Rudimentary Knowledge: The Basics

Rudimentary Knowledge: The Basics

One of the most wonderful things about the English language is that its alphabet lends itself to the art of beatbox! The sounds which are associated with the individual letters can be replicated by the human mouth to create the sounds which are frequently associated with vocal percussion. Everyone has to start somewhere. Although basic, they serve the necessary function to provide novices and beginners with a foundation to build upon.

Here are the sounds as they are represented in written form!

The Basics

The Kickdrum

Letter: B or b
Sound: [ buh ]

The "K" Snare

Letter: K
Sound: [ kuh ] or [ keh ]

Hi-Hats // Cymbals

Letter(s): "t" - open // "ts" - closed
Sound: [ ti ] or [ ts ]

Exercise

Now that we have established the sounds, it is time to incorporate them into a working exercise. For those individuals who are somewhat acquainted with the rudimentary sounds and techniques, the words "boots" and "cats" may represent a familiar exercise; however, for those who are new to the art form it may represent a foreign concept.

The reason why "boots" and "cats" is a good starting point for any beginner, is because it incorporates all of the basic sounds in a patterned sequence.

Steps:

1. Start by saying the words "boots" & "cats"
• boots, cats
2. Syncopate the words in 4/4 time
• one & two & three & four &...
3. Once comfortable, (un)emphasize the "oo" and the "a" in their respective words
• b oo ts, c a ts
4. Now, you're only left with "b ts" and "c ts" or in this case, "k ts"
• b ts k ts // b ts k ts // b ts k ts // ... etc.

Videos - Tutorials

Because not everyone is a visual learner, here are a few videos that might help from an auditory perspective.

Fat Tony

Video courtesy of Fat Tony

For more tutorials, be sure to check out his channel by clicking on the link above!

The Groovy Newts

Video courtesy of thegroovynewts

Be sure to check out her channel by clicking on the link above!