Easy Steps on How to Make Hip Hop Beats

The fantastic aspect about hip hop and a major part that makes it popular is the basic rules laid down when making a hip hop beat. This creates space for creative expression due to its flexibility. Despite the fact that it can be fun making the beat it can also be cumbersome at times. Here are few steps you can follow on how to compose hip hop beats.

The first step is picking the style of the beat. You have to know what you want before making it. These styles are like rap, rnd, pop, etc. after determining your style is when we go to the actual making of the beat. You should start with creating a drum beat which is the most fundamental part of this beat. When creating the drum beat you can opt to use pre-recorded midi - drums, drum loop or just produce your own drum loop with a beat making software. To make a solid base you are required to produce a drum beat that is four or two measures long.

After laying down the drums, the next thing you need to do is creating or picking a bass grove. The bass line you decide to use should rhyme with the drum beat, catchy and loop-based. You should know that the bass groove is also important. Using your program you can produce your own bass line or just go online and download a free bass groove. Now you have the bass and the drums now it is when creativity comes in.

The subsequent step is adding an orchestration. An orchestration is basically any element or musical sound that is at the top of the basic beat. At this point you can decide to use an instrument like a harmonica, violin or harp. You can also add any sound as long as it complements the hip hop beat. Once you are through with this step, you now can add some samples. Sampling is usually included in all hip hop beat. This is simply a snippet of the pre-recorded song by an artist. To avoid getting any trouble with the copyright laws you should get permission from the artist. Once you are through with that hurdle you can now add the samples to the beat.

After that, is the part where you add effects. These will help in adding originality to the beat. There a number to pick from and it is up to you to decide what you want. These effects range from delay, compression and re-verb.

It all comes down to just a mere fact of understanding the current trends by most hip hop artists and then letting your imagination run the show. Listen to the all times greats and apply the basics and the question of how to make hip hop beats won't need an answer. All you need to do is train your ears to pick out the trends and know what the hip hop industry is craving for. With all this you will make bit in the music world.

By Zach Santana

5 Simple Steps To Grow As A Tattoo Designer

With the popularity of tattoos as an art form, many are attracted to it. There are hundreds, even thousands, of people who want to become tattoo artists. Unfortunately, not everyone ends up with their dream.

Many start their career by trying their hand with a basic tattoo kit and practicing on their friends. Others learn about their inherent skill by accident, while a few enroll in formal art classes for the purposes of learning to tattoo. Whichever way you come to learn about the art of tattooing, you have to devote your time and commit yourself to this lifestyle if you want to succeed. As any experienced tattoo artist would always say, there is no shortcut to success. Here are some of the best tips for anyone who wants to become a tattoo designer.

TIP #1: Sketch it out!

All tattoo designs, however simple they may be, start with a great sketch. Sketching is one thing that tattoo artists must learn. By sketching out your design, you will be able to foresee the final result; this way you can determine what colors would be best. At the same time, you will also see how the design will fit the body contours of the client. You can make necessary changes to your design before finally tattooing it on your canvas. Basically, your sketch stands as the planning phase. It is at this stage where excellent tattoo designs are made.

TIP #2: Never allow your hands to be idle.

Just like any other skill, practice is essential if you want to grow as a tattoo artist. You need to practice your artistic skill by trying out as many different mediums as possible. The more you use your hands, the better you become and the faster you develop your tattoo skills. Take the time to draw tattoo designs on paper and try them out on artificial skin. Over time, you will find your skill levels will increase.

TIP #3: Build your own niche.

Every tattoo artist has their own forte. Tattoos can be categorized in virtually thousands of ways. As you begin making your own custom tattoo designs, you will find a category that appeals to you most. If you are good at tribal designs, you can work your way to the top with those. However, you must not stop there. You should continuously try to broaden your library. The purpose is to start with one niche and eventually covering all kinds of tattoo art. By having one niche, you will find that mastering the art of tattooing is easy.

TIP #4: Play with colors and styles.

As mentioned earlier, you should not confine yourself to one tattoo style. Always try to broaden your skills by combining different designs, colors and styles. There are unlimited resources online available to you; you simply have to do your own research.

TIP #5: Deal with your weaknesses.

This is probably the most important tip you need to constantly be mindful of. To become an exceptional tattoo artist, you need to know your weaknesses, and confront them. This is the most difficult aspect that every tattoo artist must deal with, but once you overcome your weaknesses, you can do virtually anything.

Hopefully, these five simple tips will help you find your place in the industry.

By Kristen Sauerzopf