Fills

CONTENTS

OVERVIEW

Kicks are a beatboxing foundation. Originally, their purpose was to mimic kick drums, hence their name, but now have evolved to be more complex. Typically, they help provide the foundation for the beat, usually falling on the downbeat. 

 

HI-HATS

Hi-Hats are a group of sounds that are rooted in their original purpose: to imitate a hi-hat on the drums. Their base notation symbol is a T. Most are named after their closes English equivalent, and are usually notated by a T followed by a consonant. 

T Hi-Hat

The T Hi-Hat is the root sound for most other hi-hats. It's made the exact same way as an aspirated English "T," however, it can be made without using air coming from the lungs. 

Audio: Coming Soon!

Pro Tip: Make sure you aren't added extra consonants at the end without meaning to! 

Ts Hi-Hat

The Ts Hi-Hat is the most common Hi-Hat. It is made the same way as a T Hi-Hat, but with an "s" added, like in the word "pets."

Audio: Coming Soon!

Pro Tip: Try adding a little bit of a "th" at the end to change the sound a bit!

Inward T Hi-Hat

The Inward T Hi-Hat is like the T Hi-Hat, but with air flowing inward instead of out.

Audio: Coming Soon!

Pro Tip: Try to make it as staccato (short) as possible!

Click T Hi-Hat

The Click T Hi-Hat is made with the tongue in the same position for the T Hi-Hat, but the back of the tongue is blocking off air so that it's only moving in or out of the mouth, not passing through the throat and into/out of the lungs. 

Audio: Coming Soon!

Pro Tip: This sound is a lot like the "tsk tsk tsk" sound people make when they are chastising someone. If you are stuck, try mimicking that!

SHAKERS

Shakers are super simple! They are basically just consonantal sounds, and are notated (and named) the same way as they are in written English! For that reason, I've skipped a description for each one. Just because they are easy to learn doesn't mean they are easy to master! These are very important sounds.

S Shaker

Audio: Coming Soon!

Pro Tip: You can elongate the S Shaker to fill in blank spaces in your beats!

Ch Shaker

Audio: Coming Soon!

Pro Tip: Use this in place of a Hi-Hat to freshen up a stale beat!

Sh Shaker

Audio: Coming Soon!

Pro Tip: If you move your mouth from an "eee" to an "ooo" shape as you do this, it can create a cool effect!

F Shaker

Audio: Coming Soon!

Pro Tip: Alternating between a Hi-Hat and an F Shaker can allow you to beatbox way faster than by just doing one of them!

BREATH FILLS

Breath Fills are a catch-all term for sounds that are made just by breathing loudly. Usually, they are notated with an H, or they can be notated with an H followed by the vowel that approximates the mouth shape that is required for that fill.

Breath Fill Examples

Audio: Coming Soon!

Pro Tip: By intentionally making sounds when you breathe, you can create continuous beats that can go on forever without any stops or gaps!

Thanks for reading! Check back for updates, and, as always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or compliments!
Devon Guinn