The kick drum
With
Dana McKeon
What's in the course
12 lessons (0h 34m) · 1 free
01. How to get ready for Beatboxing & exercises
2:50
02. The kick drum
You are here2:54
03. The two types of hihat sounds
3:29
04. Three types of snare sounds
3:58
05. Creating fast beats in sequence
2:21
06. Cymbal crash
1:45
07. Great trick to create a deep bass sound
2:48
08. Incorporate all the sounds in your first beat pattern
2:37
09. Practise your precision, clarity and speed with a new beat pattern
3:20
10. When do I breathe?
3:02
11. Where to go from here?
3:07
12. Learn a "show-off beat" that incorporates a new shaker sound
2:32
Lesson transcript
Kick Drum Basics
Hey, guys! Welcome back. I hope you're all warmed up now after our first lesson together. Today, we're going to go through the basics of the kick drum.
What is a Kick Drum?
The kick drum is the pulse or the heartbeat of any rhythm, and it sounds like this:
Now, to create the sound, follow these steps:
-
Say the Word "Boo":
- Just say that:
- Boo. Boo. Boo.
-
Focus on the Consonant:
- Focus on the consonant B at the start.
- Make it as tight, powerful, and loud as possible.
- Repeat:
- Boo, boo, boo, boo, boo, boo.
-
Take Away the Vowels:
- Remove the oo and keep the B.
- It should sound like this:
Common Mistake:
- People often say P rather than B.
- It sounds like this: instead of...
- The only difference is where you release the pressure from your lips.
How to Make the Sound
-
Building Up Pressure:
- You're building up pressure in your mouth and then releasing it.
-
Lip Technique:
- If you release it from the front of your lips (with the outside of your lips touching), it sounds like a P.
- If you touch the insides of your lips together and purse your lips slightly, it sounds like a B.
This is where you create the bass sound, which produces the pulse of your beat.
Practice It Together
Let's try it together very slowly. It should sound like this:
- Once you get the hang of that, try taking a deep breath in, then use your diaphragm to push out even more air.
This way, your kick drum will be even more powerful, and it should sound like this:
- Depending on where you release the pressure, how tight your lips are, and how relaxed the sides of your mouth are, you can start to experiment with different kinds of tones. Create your own personal kick drum!
Simple Beat Practice
Once you've got the hang of the kick drum, you can practice with a very simple beat from We Will Rock You, which goes like this:
- This will give you a cool way to learn the sound while having some fun!
Stay tuned! Next up, we'll be learning some more sounds.
12 lessons
0h 34m of structured video lessons
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Dana McKeon is a top-ranking beatboxer, recording and performing artist, songwriter and guitarist.
She is Malta's international beatbox pioneer and the island's official representative at the Beatbox World Championships, where she secured her spot in the Worldwide Top 5 (Solo Female Category) during her very first competition. Dana also holds two Female Vice-Champion titles from the UK Beatbox Championships.
A versatile touring artist, Dana has owned the stage at a plethora of international live gigs including MTV Music Week, The London Paralympics, Lovebox Festival, The O2 London and British Royal Family events. As a support act, she has opened shows for the likes of Rudimental, Stormzy, James Arthur, John Newman and Beardyman.
Her songwriting and production credits include chart-topping radio hits in Europe, airplay on BBC Radio and toplining for various DJs and artists. Dana's music features on countless TV spots and short films, including Netflix, BBC, CBS, NBC, ABC, Universal, MTV, Global, iTV, Bravo, Lifetime, Arena and BT Sport.
In her course she breaks the art form down to its building blocks: the core sounds, beat patterns and techniques you need to start beatboxing with confidence, taught straight from a world-ranked champion.
