Kōkiri Learn

Background reading · The Arts

Inside a track: beat, bass, chords and hook

The four jobs that layers do in most modern music, and the words producers use when they build a track on a computer.

Put on almost any song and it can sound like one big sound. It isn't. A track is a stack of layers, and each layer has a job. Producers (people who build and shape recorded music) think about those jobs all the time.

The four jobs

  • Beat: the drums and percussion. They give the track its pulse and drive. A low kick drum, a sharper snare or clap, and fast, light hi-hats. - Bass: the lowest notes. The bass links the beat to the harmony, so you feel the chords in your chest. - Chords: three or more notes played together. Chords create harmony, and harmony sets the mood. - Melody or hook: the tune on top. The hook is the short part you can't stop humming.

    • Texture: how many layers at once

    Texture means how thick or thin the music sounds. A track often starts with only one or two layers (thin), adds more in the build, and hits the biggest moment with everything playing (thick). Taking layers away is just as powerful as adding them: a sudden drop to one sound makes listeners lean in.

    Words producers use

  • Tempo: the speed, measured in beats per minute (BPM). Around 70 feels relaxed; around 120 makes people want to move. - Bar: a group of beats, usually four. Most loops are 2, 4 or 8 bars long. - Loop: a section that repeats. - Sample: a short recorded sound used as an instrument, like a door slam used as a snare. - DAW: a digital audio workstation, the software used to record, arrange and mix music.

    • Built on a laptop

    Recording music used to need an expensive studio. From the 1990s, the cost of recording dropped so much that young musicians could make quality tracks without a big record label. Today, producers in Auckland, Wellington or a small town can make music that is heard around the world, starting with the same tools you can open in a browser.

    Listen like a producer

    Next time you hear a song, ask: what is the beat doing? Where is the bass? When do the chords change? What is the hook? Then use the same questions to build your own.

    Sources and further reading

    Written for Kōkiri Learn students in our own words. Check facts against the sources.

    Used in: Beat Makers: Composing with Music Technology