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How can I arrange a beat and perform it live?

To help give the music structure and organization, it’s important to be able to count beats and bars.

You can practice this by counting beats and bars when you listen to beats and also when you create or perform beats.

Think About

  • How do people structure and arrange their beats?
  • What do structure and arrangement contribute to a beat?
  • How can I figure out how to organize or arrange a beat?
  • How can I figure out when to start or stop a part of a beat?

Get Started

Get ready to arrange a beat and perform it live by counting beats and bars.

Remember – we are just getting started – it is OK if it doesn’t sound great. We’re just going to practice organizing a beat and trying to start and stop parts at different points in time.

You’ll use a Launch Pad instrument online (don’t worry if you don’t own a launchpad you can use computer keys or a computer mouse)

Your goal is to trigger different musical parts every 4 bars

  1. Watch this brief description of the Launch Pad Instrument and what to do next:

  1. Start playing around with the Launch Pad Instrument here.
  2. Experiment and find out what parts of the beat you like and what you might want to start and stop
  3. Practice counting beats and bars while you try starting and stopping different parts of the beat
  4. Then, plan an arrangement of your own version of a beat
    1. Make sure you are counting beats and bars as you play with the launchpad instrument online
    2. Try to start and stop the parts of the beat based on how you want to organize and arrange the beat
  • How easy or difficult it was to count beats and bars?
  • What challenges did you face when trying to perform your arrangement?

Share What You Learned

If you are using the LRNG platform:

  • You do not need to submit anything for this XP
  • You should be able to show someone how you can arrange a beat live and start or stop a part of the beat on a specific beat or bar

If you are not using the LRNG platform:

  • Continue below and share with your teacher or organization:

Sharing What You Learned

  • Show someone how you can arrange a beat live and start or stop a part of the beat on a specific beat or bar

    Next Steps

Return to How can I arrange my beats? (continue to the next XP in the mini-playlist)