Trap
Trap is a style of hip hop at about 130–150 BPM with a half-time feel: the snare lands once per bar on beat 3, over fast hi-hats with rolls and a deep 808 bass that slides between notes. It came out of Atlanta in the 2000s.
The loop
- Bar 1Am
- Bar 2F
- Bar 3C
- Bar 4G
Four bars over Am, F, C, G. Mute a track or solo it to hear what each part does; tap any box to change it.
The recipe
The patterns this loop is made of. Point at one, or tap Show, to light up its lanes on the grid.
- Half-time snare
One snare per bar, on beat 3.
- Triplet hat rolls
Eighth-note hats with bursts of three.
- 808 glide
A long 808 that slides up an octave and back.
- Pentatonic riff
A five-note figure on a bell.
Also in the loop: a kick that lands with the 808; a dark pad holding each chord.
How it fits together
The tempo is fast but the snare is slow, so trap feels both relaxed and urgent. The hats carry the speed, the snare carries the weight.
The 808 is the low end and most of the melody of the bass. It slides up an octave and back, and that bend is often the most recognisable sound in the track.
The loop in words
- Kick: steps 1 and 11 of 16.
- Snare and clap: step 9 of 16.
- Hats: steps 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 16; rolls of three on 8 and 15 of 16.
- Bass: 808 octave on step 7 of 16, each held for 4 steps; 808 root on steps 1 and 11 of 16, each held for 6 steps.
- Chords: step 1 of 16, each held for 16 steps.
- Lead: E5 on step 7 of 16, each held for 2 steps; D5 on steps 5 and 10 of 16; C5 on steps 3 and 11 of 16; A4 on steps 1 and 13 of 16, notes held for 1 and 2 steps; G4 on step 15 of 16, each held for 2 steps.
- Chords: Am, F, C, G, one bar each, in A minor.
- Tempo: 140 BPM, no swing.
How to ask an AI music tool for it
Name the patterns instead of the genre alone. These are the words that describe trap precisely; use the ones you can hear in your reference.
| Say | It means |
|---|---|
| half-time drums, snare on 3 | one snare per bar, so it feels half as fast |
| hi-hat rolls, triplet hats | bursts of quick hats |
| 808 bass, 808 glide or slide | a deep, long bass that bends between notes |
| dark bell melody, minor key | the typical lead sound and mood |
| 130–150 BPM (feels like 65–75) | the tempo, and how it feels |
Neighbours
Lo-fi hip hop
70–90 bpmDusty, swung drums under soft jazzy chords
Signature: Boom bapSame chords. Snare back on 2 and 4, a dusty kit, swing on the hats and half the tempo.
Drum & bass
170–176 bpmA fast two-step break and a growling bass
Signature: Two-step breakBoth lean on a half-time feel; drum & bass plays its break at 174 with a growling bass.
Make trap yourself
The course starts with the beat under every genre and builds up from there. Unit 1 is free: sign up with Google and start the first lesson in your browser.
Pick up where you left off
Carry on with Unit 1; the parts of trap come one chapter at a time.