having trouble making breakdowns

K

kg2600

New member
hey guys im having trouble coming up with breakdowns for my tracks. i ususally start off a track by making the drop first so that i know what the song is like but then i hit a brick wall when it comes to making the breakdown and how to get to the drop with it all sounding like they make sense togther. this causes me to lose my groove and then i lose all momentum i may have had from making the drop. so if you have any tips about ways to make a better breakdown or anything that can get me heading in the right direction would really help.

anyway this is the drop for a song that i am currently working on. it isnt the sound that im gonna do but it is the melody and im leaning more towards a big room house type of track. anyways thanks.

Untitled by kg2600 on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free
 
well, it depends on how you look at it. imo, the drop is kinda like a grown up version of the breakdown, so with my methods making the drop first doesnt make sense. I'd recommend, at least for the initial stages, laying down the track linearly, starting from the beginning and working towards the end. you can always fatten it up later but unless you really really know what you're doing starting from the middle and working your way out from there will make the track sound disjointed. it's like building a house, you don't start from the interior design, you begin with the foundations, build the framework of the house, paint the outside and inside, then do the interior design.
hope i helped!
 
do that drum roll thing that everybody is doing. *grin.
 
What i usually do is make the whole track (all instruments) then take some away in chunks to see what sounds the best for the chorus, verse, drop, ect.
 
Remake a song with a great breakdown/drop. Keep on working on it till it sounds like the original. THEN you can make a great drop. It´s technique. Really needs to sit in your fingers like that. I always remake to learn.
 
Heyclown said:
Remake a song with a great breakdown/drop. Keep on working on it till it sounds like the original. THEN you can make a great drop. It´s technique. Really needs to sit in your fingers like that. I always remake to learn.
Click to expand...

Great tip. a lot of people don't see it but I really do believe remaking beats help a lot!
 
A good way to not lose the energy and groove during a breakdown is to record or make a really grooving Hi hat track that you can then keep playing in the background while you do your break. As long as you are making the groove stick to that hi hat you will be building the tension and it will not sound weird when you come back in. This groove track can be anything, but a hi hat is the best as you can get a ton of dynamics and articulations with one so you can really customize that guide groove. For a fantastic example of this, plus a great place to learn awesome breaks, listen to anything by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Blakey keeps his hi hat pulsing the constant groove while he plays drum solos, he is the god of heavy swing grooves and is great for inspiration in this department.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top