

Note: that if you don’t hit the cue button exactly in line with the first beat of the track the it’s going to make it really hard for you to get the tempo’s in line using the pitch shift button.ģ. Then whilst counting the beats and phrases, the DJ is getting ready to drop in the track on the 1st beat of a section by tapping the cue points.įor example the last 8 beats of a phrase, a DJ will tap the cue button count 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and drop (press play on the 1). They have set a cue point at the beginning 1st beat of a section. Have you ever watched a DJ online or in a club where you’ve seen them tapping the cue button? Setting cue points on the first beat of each section can help you cue up a track ready to mix in. Or the beginning of the breakdown of the drop where the beat (drums) cut out and you can only hear instruments starting to build up to the drop again. Other signifiers are easier to interpret, such as the bass line kicking in on the drop of a track (on the first chorus of a track). Remember, at the end of a phrase and more importantly each section, such as a chorus, there’s usually a sign in the form of a drum fill or crash cymbal. Now that you’re aware of the structure of beats and you’re familiar with counting the amount of beats per bar, phrase and section, this helps you to beat match by ear. Counting beats, bars and phrases is best thing to understand a practice doing before starting to mix and music together. There are a few elements that you need to become accustomed to when beat matching by ear.ġ.
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If you’re a complete beginner to DJing, then no worries, we will begin with a few ideas on how to help you beatmatch music, in this case House music. This benefits DJs when counting beats and phrases to know when the end of a phrase is or the end of a section. This is usually in the form of a cymbal crash and potentially with a drum fill. Tip: At the end of each phrase there’s usually some significant beat pattern that highlights the end of the of phrase. Sections of songs can be defined as intro, breakdown, build up, chorus, verse and outro. Let’s visualise a phrase of a 16 beat pattern to help you get to grips with what you can expect to be listening out for when first learning to DJ.Įach phrase is made up of 16 beats, when combined together with other phrases form the basis of sections of music. This can help when counting phrases to know when you’re coming to the end of a section, AKA chorus or verse for example. Notice that I’ve split the 16 beat phrase into chunks of 8. Understanding the structure is the next port of call when learning how to DJ House music.īut first it’s important to know that the building blocks that make up sections of a House music track are called phrases. Let’s visualise the structure of a 4 count beat. In turn helps you to get familiar and build a good ear for House music. Well it’s important because knowing how beats syncopate and are formed rhythmically help you to become accustomed to counting bars and phrases. And finally, the cymbals or hi-hats are commonly featured on the off beat in between each of beats.

The snare is 9 times out of 10 on beats 2 and 4 which makes life even easier. Meaning that there’s a kick drum pumping to the beat, always in time with the count of 1,2,3 and 4.

The house beat is without a doubt synonymous with 4 x 4 beat structure. Then on top of that, some more techniques and tips to support your knowledge about DJing House music as a genre.Ĭheck out our NEW DJ Course here. In this article let’s explore the basics of DJing to help you in DJing House music. Mixing using the EQ knobs allows for smoothing mix transitions commonly used in House music DJing. Understanding beats and song structures will help to master beat matching and phrase matching. How To Mix A Song | Mixing Bass | Part 4 of 7ĭJing House music requires the basic skills of mixing music using a DJ controller, CDJs or Turntables with a DJ mixer.
