an interview backstage to your camera person. You'll be pumped up and that will comes across on the video. You might even be able to get other artists to talk about your performance giving you more credibility, especially if they have a name already.

A real interview away from the phony studio setting or well rehearsed interview by some news person is much more interesting. Here you are fresh from performing backstage at some venue speaking with emotion about your music. You have to be your number one salesmen.

The editing of the footage is something else all together. With the information I've shared you will have better footage to work with in post-production. One last tip I can give is that if you do not have access to editing software to cut your footage into a promotional video look for college students or people looking to break into editing. Sometime they will do it for free to have something to show and build their resume. Could be good for both of you. Best with everything. Maybe you can your music video or live performance shown on Americana VOD.

If you take a moment to think about it, most of the music we listen to today revolves around, and thrives simply on the presence of a beat alone. The music being created is in need of that instrumental if it hopes to succeed. In this day and age especially, a'capellas will not cut it without supporting music behind it, especially if it is a rap mixtape or album. Rap will only survive on a capella status if it is the basis of battle rap, and even still, most battles lately use some sort of instrumentals for rap that the dj is spinning on his or her radio.

So why are beats so important? Mainly, they set the stage, fill the ambience, and deliver the emotion to the listener and the artist alike. Can you imagine a thugged out rapper doing an a'capella on an entire album? Picture the Mobb Deep album Hell on Earth without any instrumentals... would you enjoy it as much? I'm going to guess probably not, especially given the album. And if you've listened to that album, you'll know just how horrible it would probably sound without any hip hop beats to back up the artists.

Beats are important on any hip hop artist's album because they help brand that rapper. With the rapper choosing the types he wants on his album to write for, the choices alone that are made will identify that rapper with his or her own style the more of these types of rap beats are being used.

Instrumentals for rap are also important as they simply set the mood for the listener. They help create a variety of different emotions or moods simply with the instrumental itself. An a'capella telling a story on a rap track may deliver some harsh lyrics, yet the words and content have to be pushed even more to try to evoke a mood. With an instrumental on that same track however, the aggression is triggered, and automatically, you'll feel like you were there as well.

Given the above explanations, you can pretty much gain an idea as to the impact beats give to the music they become a part of.

By setting the mood, elevating the message of the rapper, and helping to set the styles of the hip hop artists using them, instrumentals for rap are very valuable, and almost a requirement for the artist planning to distribute, and market their album releases to generate sales. Without them, most artists would sound like other artists, and it would be very difficult to brand yourself as a rapper or singer if you sounded like the next several people. Instrumentals help change that, and show why they should be a part of your next mixtape or album release.

We are going to talk about three ways that you can get some ideas that will help you to mix your own unique beats so that they have their own sound, a sound that will brand you. You see, you don't want yours to sound like everyone else's beats. The key is to use your creativity to make something sound different.

Secret #1 - Familiarize yourself with lots of different kinds of music

Have you ever listened to music by Brahms, Beethoven, or Mendelssohn? Are you familiar with the music of Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington or Sonny Rollins? Have you carefully listened to the artists like the Beatles, Michael Jackson or the Eagles? Have you spend some time listening to Lee Ann Rimes, or George Strait or even Dolly Parton? Why have I mentioned these artists? If you have noticed, all of these artists represent some different genres of music? Become familiar with various types of music, and you will be able to take your own beat creation abilities to the next level.

Secret #2 - Use Your Ears

We spend a lot of time using our eyes and not enough of our ears. Spend some time listening to what is going on around you. Drive down a country road with your windows open and your radio off. Listen for some unique sounds. Take a walk in the park. If you live near a beach, walk down the beach and listen to all of the various sounds. As your walking in the park, notice leaves rustling, the wind as it blows through the trees, the birds singing and the children playing.

Secret #3 - Work With Those That Are Better Than You

If you want to improve your own skills, you want to work with others who are better skilled or more knowledgeable than you. By doing this, you will learn what and how others create their beats. You never know what you can pick up from others by just watching and listening.