Today, we'll discuss the groove and its role in music. What makes the groove special in music is that it has the job of helping to establish both the rhythmic foundation and harmonic foundation of a song whereas other roles in music do one or the other.
In every genre of music, the groove is present but it is played on different instruments. For example, in funk music, the wah guitar is the instrument that is most relied on for establishing the groove. In reggae music, there is a constant accent on the upbeats played by the piano and guitar and a "bubble" pattern played by the organ. In hip-hop, anything from marcato strings to piano have been used to establish the groove. Good examples of the groove in hip-hop can be found in "No Hands" with Wakka Flocka, Wale, and Roscoe Dash with the dark strings outlining the pulse of the track. Another example would be the constant piano in "Still D.R.E" with Dr. Dre and Snoop.
Due to it's dual role of establishing both rhythm and harmony, the groove is often times a linking agent that helps both the rhythmic parts of the song and the harmonic parts work together. Often times, if you have a good sound leading part and a good sounding drum part but they aren't working together, the groove may be what is needed to bring the parts together.
One other important function of the groove is to provide motion in a track. Because of it's rhythmic nature, parts that play the role of the groove have a sense of motion that more sustained parts such as the pads, just don't have. Often times, when a track is pretty much fully built but it seems stagnant, the groove is the final part that is missing that will give a song life. Use this sense of motion to your advantage when arranging a track. Often times, you can start out a track without the groove and then add the groove in at a part such as the chorus or to help build out parts in the verse. This provides interesting dynamics to the song by taking it from no movement to movement and vice versa. Combine this by using smaller divisions of notes occurring in the hi-hat (i.e going from 8th to 16th notes), it can be a powerful effect to add energy and motion to your track.
The groove is a powerful role and is essential to providing movement to your tracks. Experiment with incorporating it into your beats. In the next segment, we will talk about the leads.
In every genre of music, the groove is present but it is played on different instruments. For example, in funk music, the wah guitar is the instrument that is most relied on for establishing the groove. In reggae music, there is a constant accent on the upbeats played by the piano and guitar and a "bubble" pattern played by the organ. In hip-hop, anything from marcato strings to piano have been used to establish the groove. Good examples of the groove in hip-hop can be found in "No Hands" with Wakka Flocka, Wale, and Roscoe Dash with the dark strings outlining the pulse of the track. Another example would be the constant piano in "Still D.R.E" with Dr. Dre and Snoop.
Due to it's dual role of establishing both rhythm and harmony, the groove is often times a linking agent that helps both the rhythmic parts of the song and the harmonic parts work together. Often times, if you have a good sound leading part and a good sounding drum part but they aren't working together, the groove may be what is needed to bring the parts together.
One other important function of the groove is to provide motion in a track. Because of it's rhythmic nature, parts that play the role of the groove have a sense of motion that more sustained parts such as the pads, just don't have. Often times, when a track is pretty much fully built but it seems stagnant, the groove is the final part that is missing that will give a song life. Use this sense of motion to your advantage when arranging a track. Often times, you can start out a track without the groove and then add the groove in at a part such as the chorus or to help build out parts in the verse. This provides interesting dynamics to the song by taking it from no movement to movement and vice versa. Combine this by using smaller divisions of notes occurring in the hi-hat (i.e going from 8th to 16th notes), it can be a powerful effect to add energy and motion to your track.
The groove is a powerful role and is essential to providing movement to your tracks. Experiment with incorporating it into your beats. In the next segment, we will talk about the leads.
About the Author:
A founding part of the Jam Sonic production squad, Frank Lubsey composes beats for hip-hop artists, jingles for small businesses, and background music for film and tv. His love of music began at a young age and never went away. Be sure to visit his website for beatmaking articles and videos and hip-hop beats for sale.
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