If you've ever found yourself trying to rap over a "Trap" style instrumental you may have difficulty figuring out where the beats are landing at first. This is because the instrumental was likely produced in double time. In this lesson, I'll be breaking down what double time is and how it can influence your approach to writing your rap songs. So without further ado... LET'S GET IT!!! Double Time And Trap Beats Explained https://youtu.be/r5WjzkPkwdA Normal Time Now if you've watched any of my previous video lessons you've seen me break down normal time at nauseam. But if you happened to … [Read more...] about Double Time And Trap Beats Explained
Be A Better Rapper Now
So You Wanna Rap? Start By Understanding Bars
If you have recently found yourself-entertaining the thought of learning how to rap then it's crucial that you take your first steps carefully or you will likely find yourself waisting unnecessary time on things that don't matter...yet! In this lesson, I will help you get your footing by first understanding the main thing you need to know when you're getting started...BARS!!. LET'S GET IT!! https://youtu.be/tkqht4W62TI What Are Bars? Bars are simply a way that music is measured. In fact, another term for a Bar is a "measure". This makes it easier for us to communicate with others about … [Read more...] about So You Wanna Rap? Start By Understanding Bars
The Four Bar Theory – How To Keep Your Listeners Hooked!
Today I'm going to share something with you that will not only make you a better rapper but it will make you an outstanding entertainer! This "thing" I'm talking about is called "The 4 Bar Theory" and it doesn't just apply to rapping but it's also useful in songwriting, music production, and mixing as well. The 4 Bar Theory is simple. 4 bars isn't too long nor is it too short. If you can create a payoff for your listener every 4 bars you will have them locked in because your song will be highly entertaining! Let's take a quick look at the word "entertainment". To entertain means to … [Read more...] about The Four Bar Theory – How To Keep Your Listeners Hooked!
How To Rap A Verse: Translating Cadence To Lyrics
Welcome to the 3rd installment of How To Rap A Verse. In the last lesson I discussed how to establish your flow and I came up with four cadences and broke them down for you. In this lesson you're going to learn how to translate your cadences into lyrics and I'll be demonstrating these techniques in the coming videos using the four cadences from the last lesson So without further ado... LET'S GET IT!! https://youtu.be/HIRb0DhWoCw Now before I dive in and start translating my cadences into lyrics there's a few things you need to know. Their Relationship It's important to understand the … [Read more...] about How To Rap A Verse: Translating Cadence To Lyrics
How To Rap A Verse: Establishing Your Flow
Welcome to another installment of How To Rap A Verse . In the first lesson I taught you how to establish your rhythm. In this lesson we're going to build off of that and start working on establishing your flow. So without further ado LET'S GET IT!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOiT5je1WzI What Is Cadence? Now before we dive in and start coming up with flows let's cover just a little bit of ground work. Often times I have people ask me what's the difference between your cadence and your flow. Well there isn't a difference they're the same thing. Flow is actually just a slang word for … [Read more...] about How To Rap A Verse: Establishing Your Flow
How To Rap A Verse – Establishing Rhythm PT.3
Staying on beat is probably the most common obstacle I see people struggle with who are learning how to rap and there's several reasons for it. It's most likely not due to you being tone def or not having rhythm. It's probably because you've just never been taught how to do it in a way that's easy to understand and practical to implement. In this article I'm going to go deeper than I ever have before into this topic and if you apply these techniques they will prevent you from making the same common mistakes that many do. So if you're ready to learn how to lock on to the beat tighter than … [Read more...] about How To Rap A Verse – Establishing Rhythm PT.3
Top 5 Mistakes Rappers Make When Learning How To Rap
I've been rapping for a little over 18 years and have been teaching on the subject of how to rap for about 1 1/2 years as I write this. In this article I will give you inside information on what I've found to be the top 5 mistakes I've found rappers making while their learning how to rap. I hope this article will help prevent you from making the same mistakes and give you more of a focus on the steps you need to take in order to get better at rapping quicker. 1. Can't Identify Beats If you're wanting to learn how to rap there is a certain order that you need to follow in order for everything … [Read more...] about Top 5 Mistakes Rappers Make When Learning How To Rap
How To Rap – Music Notes Explained
https://youtu.be/nnEDBbgu11Y When you're first learning how to rap and you're focusing on improving your flow you may get confused once you learn about music notes such as 1/4 notes, 8th notes and 16th notes. You may be wondering what's the difference between them and why they're important? Now at the moment they may seem sporadic and random but hopefully by the end of this article you'll understand music notes in a new light. Giving you the ability to hear things in music you may have never noticed before which will in turn enable you to work that much more effectively within it. Zooming … [Read more...] about How To Rap – Music Notes Explained
How To Rap: Detecting Tempo
https://youtu.be/dDRfWymngN4 In my last how to rap article I broke down how the tempo of a beat has a significant factor in picking which beat is right for you. In this weeks article i'm going to be explaining different methods of detecting tempo along with the important benefits of doing so. So without further ado... LET'S GET IT!! Why It's Important Now tempo is an Italian word that means "time" and in musical terms it basically means the speed at which a piece of music is performed. Detecting the tempo of the song you're working on is important for the following reasons. You can … [Read more...] about How To Rap: Detecting Tempo
How To Rap: Picking Which Rap Beats To Flow On
https://youtu.be/hoTv0mAesVg A common struggle many artists face who are learning how to rap is coming up with a preset of cadences that they can use to feel out which rap beats to flow on in order to determine if they feel like the beat is right for them in the first place. In this article I'm going to share a few easy to learn cadences that you can use as a starting point to get you going. So without further ado LET'S GET IT! Cadence Presets Now cadence presets are cadences that you have previously learned and have them stored within your on internal memory. Chances are you have already … [Read more...] about How To Rap: Picking Which Rap Beats To Flow On