How would One use a chord progression in hip hop

K

kukura

New member
My latest issue is I'll come up with some chord progressions lets say to be simple a I-IV-V-V
and ill be able to come up with a melody on a piano and with that I'm stuck I might be able to throw
a bass line or even some drums as well but it comes out sounding like video game music.
Do any of you have any suggestions on how you would turn a chord progression into a hip hop or R&B song
It would be much appreciated or if you could tell me your work flow process
Ex. Chord Progression->Melody->Drums-> etc
Any response would be much appreciated thanks.
 
Think about using some groove on your drums and everything else, particularly if you have a lot of sixteenth notes in your tunes - if everything has been quantised back to the grid it will sound robotic and early video-gamish in nature
 
Agree with BC,

It could also be an issue with your choice of sounds, what are your sources of sound?
 
Here's what I think:
You just gotta do what sounds right. Hip hop has simple chord progressions most of the time. It can be two chords, doesn't necessarily need to be 4. Secret's in the vibe of the beat, that's what I say (meaning that the kickdrum, bassline, drums sound fat and smooth, the rest should come to you naturally)
 
Most of the time I make the progression and the melody on a piano sound and set the two into different channells and play them back in different instruments until I find something that sounds decent. The problem is that I don't know what would sound good together for melody and harmony

I also agree that hip hop is often simple most of the time most of the songs I can't even hear the chords and the bass line would be quite simple.

I just need maybe a template or something to work from and from their I could expand just so I can kinda see how the pieces of the puzzle would be put together or something
 
Well most of the hip hop I listen to is jazzy...

So from my perspective, you must use the right sounds/chords.

So If I were to create a new progression using an electric piano....

Am9 - Cdim7 - Cmaj7 - Bb7

Here's something I wouldn't consider as jazzy/hip hop

Am - C

To put it simply, more complex chords will make it sound closer to hiphop/jazz. So throw in more dim, dominant, subsitution chords etc to spice it up.

Of course to really make it hip hop you need the beat, if you want it to sound closer to something real, then do not quantize your midi. Most hip hop/jazz has swing to it for a more organic feel....

Here's a little example from a beat I made yesterday in like 20 minutes. Its a 3 chord progression! Very simple, but the third chord completely changes the progression from happy to sad/dark.
Also notice how the chords are after the beat, it isn't quantized and I purposely played it swing/laggy like that.

soundcloud.com/cloudspills/lagger


Its very basic but I hope this helped you in some way
 
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I checked out the track and it was cool, and you guys have helped with the fact that I no longer use the grid for my drum patterns and thats making it sound alot more organic.

I think I have figured out now what im trying to get at. Ill use your progression to make a melody with the piano but where do I go from there? How do you make a song from a chord progression?

Like how do you guys compose your tracks and what would you do if you had a given progression.
 
You want all the secrets in one hit???? ROTFLMFAO and then some.....

Explore, experiment, learn some theory about how to write an organic melody that will flow over these chords and others to boot.

Learn about layering parts

Learn about song structure

Learn about orchestration techniques

Learn about arranging techniques

Learn about mixing

Learn about sound design

Learn! Research!! Apply!!!!!!!

Rinse and repeat for your entire life
 
thanks those are some angles I can attack and with that knowledge it should help me make better tracks, any suggestions on where to acquire the melodic and layering theory?
 
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