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.
The groove appears in all genres of music but the instruments used to fill the role differ depending on the genre. In rock music, the rhythm guitar plays this role while in funk music, the guitar also plays it but the wah effect is applied to give it that distinctive funk feel. In techno, the groove role is usually filled by plucks or stabs while in hip-hop, marcato strings or the piano (a al Dr. Dre), are typically used for it. Some good examples of the groove appearing in hip-hop include "No Hands" with Wakka Flocka, Wale, and Roscoe Dash or "Still D.R.E" with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. In "No Hands", you hear the low and dark marcato strings outlining the chords and the pulse of the song while in "Strill D.R.E", you hear the piano providing the chords and a constant rhythm.
Because of it's dual-nature of rhythm and harmony, the groove typically serves as a linking agent between the drums (rhythm) and the lead and pad parts of a song (the melody). The groove serves has the glue that can gel them together. Sometimes, without the groove, the melody parts may sound good apart but don't seem to work when together. The groove is often times that missing link.
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.
The groove appears in all genres of music but the instruments used to fill the role differ depending on the genre. In rock music, the rhythm guitar plays this role while in funk music, the guitar also plays it but the wah effect is applied to give it that distinctive funk feel. In techno, the groove role is usually filled by plucks or stabs while in hip-hop, marcato strings or the piano (a al Dr. Dre), are typically used for it. Some good examples of the groove appearing in hip-hop include "No Hands" with Wakka Flocka, Wale, and Roscoe Dash or "Still D.R.E" with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. In "No Hands", you hear the low and dark marcato strings outlining the chords and the pulse of the song while in "Strill D.R.E", you hear the piano providing the chords and a constant rhythm.
Because of it's dual-nature of rhythm and harmony, the groove typically serves as a linking agent between the drums (rhythm) and the lead and pad parts of a song (the melody). The groove serves has the glue that can gel them together. Sometimes, without the groove, the melody parts may sound good apart but don't seem to work when together. The groove is often times that missing link.
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 member of the Jam Sonic production team, Frank Lubsey produces beats for hip-hop artists, jingles for small companies, and instrumental 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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