02 · Rhythm · Build Your First Beat
Build Your First Beat
A kick, a snare, a few hats. Make a one-bar loop you can take into your DAW.
Learn
One beat, two equal parts
In 4/4, a bar has four quarter-note beats. An eighth note is half a quarter-note beat: two equal steps per beat. Count one and two and three and four and.
- Kick
- The low thump that grounds the beat.
- Snare
- The backbeat — try beats 2 and 4.
- Hi-hats
- Closed is short and tight; open rings longer. A new hat cuts the open ring short.
Explore
Your drum loop
Basic example loaded · Stopped
CountKickSnareClosed hi-hatOpen hi-hat
Apply · Production Rep
Build the basic beat yourself
Clear the pattern. Put a kick on 1 and 3, a snare on 2 and 4, and closed hi-hats on all eight steps. Leave the open hats empty, then listen.
In your DAW: create a one-bar MIDI clip in 4/4. Set the grid to eighth notes (1/8), choose kick, snare and hat sounds, then recreate these hits and loop the clip.