What is the 30 Minute Beat Drill?

The one thing that will certainly improve your skill, speed and creativity is the 30 minute beat drill. The purpose if this drill is to sharpen the gift you already have as a producer putting sounds and rhythms together. The goal is to make a complete beat in 30 minutes or less. We are not talking about sequencing intro, verse, hook, outro and bridges in 30 minutes. Just the main core idea and foundation for the beat or production.

How it's Done?

All you do is open your production software or boot up your hardware, set your timer or stopwatch on your phone or computer to 30 minutes. Then, hit start on the timer and let the music pore out of you. Don't think, just create. You have 30 minutes to flesh out a complete idea from scratch (Drums, melody, FX, etc.) using whatever sounds/loops/samples you have in your arsenal.

Why?

The reason why we do this is because you will be forced to get your ideas out quickly and efficiently. The key is not to think. You want to sharpen your creative intuition and skill as a producer without thought or self criticism using this technique. So you are not really concerned with making the next billboard topping hit (although you may) but just letting your creativity flow and going with your gut and whatever comes to you in the moment. As with anything, practice makes perfect but this won't feel like practice at all because it's fun to do. As you do this daily, you will see:

• You are making hotter beats faster
• You are eliminating all of the unnecessary sounds and elements in your music
• Your ideas are becoming more focused
• You will know and discover the essentials of a good beat
• Your beats are more natural, spontaneous and fun to listen to
• You know your way around your sound banks a lot better
• You are MUCH more familiar with your production software/hardware
• You are prepared to be in the studio with some of the greatest artists and producers of our time because you can deliver QUICKLY!

So as you use this technique, you will get faster and faster and more skilled as a producer. Once you are completely able to flesh out a complete idea in 30 minutes, decrease the time to 20 minutes then 10 minutes. This will make you incredibly sharp at your craft. As you may know, JustBlaze is a big fan of this type of technique among many other "big name" producers.

You want to get better? ... Work out your "production muscles" with the 30 minute beat drill.