How to Make Better Dance Beats

Hack Music Theory

How to Make Better Dance Beats

In this lesson you'll learn how to improve your four-on-the-floor drum beats. But first… Tea!

Hello revolutionary music makers, we are Kate and Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony), and welcome to Hack Music Theory, the fast, easy and fun way to make music! If you’re new to theory, or if you just want a refresher, then read our free book "12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales & Chords". It’ll give you a super solid music theory foundation in just 30 minutes. The free download is below. Enjoy!

Example

Alright, so our tempo is 120 BPM, and here’s an example of a basic four-on-the-floor beat. Maybe your drums are currently sounding something like this? (click play above)

Boring

That’s a solid foundation for your song, but it’s gonna get boring real quick. So, here’s a hack that will spice up your four-on-the-floor drums, without compromising that dancey feel we love about this beat!

Better

So, change your grid to 1/16 note triplets, and add a few hits on the toms. Toms are great, because they add groove but don’t interfere with that vital kick pattern. You can also add a 1/16 note triplet on the snare, but be super careful with adding extra snare hits, as they can mess up that dancey feel.

Hope you found this hack helpful, and if you did, then check out our Drum PDFs.

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