Consider the purpose of your dance music. Is it for a specific event, a class, or just for fun? Take this into consideration. For example, if you’re making some dance music for a party you’re having in a few weeks you’ll want the music to be more upbeat. Don’t limit yourself by genres and pop charts. Look for new artists and experiment!
It’s not so different from familiarizing yourself with the basics chords if you were trying to learn guitar. Once you begin to understand the textures to these sounds the rest of your music making experience will be a lot easier. [2] X Research source
By no means should you ever copy someone’s work and claim it as your own. However, if you’re just trying to learn and build confidence it is very helpful to take the framework of a song that you enjoy and make alterations. [3] X Research source
You also want a program that will make your life easier as you proceed with your arrangement. Ableton Live and Bitwig are two popular options.
High hat sounds good with straight eighth notes or sixteenths. You can use snare drum to accent and syncopate the beat. Hip-hop uses the clap, so you may want to try to use electronic snare instead. [4] X Research source
The attack is the very beginning of a drum beat.
Choosing the right sounds at the beginning is much more important than tweaking levels later on. Pick something that gels right away. Otherwise you may end up rebuilding your track from the ground up later. [8] X Research source
Consider the arc you want your song to have. Do you want an interlude, a big drop, or a build up? Try charting our how you want your song to sound on a piece of paper before you start building it.
Some sort of rhythmic phrase can add a whole new component to your dance music.
You can also pull from the sounds on other programs. If you stick with the sounds on your program for too long your music will become stagnant and repetitive.
