Some say that we get our rhythm from being rocked as a baby by our parents or caretakers. Growing up in Brazil, my mother liked classic rock and soul music. Put some Rolling Stones or Stevie Wonder on and you will definitely find me on the dance floor. But take me Salsa dancing and… Dios mio!
I’m more of a beat person, which is probably why I eventually got into deejaying. Rhythm is one of the aspects that makes up this craft. But there’s also something called perfect pitch and relative pitch which has more to do with melody. Because to be able to mix music well it’s best if you mix it in key. Let me try to explain. Perfect pitch is when you can sing in key, relative pitch is when you can tell if someone is singing off key or not, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you can sing!
So ask yourself, when listening to a song, which of the following in most noticeable to you at first glance, the drum beat or the melody? Is the synth, piano, guitar and lyrics more appealing to you or is it the the “boom boom” sound of the kick and the “tak tak” sound of the snare drum? If it’s the drum kit that stands out to you, you’re most likely a beat person. If you catch yourself humming the words, then consider yourself a melody person.
List:
Klap Klap – Little Dragon
Digital Witness – St. Vincent
Be ‘smi Lah – Amadou & Mariam
The National Anthem – Radiohead
Bassline (feat. The Get Along Gang) – Gotsome
Ask – The Smiths
Mirando – Ratatat
Chevrolet – Taj Mahal
Come With Me Now – Kongos
Chichi Wich Chhalla – Gurdas Maan
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