Tips on making r&b tracks (without guitars or piano)

[Hi-res]

Im trying to expand my style..i mean i know i can make the average r&b track with a piano (including electric/rhodes) and guitars..but i seem stuck when i try to make an r&b beat without those things...what other sounds should i try to use

and i dont mean that synthy type pop r&b crap thats so big right now either..like that chris brown ish....i mean somethin soulful

 

[DJ Curve]

I'd look at stuff that Rodney Jerkins produced.....it will be hard to get by without Guitars or Electric/Rhodes/Wurli pianos though. Try a harp, flute combination or something. Bells/mallets go well too. Thats about all I could think of off the top of the dome. Oh yea, try to use some world sounds with like an arabic/indian or asian feel to it, I just did this one track for my main artist with the sickest arabic/indian sample and all it had was a harp and some sort of sick ass string...I just added played another string on top of it and a little organ for the chorus and everything sound cold.

 

[Cyko]

Any instruments


Strings
Synths ( make them sound Soulful)
harps
Drums
flutes


any instruments all instruments

 

[Wha Chu Mean]

It's in the drums. The perc's can make or break a track. Listen to R&B tracks that have little in them as their perc's are more complex.

Raheem Devaughn has a track called "sweet tooth" and it's really different.