Writing + Producing Jazzy Lo-Fi Hip-Hop Beats (the HARD way!)

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Күн бұрын

The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! shorturl.at/bouLV
My pro theory + songwriting course: bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4
The whole song/music video is here: • Seventeen Days - Jake ...
This video is a guided tutorial through writing and producing a lofi hiphop beat to study chill or smoke to. I say it's jazzy cause it has saxophone and some extended chords :P It actually can be thought of as 33/32 though I wouldn't notate it like that - you'll hear how and why it came together that way as the song progresses.
Special thanks to my Patreon subscribers, they are my favorite people on the whole planet and this video wouldn't exist without them. Additional thanks goes to Mike Muggli (Moog Lee) for his added keyboard line, Mark Kahovec for his Government Subsidized Saxophone, and Jeff Schwertfeger for sending me a bunch of random clips.
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
If you were confused at the theory in this video you should check out these other lessons I did:
Writing with 7th chords: • How To Write Progressi...
Motifs and chords: • Motifs and Chords- The...
Hemiola: • HEMIOLA: What It Is & ...
Table of contents:
00:00 Intro
00:48 The Sloppiest Rhythm Ever
05:25 Writing a Melodic Theme
09:02 Adding Vocals
09:46 SAX
10:38 Creating Ambience and Atmosphere
11:34 Production Notes
13:40 The FINAL step to LoFi Goodness
15:06 Music Video "Seventeen Days"
18:06 Final Comments

Пікірлер: 604

@MKSilverSax 3 жыл бұрын

Government Subsidized Saxophone approves of this message. Thanks for letting me be part of this. It was fun!

@SignalsMusicStudio 3 жыл бұрын

THE SAXMAN COMETH. Thanks so much for playing on this track man!

@candormind3159 3 жыл бұрын

your line is my favorite part of this lofi

@MKSilverSax 3 жыл бұрын

@@candormind3159 Thank you!

@Jonpoo1 3 жыл бұрын

Best use of taxes

@telecoustic000 3 жыл бұрын

No more government subsidizing for active basses!

@hahayes7205 3 жыл бұрын

"We could write this as a measure of 33/32" Me: **master of puppets flashbacks*

@Wind-nj5xz 3 жыл бұрын

@Hidde Veldkamp 21/32

@blackcitadel37 3 жыл бұрын

Lmao I knew someone would remember that

@DuNkGoW 3 жыл бұрын

Is that the A part? I count like two 4/4 bars and a 7/4 bar

@Roboprogs 3 жыл бұрын

Hmmmm. So, a 33 beat long pattern in my Model Samples??? Maybe.

@MarceloHenkin 3 жыл бұрын

the amount of knowledge this guy has and the way he is able to express and communicate it is almost frightening. brilliant video, by the way.

@seiph80 3 жыл бұрын

Agreed

@awakelingsignals 3 жыл бұрын

My appreciation for him doin his thang and every patreonsupporter he has ever and ever will have ... is enormous.

@Dariocomposer 3 жыл бұрын

This type of communication is definitely an amazing skill

@Dariocomposer 3 жыл бұрын

and he looks like Shazam!

@kazvanrooij 2 жыл бұрын

But he gets some things wrong. His way of making the last beat late is redundant. You CAN tell a computer to be late. Groove settings are a thing computers can do.

@simonbelanger1046 3 жыл бұрын

This whole channel is the definition of quality content.

@cory8242 3 жыл бұрын

I don't think ive come across anything similar to how quality this guys channel is in any field

@ThatOtherRaccoon 3 жыл бұрын

I love when Beardstank is involved in projects. He's like, "You want elevator? Boom I got you. You want cityscape sounds? Boom I got you."

@SignalsMusicStudio 3 жыл бұрын

and to think you haven't even seen him in his final form yet...

@ThatOtherRaccoon 3 жыл бұрын

@@SignalsMusicStudio nothing short of majestic I'm sure!

@MattyWhens 3 жыл бұрын

"The Sample Pack!" "The Sample Pack!" "Unbelievable Sample Pack!"

@zachr5779 3 жыл бұрын

You can’t escape the ad. Ever.

@rx456 3 жыл бұрын

im preety sure the city sound is him humping his bed or somthing

@_wayneman_ 3 жыл бұрын

"So you have a new music production video for me?" "Yes Sir, I do." "But you just released another good video a couple of days ago. Isn't it hard to come up with new ideas that fast?" "Actually no. Super easy, barely an inconvenience" "Well, if you say so... I'm gonna watch, like and comment for the algorithm"

@SignalsMusicStudio 3 жыл бұрын

for the record I don't find this very easy lol

@_wayneman_ 3 жыл бұрын

@@SignalsMusicStudio Mom get the camera! He answered to me! On a serious note tho: I DO think you make some of the finest videos on this platform and if I wouldn't be that chronically broke student, I'd totaly support your work besides sharing it with friends. Hope you never stop doing this and all the best wishes from Germany!

@NoName-fc8cq 3 жыл бұрын

@@_wayneman_ "Is it going to be difficult to put in a ryan george reference?" "Actually, no. Its super easy, barely an inconvenience"

@KyAnnZorain 3 жыл бұрын

Well said.

@jimBobuu 3 жыл бұрын

"Lo fi hip hop is tight!" "Sir, no. It's the exact opposite of that so I'm going to need you to get all the way off my back on this one."

@TheKnicks2012 3 жыл бұрын

Only thing you missed was a “Jake Studying” character loop

@coreyz796 3 жыл бұрын

And a cat🐈

@dylanduke1075 3 жыл бұрын

Getting a notification saying “Signals Music Studio has uploaded a new video: Writing & Producing Lo-Fi Hip Hop” was literally like a god send

@TheGlitterMovement 3 жыл бұрын

Everything about this makes me realize how much I don't know.

@poppavee 3 жыл бұрын

Keep pushing forward and learning! Learning never ends and no matter how much you know you can always learn more. Having said that, limitation breeds creativity, so you’ll be fine with what you already know!

@SignalsMusicStudio 3 жыл бұрын

Sounds like a huge opportunity :)

@KyAnnZorain 3 жыл бұрын

You and me both. And I studied music theory for more than 4 years. I don't know anything.

@ricardotmc 3 жыл бұрын

@@KyAnnZorain If u studied music theory for 4 years and don't know nothing , u are doing something wrong

@yessir6427 3 жыл бұрын

@@KyAnnZorain lul

@dissinyosandwich7548 3 жыл бұрын

Honestly one of your best vids so far. The 4/4 + 9/8 slowed down trick was HELLA smart. The slowing down and chopping up of samples funnily enough reminded me of Ben Levin's amazing "fakerwave" video. A lot of these tricks could be applied to an 80's pop context instead of hip-hop and you'd get some classic vaporwave in the vein of Floral Shoppe or Eccojams.

@SignalsMusicStudio 3 жыл бұрын

If someone says my video reminds them of Ben Levin I take it as an enormous compliment :)

@mokrodrigues4515 3 жыл бұрын

This is exactly what is was looking for: Lofi without using samples. Thanks a lot! This sounds beautiful!

@JayOneAlumni 2 жыл бұрын

Most of it isn’t Cos clearing samples is too much money usually so people just make their own stuff

@isaacthecorncob 2 жыл бұрын

@@JayOneAlumni No a lot of it is just stolen. Not the officially released stuff because legal reasons, but there is a LOT of lofi that is just completely ripped

@JayOneAlumni 2 жыл бұрын

@@isaacthecorncob its not stolen (as a music producer) a lot of people sample in lofi, the people who make money usually use sample packs (different thing) or make them themselfs/get people to play parts and then sample that and manipulate that. its not hard.

@Hexenhammer 3 жыл бұрын

Great song, btw. I usually can't stand disjointed rhythms, and my brain wants to "fix" them. This hits exactly where you wanted, and as an educational piece, it is super functional. Bravo, sir.

@SignalsMusicStudio 3 жыл бұрын

It's funny, the whole song is kinda off the grid but just implies a grid, and that's close enough. there's also a randomly generated hi hat that appears at the silliest of times, and even that's not enough to ruin the 4 4 vibe

@imslicc 3 жыл бұрын

you're actually a music theory youtuber that can make nice sounding music. ridiculously, this is never the case..

@induhgo_ 2 жыл бұрын

Hahah I was just watching some tutorials and all the music sounded lame. The instrument choices weren’t it. He’s def got it

@emapage8914 2 жыл бұрын

You should check out Adam Neely then :)

@induhgo_ 2 жыл бұрын

@@emapage8914 thanks! Will do!

@johnrushton3426 2 жыл бұрын

@@emapage8914 I second this comment!

@tfwnoyandere 2 жыл бұрын

@@emapage8914 yes

@gemmachaos 3 жыл бұрын

These are the most empowering music videos around. Everytime I watch one of Jake's videos I feel like I've learned something I can just immediately apply to my own music.

@morethen9000 3 жыл бұрын

It's so funny how the harmony changes how we feel a melody. The melody alone gives me a dark and unsettling vibe, probably because it finishes in the 7th degree. But when you add the I-V progression it kinda sounds resolved when the F# kicks in, sounding like F# is our I chord actually.

@okwhatever_ Жыл бұрын

Yeah it slays fs

@pdreding 3 жыл бұрын

But where's the studying anime girl and/or raccoon?

@BenRobsonMusic 3 жыл бұрын

The polymeter is a cool idea to get that "drunk" rhythmic feel. I also like the "quintuplet/septuplet swing" method, where what sounds like inaccurate timing is actually just a weird, sparse -tuplet rhythm.

@cherian5700 3 жыл бұрын

Can someone explain how he did it? I’ve rewatched the rhythm part for about 3 times, and I still don’t get it. I’m not too familiar with time signatures and all that, so any help would be appreciated.

@BenRobsonMusic 3 жыл бұрын

@@cherian5700 each "beat" you hear in the final song is actually a full measure at a really fast tempo - 4 times faster than the "real" tempo of the song. The first 3 "beats" are full measures of 4/4 (4 quarter notes, or 8 eighth notes, per measure), but you hear them as beats instead of measures because they go by quickly and there's only one point of emphasis in each. The last "beat" is a measure of 9/8, which is one eighth note longer than the other 3. This makes it sound like the music is skipping or stuttering because the rhythmic loop restarts slightly later than it would if all 4 beats were the same length. In short, the last beat of each measure that you hear is intentionally "too long."

@BenRobsonMusic 3 жыл бұрын

@@cliffpinchon2832 yeah this is an unusual method as far as i know. I can't argue with the result though!

@darshankumar2717 3 жыл бұрын

I shall be eternally grateful to this channel.

@DDRseagull 3 жыл бұрын

Speeding up the song and using each measure for a single beat... That's brilliant

@yd6782 3 жыл бұрын

I love the sax part! Omg so nice

@MKSilverSax 3 жыл бұрын

::High Five:: Thanks for the love!

@jamesrobinson529 3 жыл бұрын

Hands down, this is my favorite tutorial that you've ever produced! You should definitely consider making an entire lofi album.

@psychonavi 3 жыл бұрын

why dont you do it, ill be pleasedt to hear it, no jokes

@jamesrobinson529 3 жыл бұрын

@@psychonavi I should probably do that. One of my problems is that I get deep in production. Then I'll start to feel like I'm neglecting my guitar technique. One of my biggest hurdles is mastering the 9/8 feel. To me, it's a must have to authentically nail the lofi sound.

@isaacthecorncob 2 жыл бұрын

I second this. I normally don't like lofi or hip hop, but I really, thoroughly, enjoyed his track here.

@jmusick848 3 жыл бұрын

that polymeter technique on the drums is a pretty unique to get that off the grid rhythm for sure

@dylanduke1075 3 жыл бұрын

Jake any chance you could do something on jazz noir?? Your new track seems to hit on that vibe a little

@natios100 3 жыл бұрын

oh yes please! some dark jazz tutorial would be amazing

@rodrigolara6263 3 жыл бұрын

Yessssss

@mariabrandao5559 3 жыл бұрын

Ooooh i would love that

@jameskowalkowski2308 2 жыл бұрын

Second that!!

@ayojdon 2 жыл бұрын

As if I couldn't have fallen in love with this channel more with the amount of information I've gained and retained over the past few weeks, props to you man you are a great teacher and I hope you see this so you can see how much you've truly help me fall back into love with making and playing music again! 🎶 thank you

@victorNDSL 3 жыл бұрын

YES!!! I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO FOR AGES! THANKS JAKE!

@SteffenThole 3 жыл бұрын

"Slow it down by a half step" astonishingly makes a lot of sense.

@CTRex343 3 жыл бұрын

Alternative title: i break every rule of music and it sounded great

@g.mantua1195 3 жыл бұрын

Signals Music Studio has quickly become my favorite KZfaq channel. Great groove and thanks for the teching.

@Telee_Pawt 3 жыл бұрын

The fun is infectious. Loved it. Couldn't keep the smile off my face. Thx!

@drumlinemedia5555 3 жыл бұрын

My dirty secret to making trip hop sound old is to sample in a record needle running on empty vinyl, the space before the music starts.

@steevothaman 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent content. Your musical range and talent for teaching makes for one of the best music instruction channels on the web! Also if I close my eyes and listen, it’s like Jeff Goldblum is teaching me about music theory. And that is awesome!

@paulmichaud7565 3 жыл бұрын

OK. If there's another season of Twin Peaks you've got the soundtrack. Loved it.

@moenesbenfradj7462 3 жыл бұрын

This is the best lofi beat i've ever heard... Goosebumps 🎷

@joeeeee8738 3 жыл бұрын

This is just beyond amazing in many ways

@england101510 3 жыл бұрын

I have been listening to a Lo-Fi Beats playlist pretty heavily for the last few months, and you absolutely nailed it with this track. I really enjoyed seeing what a complex process it is to make these "simple" songs. I had no idea!

@kiah.bender 3 жыл бұрын

ive learnt more from your videos in the past few days than i have in years. absolutely love your work. you're the man :)

@CarlosMartinez-gr1rp 3 жыл бұрын

Just my appreciation note for using an MClass compressor for the pumping effect, the Audiomatic Retrotransformer for coloring and even an ID8 epiano for that descending arpeggio, instead of 3x $300 vsts. You are a craftman.

@SignalsMusicStudio 3 жыл бұрын

Never had the luxury to buy vsts or good gear when I was learning to produce, looking back it was a blessing in disguse

@KutayYavuzMusic 3 жыл бұрын

You make everything clear everytime!

@blurryvisionsanimations3716 3 жыл бұрын

YESS!!! finally this is the the subject I’ve been wanting from my favorite KZfaq teacher

@Hexenhammer 3 жыл бұрын

Agreed about the timing. You have such a way of slimming things down to the straight facts. Thanks, man. I am always recommending you to people. You're in my top 10 for all content (not just for music).

@davidaa9238 2 жыл бұрын

please make more videos like this, ive watched almost all of your videos in the last week or two and this is by far my favorite. i love your channel, keep creating

@lanegibson5926 2 жыл бұрын

This helped a lot. I’m working on a Lofi EP and I realize I’ve been overthinking a lot of it tbh. Your creativity in this inspired me to just have fun with my songs and throw in random sounds and see where it goes from there!

@crackerjacksimpson5839 2 жыл бұрын

Yet another amazing video! Thank you

@rebeccawhite5333 3 жыл бұрын

Great video. Love the track! Those descending guitar lines fit perfectly.

@Gjushiii 3 жыл бұрын

At first, i was like nah this ain't it but the key switch really made it really good and the sax and guitar along with the ambiance I mean just great. The ambience really gave it some sauce.

@Wouterferdinand 3 жыл бұрын

Good to still see new videos!

@DreadedEntityMain 2 жыл бұрын

Amazing! The final note in the melody right on the long beat hits sooo good!

@mram6311 3 жыл бұрын

These are my favorite videos on KZfaq. Your explanations, although far advanced for me, are interesting and educational.

@wondervalleyexperimental 3 жыл бұрын

Really digging this episode! I loved the way you pushed the beat off the grid. Inspiring!

@darkvalkyrie5366 3 жыл бұрын

You are such a genius and I'm literally in love with your voice 😍

@DarkSideofSynth 3 жыл бұрын

Outstanding work!

@galupa518 2 жыл бұрын

I thrive on the music theory elements and your approach to creating great music. Genius.

@NickCincottaMusic Жыл бұрын

This video is absolutely amazing

@-JohnGalt- 3 жыл бұрын

Jake, love you brother! Always get me inspired to create, and I thank you for it!

@DopamineOverload 3 жыл бұрын

Still the most informative and most underrated music channel on KZfaq, by far. You need 2 million subscribers, man. Another superb vid!!

@bicho5925 3 жыл бұрын

the groove, melodies, and even to the visuals this was heat 😭🔥🔥. thank u for the information and insight into ya brain sir

@asherdaniels9466 2 жыл бұрын

Wow. That was absolutely beautiful.

@leandrogomes7738 3 жыл бұрын

Oh man, this sounds just amazing, really nice work done here.

@misterhiggledypiggle 3 жыл бұрын

Jake, your videos always inspire me to play and write music after watching them! Thank you!

@DavidSmith-ne1zp 3 жыл бұрын

Cool song breakdown. Love what the sax riffs add to it.

@heyiplaybassguitar 2 жыл бұрын

Love your approach! Really liked the "call and answer" saxophone + guitar melody nearing the end of the song. Great work!

@kartikxramesh 3 жыл бұрын

Incredible stuff

@dimasarya1624 3 жыл бұрын

Brilliant! Nice works as always!

@tayo6882 3 жыл бұрын

Real nice! Thanks for sharing!

@frankjager1647 3 жыл бұрын

I highly encourage you to consider making some "lofi guitar chord progression" sample packs. There is a HUGE market for it, and not that many people who know theory are in it.

@ashopeofficial 2 жыл бұрын

sick track! love the journey here!

@maprilpedroferreira5336 3 жыл бұрын

I am really thankful for your shares !!!

@pablozaid6078 3 жыл бұрын

I stumbled onto your channel when I began playing guitar, and your videos helped me a lot. Now that I've been dabbling in music production, videos like these are equally helpful! Good stuff

@williamconnolly2152 7 ай бұрын

Please keep posting videos. You helped me understand modes!

@Outside998 3 жыл бұрын

Here we go! Insight into a genre I am unfamiliar with. Nice.

@molhammaki9908 2 жыл бұрын

wow ... this was beautifully done!

@vRoMe0 3 жыл бұрын

Brilliant video as always Jake !

@franciscolanza3121 2 жыл бұрын

This video has been...enlightening. Thank you for the great content, as always.

@aocplusme5676 3 жыл бұрын

Love your channel, always varied and interesting stuff.

@mladenristic1 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome! The sax brought so much feeling into it, and the rest is lit as well!

@MKSilverSax 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@michaelsmusic3532 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the inspiration to get my own instructional channel up and running You rock Jake !!!

@shandani7215 2 жыл бұрын

Man, you blow out, man! This is awesome. You are very talented.

@raphaelbiazotto 3 жыл бұрын

I like how Jake can interest me in the process of creating a song of a genre that I wouldn't normally listen to. It is a nice learning experience.

@guadalupeeg5034 2 жыл бұрын

I really enjoy your videos. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise.

@staglee234 2 жыл бұрын

Beautiful!

@humblegeorge Жыл бұрын

Another amazing production ,,,and I liked it a lot.

@mikkoiranen Жыл бұрын

One of the best beat producing videos I've seen. 😯

@nemesisnine3297 2 жыл бұрын

I love this so much

@rswatzl3 3 жыл бұрын

Dude, was that hypnotic vibe done on purpose? Good job, man!

@DonnieWittNow 3 жыл бұрын

I love this channel!

@Ebbsmusic 3 жыл бұрын

the song if AMAZING, and the process is just right and so inspiring. Thank you. And just keep writing lo-fi.

@lllTinyDancerlll 3 жыл бұрын

Incredible inedible as always! 👍❤️

@briansumanofficial Жыл бұрын

Your content is so solid and I appreciate all you do. Since I am just getting into lofi, you already have me inspired to use my guitar to add some melody and non-midi samples into the mix. Thanks!

@braveitor 3 жыл бұрын

Really nice. It's always interesting seeing the creative process from start to end, and the results is a very soothing and interesting song. Congrats.

@liquidsolids9415 3 жыл бұрын

That was really inspiring. You’re right - there’s no need for anyone to sample these days. It’s so much more fulfilling to write your own original music, record your own effects, etc. Well done! Keep up the great work!

@joshuavelazquez8303 5 ай бұрын

Dope tutorial!! Thank you!! 🎼🔥🔥🎸

@awakelingsignals 3 жыл бұрын

Yessahhh..so glad y o u did one of these.

@samkng 2 жыл бұрын

Ugggghhhh this is such a great video dude. Learned so much from this. So many little tricks that you can forget about haha. The 4/4 to 9/8 move was especially cool!