Study Guides

Unit Summary

Pupils are introduced to Reggaeton, including the context of the style and the influences. They learn about the dembow beat, the tresillo and hooks and riffs. They also develop their understanding of DAW capabilities including low-pass filter sweeps.

Lesson Summary

You have arranged your reggaeton piece using repetition, contrast and build-ups.

Key Notes

• Reggaeton usually repeats musical ideas extensively.
• It maintains interest by creating musical contrast. This includes varying the texture, dynamics and instrumentation.
• Composers build energy through the use of build-ups.
• One technique we can use to create a build-up is a low-pass filter sweep.

Vocabulary To Learn

• Musical contrast: When there are differences between sections we would describe this as musical contrast.
• Low-pass filter: A low pass filter is an effect that removes higher pitched frequencies from a sound.
• Filter sweep: When we gradually remove high or low frequencies to create a build-up, this is called a filter sweep.
• Build-up: A build-up is a gradual increase in aspects of the music (e.g. dynamics, pitch, texture) that creates an increase in energy.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• It is important to constantly create variety and change in a composition.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Hooks and samples in reggaeton Study Guide
• The dembow beat Study Guide
• The global reach of reggaeton Study Guide