How To

How to Use Advanced Techniques in Beatboxing

Contributor
By Maurice Moss
eHow Contributing Writer
(0 Ratings)

Beatboxing has forged its way into mainstream music. Once related to a street phenomenon alongside rap, beatboxing can now be heard in the music of hit makers such as Justin Timberlake. The average person can master basic beatboxing in a matter of days. Highly intricate beatboxing, however, may take a little longer. Here’s how to use advance techniques in beatboxing.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Instructions
  1. Step 1

    Relax and prepare the body to be used as an instrument. Advanced beatboxing uses the entire body to create a variety of sounds. Listening to artists such as Bobby McFerrin can give you a good place to start for comparison and advanced techniques.

  2. Step 2

    Keep the mouth closed and pretend as if the stomach is being hit. While keeping the mouth closed, make the ‘ooof’ sound. This is a good simulation of the bass sound that many electronic instruments make. Practice this to a beat to customize the sound.

  3. Step 3

    Make the ‘shhh’ sound as if telling someone to be quiet. This is a good replication of the snare drum. Use the bass sound given in step one with the snare sound to create the beginnings of a good song foundation.

  4. Step 4

    Blow through the cheeks making the ‘f’ sound to create a cymbal for the snare in step three. Start building air from the stomach to make this sound and experiment with the delivery to get different sounds.

  5. Step 5

    Record the combinations of sound created in steps two through four. Listen to the recording at fast and slow speeds. Listen to it in reverse and examine how the sound can be refined.

  6. Step 6

    Do some live shows to fine-tune sound. Nothing beats a microphone and a crowd of screaming fans to bring the beat-boxing skill to the next level. Most cities have an underground hip hop movement where up and coming beat boxers can meet and show their new techniques. Find open mic shows, get on stage and go for it.

  7. Step 7

    Join a message board online. Millions of people around the world support beat-boxing and want to see the skill survive. The feedback here will be invaluable.

  8. Step 8

    Look for artists in other genres who appreciate the beat-box movement. Music is always experiencing genre bending. Rock artists incorporate hip hop elements. R&B artists incorporate rock elements into their songs. Artists outside the hip hop movement who appreciate the beat box sound and would like to incorporate it into their music can expand the skills of the beat-boxer.

Resources

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