How to Do Reggaeton Beat Sequencing on a Keyboard

Learning to play the keyboard can be fun and exciting, especially when you have the opportunity to learn to play cultural and different types of music than what you are used to hearing. Reggaeton is a jazzy, fun and exciting style of music that you can master on the keyboard.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Get familiar with your keyboard. This should include going through all of the synthesizer sounds and marking the ones you like and will likely use the most often. You will need to be able to record the track or sequence you are going to put together. You will also need to be able to export it and break it up into different beats, or loops. Also, consider the instruments you will need to synthesize for the Reggaeton beat: keyboard, percussion, drums, snares and bass.

2. Listen to some really good Reggaeton music to get the basic sounds, beats, instruments and timing into your head. Check out Reggaetonline for some of the best artists and albums of Reggaeton music, including Daddy Yankee and Tego Calderon.

3. Start building layers on your keyboard. Start with the kick drum to add a solid back beat. Set the timing for your desired sound. Keep adding layers, including the hit hat, then snare drum and the rest of the drum ensemble until you have the drums set up.

4. Add any remaining percussion and create a loop with what you have created so far. The percussion generally sets the sound for the rest of the instruments to follow. This is called a back beat and maintains the tone and style of the music. Next, add the bass, keyboard and horns. You should now have a great Reggaeton beat and can now move on to mixing the tracks and creating something truly original.

Resources

• Reggaetonline