Why is THIS BEAT in EVERY SONG?! 

The purpose of this video was not to hate on producers. I understand some genres require a certain type of groove. I just happened to notice this beat in a A LOT of songs (across different genres) and haven’t heard anyone mention it before. As a drummer I couldn’t help but notice it and just wanted to share. Sorry half the video is muted. 🤷🏻‍♂️ #Copyright

the youtube copyright system is gonna have a fun time with this video.

Thought my headphones were dying when the copystrikes came in

YT: *How Many Copyright Claims Do You Want?* * * Brandon : *YES*

Him: Why is this beat in every song? Pop music, trap music, rap music, his outro, PH intro: *Oh yeah, its all coming together*

This is the definition of "you can copy my homework but don't make it obvious" Edit: how did this comment got 18k likes?! Thank you to all you Chad's 🔥

It's an old hip hop pattern. We used it in the early 90s. Sometimes throw a kick right after the 4 or right before the 2.

I love how it just goes silent at certain songs and you get a good demonstration of how shitty copyright is especially with certain companies that “own the rights” to these songs.

RU-vid: How many copyright claims do you want? Brandon Scott: Yes

I have a name for this drum progression: “Default Trap Beat”. Edit: Wow, people seem to both love and hate this comment. I feel as though I should add some clarifications: 1. As many of you have pointed out, this progression is not used solely in trap music; it is used in pop, although the hi-hats are typically less pronounced or removed altogether. The pattern is also used in hip-hop, though hip-hop producers usually get creative with additional ghost notes or by removing some of the original sounds from the progression. Trap music was the music genre that (from my own personal observation) seems to use this exact progression the most, so I used it as the punchline of the joke, but substituting trap with pop or hip-hop would not have changed the meaning. 2. I don't dislike this progression; it's efficient and recognizable. As such, I do not blame the artists who use it; I am simply arguing that it currently is so commonly used that it feels like the default. This drum progression is comparable to the 6-4-1-5 chord progression that modern electro-pop/electro-house music can't get enough of. It sounds good, and many illustrious artists use it, but I feel it has lost a fair amount of its expressive impact through overuse 3. Please do not harass people who use this drum pattern or say that they’re not real musicians. Some people do not have the money or resources to hire a drummer, and their most reasonable alternative is to utilize what they know. Of course, we could all stand to learn a new thing or two (essentially the point of the video), but artists who use this progression are still valid, and we should treat them as such. 4. This one is especially directed toward some of the replies: please refrain from acting like you know everything there is to know about music because no one knows it all. Not myself, the creator of this video, nor anyone replying to this comment. As I said before, I think we could all stand to learn something new. That is all. Have a nice day.

I’ve been a producer for at least 10 years now. I’ve made easily over 1000 beats. The classic pattern in this video is one of the most well known and immediately subconsciously recognizable. This specific pattern has a very simplistic kick and snare that not just helps solidify the beat, but any additions to that pattern usually just compliment the melody in some way. Whether it be the high hats to create energy, or extra kicks to create a groove, or even an extra clap or snare to create some extra sauce. At the end of the day regardless if it seems boring, this is what most songs of the past 50+ years have in common… the same barebone drum pattern

Once noticed this beat a few months ago, I can't unhear it and it really is in every song now

“Why is this beat in every song?” “Why is this four chord in every song?” Well IDK tell me about it

What I expected: *explanation of why it's there everywhere* What I get: *almost every hit pop song*

this is why i know i like rock and roll. they are actually creative with drums and it sounds good and indistinguishable from other songs

It's why DNB exists. As well as Dubstep. As well as epic orchestral music (theme songs). As well as Rap. As well as the one you mentioned - the Pop music. Every single one of those I picked also has their own specific placement of the kicks and snares. It depends on them to see what style you want/have to create a music. And if you listen to 10 DNB songs, you'll see their pattern repeat over and over again at some point. It's why I listen to multiple genres. I can't hold onto one genre for long. I have a playlist with multiple of them, listening at random, so I wouldn't get bored at some point. It's one of the best ways to listen to multiple patterns and not get bored.

“Why is this beat so popular in pop music?” AC/DC: *sweats profusely*

As a drummer who only knows this beat, I'm happy to studio session with y'all

Thank you for this. I'm glad someone has actually addressed it.

Remember how AWESOME beats were in the early 90's for hip hop and rap artist? This modern overuse of the same beat is literally the reason why I gave up rap music entirely and now listen to power metal and prog rock.

House music using the same 4 to the floor drum pattern for 30 years: "Whew, glad he doesnt know our genre exists"

im a producer and i try my hardest to make the weirdest pattern just for it to become this

I’m glad you made this because my friend and I was having this discussion. Both he as well as myself are hip-hop artist and record music for fun and have been for many years. He and I both listen to instrumentals very often as we need to for making new tracks. The lack of original content in beats defiantly stuck out to us.

Even I with little to no drum knowledge came up with this pattern as a child its the pattern I'm always drumming on my legs

It seems the RU-vid algorithm really wanted me to know this

I noticed this when i was about 9 and when I told everybody nobody understood me, its amazing to know firstly that I'm not the only one and secondly how to explain it to other people.

The ad that played before this video featured this beat. Nifty.

This is kind of why I'm really into Japanese popular music right now. There's so much more variation in chord patterns, instruments and rhythm. Anime got me into it, but it's actually a really unique genre.

"Why is this beat in every song?" I think that's called pop music.

As a producer I feel attacked and now obliged to go full experimental with my drum patterns

0:55 Audio went BOOM and exploded!

I don't agree. While yes, kick and snare are almost the same in every of those songs they got pretty creative with the drum patterns. With the hi-hats many times there are fast triplets, skipped 16ths, changes of pitch and other subtle things which are not phisically possible on acoustic drums. Then there are layers over layers of different drum samples(different kicks, claps, cymbals, shakers ecc.) and other interesting things from a beatmaker point of view. Many times doesn't make much sense to view electric drums from an acoustic drums perspective and that's definitely the case. So I agree with your point if we want to see the pattern in a playful superficial level, but if we want to get serious I disagree.

The unholy trinity of pop songs: 1. This beat 2. Supertonic note 3. The Four Chords

Drake calling for copyright strike is the most ridiculous I've seen.

Keep in mind all these songs are mainstream so they wanna be consistent with what the listeners want. Further more, these drum patterns are mostly trap/modern hip hop sounds and patterns so they’re gonna be pretty consistent as far as timing and placement. To add on, alot of modern music nowadays is sort of standardized to this sort of thing with the timing, tempo’s and patterns. There’s plenty of reasons to explain why this is a thing. So it’s not necessarily that it’s copied or stolen or anything of that nature it’s just simply a method of making a certain song for a certain crowd that can apply not to 1 but literally any and probably every.

Modern music in general often gravitates towards an 8/8 time signature, in a manner of speaking, where there's two groups of three notes, followed by one group of two, so it's really no surprise we see these drum patterns when music's been using these kinds of beats for decades.

"why is this beat in every song?!" punk and thrash metal: *oh god he knows about the d-beat*

Now I could be wrong, but I suspect this isn't a lack of creativity, its a deliberate choice not to be creative but instead stick with what has worked in the past in order to reduce financial risk. Pop music is a business. Businesses avoid risk.

Facts I always wondered I noticed it in every song it just gives a little bump to it

It can be produced algorithmically as the euclidean rhythm of 5 out of 8 and 3 out of 8 together. It’s naturally pleasing as we seem to be stuck in measures of 8 and 5 and 3 offer the most interesting combination being odd numbers with enough spacing.

3:48 Brandon : you're not foolin' anybody literally millions that loved those songs : 👁️👄👁️

0:50 no-one gonna talk about how smooth that was "7 days a week, wait wait wait, these guys are using the same beat?"

I think it might also be a demand issue. I mean, we can blame the suppliers (aka producers) all we want, but until the masses start asking for something different, this beat is just a staple of contemporary pop production. I mean, the I, V, vi, IV is used in so many songs because it’s easily digestible and naturally pleasing to the average listener’s ear. The average person with zero musical background/knowledge typically doesn’t even think about or notice those things.

Honestly you don't know how happy I am happy that I am not the only one that have noticed this for so long now

We end up unconsciously listening to all these songs because our minds got used to one pattern 😂

Brandon: Why is this beat in every song? Billie Jean drum beat has entered the chat room

now i wont unhear this, thanks jokes aside, really informative video. i look forward to using this beat in every song i make from now on

this is like a playlist of past hit songs 💜😂

not him being muted for 10 whole seconds 0:55 💀💀💀

I’ve been saying this about pop and hip hop for the longest

I love how he talks about coming up with something new at the end and his outro drum beat ends up being the same pattern.

electronic music producer here. it's crazy how its kind of the default beat humans try. if you give someone two pads with a kick and snare they will inevitably bang out this pattern

"Local man finally realizes after 20 years pop music isn't getting any better"

RU-vid:how many copyright claims would you like? The music: yes

"I got kicks on the one, seven, and eleven. Snares on the five and thirteen." -Beastie Boys, 'Triple Trouble'

Delete this * slides a george washington your way *

Sorry for the audio cutting at 0:55... Drake didn't like me using his sick beat. Got a copyright strike. 🤷 EDIT: June 11th [Post Malone got me too... DAMN! Might make a video on this lol] [MISSING DIALOGUE] -"All of the sudden I started hearing this pattern everywhere" - **Sick Drake Song -"Granted some artists change it up a bit, They add some kick drums in there"

don’t forget that all you gotta do is add a clap on the 3 and 7, hi hats as a two steps, and the kick in-between the claps and you’ve made most beats.

2:18 (creative ghost note) lmao

Being an actual drummer I understand where he's coming from. There are so many other unique ways to make the same kind of smack without using the same placements. The real reason they use this over and over is because it gets the same result, it's like the McDonalds of beats. It's the same experience every time, anywhere. Using the same thing over and over is also market branding all in itself. It takes someone hearing something at least 7 times for it to become "something familiar" on a subconscious level. Then if they like it they actively seek that experience out, boom, they're hooked and they don't even know it. The industry notices stuff like this, and sets up multiple "franchises" using the same branding formula with different flavors to get the same result and hook even more people. It's all about money really, not music. And I don't blame ignorant bedroom producers for following along without thinking outside the box.. I don't blame anyone really. It's just marketing 101. Now on a creative level, you can still experiment with different placements. And I think that's all Brandon is saying/asking purely on a creative level. "WHY IS THIS BEING USED IN EVERY SONG?" He's encouraging you to think outside the box and set new trends that could one day become "marketable" But you would you would have to go beyond the copy and paste mentality, which is challenging for most because you were subconsciously branded with this one beat. Maybe being AWARE of this would help more would be creatives to come up with some more innovative patterns to expand our variety of amazing music. Hope this makes sense.

dude fit 50 different radio hit songs into one video and didn't get a strike legend

Bring back timberland and Dre with those creative beats.

0:33 “can you go any louder🤪” SLAYED

"Why is this beat everywhere? Im tired of that sh*t" Brandon's intro and outro: 😳😳😳

"There's like 32 other places you could put that kick" Deathcore drummers: *laughs in 64th notes

yes, I remember this beat from Chopin etude no.11 op 25, it is clearly in all music ever, no exceptions.

Drummer, mainly, & producer here! Just wanted to represent. Love the video! & Damn, right. HIRE DRUMMERS!

Hey, the historic reason why this beat is so popular is the following. This beat originates from 2-step garage, which is related to UK garage, and is one of the many genres that put funk drum breaks in an electronic context. The "Amen Break"-sample, which we hear in songs like "Straight outta Compton", is the most famous. And this sample already contains the beat you highlight in the video, if you leave out all the ghost notes. Via Grime (= UK garage + rap), the beat entered hip hop music, and since most pop nowadays is hip hop influenced, we end up with this beat everywhere.

moral of the story: *THIS BEAT SLAPS*

It's probably fashion. A few years ago you couldn't turn on the radio or walk into a supermarket playing music without hearing the tresillo over two, also known as the beat from despacito, also known (at least in my head) as "doonnn, ka-doon-ka doonnn, ka-doon-ka".

The closed hi-hat is the same with every pop song that incorporates trap music elements.

A new "the lick" is being born right in front of our eyes

It's that one thing people would tap out with their pencils in class

I’ve noticed this all the time! I’m glad someone else knows about this as wel

Thanks for the tip and tricks video, I'm going to go ahead and use this exact same pattern in a bunch of my songs. Honestly though, just because a tactic in pop music is becoming popular amongst producers doesn't mean it's a bad thing. It means it reflects the taste of the time. Every moment in musical history has signature motifs that you can point back to as the sound of that era. Including trap music with its ratcheted high hats. One hard pill to swallow as a musician is that money in music matters. Audiences matter. And getting a large audience based off of a dummy trick is a great idea because ultimately that will grant me and other creators bigger audiences and more freedom to do what we want with our sounds. If I can make a few pop songs with the same drum pattern and make them popular off of a few tips and tricks like this, that could grant me enough popularity to do what I want with my sound. If I am a popular pop artist, and I start experimenting with my sound, that could have deeper impacts on motifs in popular music. Just look at The Beatles early catalog and how they literally stole Chuck Berry songs, meanwhile in their later catalog they revolutionized popular sound for decades to come. The exact same is true for practically every popular and influential artist.

all of the sudden?!?!? That beat is classic hip hop since the beginning, dude.

It's because it makes it easier to mix songs in a club. They want us in the club trying to make babies.

I'm never gonna unhear this

ever since i watched this video im hearing this beat EVERYWHERE

when you realize this beat is the universal beat used in almost every genre with different speeds

cREatiVE GhoST nOtE

its just one of those beats that exist, no one hates it, but just appreciate that its there. its really easy to like it too, so no one complains in the end.

THANK YOU! I HAVE NOTICED THIS FOR THE LONGEST TIME FINALLY SOMEONE ELSE REALIZES!!!

Title: "why is this beat in every song?" This guy: "see, it's in every song" Me: "yeah but, WHY?! I'M WAITING FOR YOU TO EXPLAIN"

Every "POP," song. That's pop. Simple drums are what 99% of people that could care less about their music recognize. Making it over technical makes it hard to sell to the masses. They need something quick and easy they can understand. It's a business after all.

Now I can only hear those drum sounds when I listen to these song

I've noticed a lot of hispanic music has the exact same beat too (different from the one you've cited here). We grow up listening to specific patterns and feel comfortable with them. Disco too, and it carried into modern dance/electronica. Coincidentally, you'll find the hispanic beat in hispanic electronic music as well. X X X X X X X X X X X X

All drum beats are common unless you're playing in a really odd time signature. You could probably find a bunch of songs that focus on any number of those beats, but at the end of the day it's just variation. Down beat, back beat, and then anything else goes.

Brandon Scott: Goes on a rant about how every song produced nowadays uses the same beat pattern Also Brandon Scott: Has that same beat for his outro

Im not even lying. The ad I got on this video had this beat in the background music. What are the odds.

"even my intro?- well its not MY intro" me: huh?..... ooh

And you just showed all of us fellow producers how to make a #1 billboard hit 😂😂

Brandon: Calls out music industry for repackaging the same beat in different songs. UMG: Can't call songs out when you can't hear 'em! *Evil laughter*

This kick / snare pattern is essentially a derivative of the 3/2 clave but played in double time. It has the same tension / release effect which I think is the big secret behind both the clave and this beat's success, although it's more subtle with this beat as there's less syncopation going on than with the clave. With the 3/2 clave, the tension builds in the first bar and is released on beat 2 of the 2nd bar. With this beat, the tension builds in the first half of the bar and is released on the 3+ with that kick drum note. I tend to compare this idea with a breathing pattern which I think is why a lot of people (producers in this case) find it so natural sounding and easy to work with. Is it overused at this point? Absolutely but I think it's no coincidence that this particular pattern is the one a lot producers tend to gravitate towards.

Ayyyyy fellow South African! Great video!

“So you’re saying I’m finna blow up? “ *proceeds to make every beat with the same pattern

Beastie Boys even had lyrics about this beat in their song Triple Trouble in 2004: 'I got kicks on the 1,7 and 11, snares on the 5 and 13'. Like programming a 16 step beat sequencer.

i think this pattern is well liked because of the effect of tension-and-release it creates. with four on the floor, theres no tension or anticipation in the beat 4 snare hit, but with the bass drums in this pattern being more syncopated, they create a tension that is released when the beat 4 snare comes around. theres other ways to create a nice tension-and-release effect with a drum pattern, but this is probably one of the simplest ones to make.

Finally someone talked about this concept, it's been in my head lately

That's why I like synthwave so much. No consistent beat = no boring beat.