Beats, bars and phrases
Most dance music is built from simple building blocks that repeat:
- A beat is one kick drum, one count.
- A bar is four beats. Count along: 1, 2, 3, 4.
- A phrase is a group of bars, usually 4, 8, 16 or 32. Something in the music tends to change at the start of each new phrase.
Those changes might be a new drum pattern, a bassline coming in, a vocal starting or a breakdown. Producers build tracks this way, which is why phrasing works.
Why phrasing matters
If you start the new track at a random point, the two tracks will change at different times. You might hear the new track's bassline drop in halfway through a vocal line in the old one. It sounds clumsy, even if the beats are perfectly matched.
When you mix in at the start of a phrase, both tracks move together. The new track's big moment lands right where the crowd expects something to happen.
How to count phrases
- Listen to the track and count the beats in fours: 1, 2, 3, 4, 2, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 3, 4 and so on. Each group of four is one bar.
- Notice when something changes. It's usually after 8, 16 or 32 bars.
- That first beat of the change is the start of a new phrase, and it's often called "the one".
- Start your incoming track so its first beat lands on the one.
Common phrase lengths
| Phrase length | Where you often hear it |
|---|---|
| 4 bars | Short sections, fills and build-ups |
| 8 bars | A common building block in many tracks |
| 16 bars | Intros, verses and longer sections |
| 32 bars | Long intros and outros in club tracks |
Not every track follows the rules. Some have odd-length sections, so always listen rather than just count.
Using phrasing in a mix
- Line up the intro with the outro. Many club tracks have a 16 or 32-bar intro and outro made for mixing. Start the new track's intro when the old track's outro begins.
- Swap the main parts at a phrase change. Bring in the new track's bassline at the start of a new phrase, not in the middle of one.
- Use the waveform as a guide. DJ software often shows bar markers on the waveform, which helps you see where phrases begin.
Learn to hear it
Phrasing is one of the things that separates a mix that's in time from a mix that sounds good. Our Starter course teaches it once beatmatching is solid, and the Selector course takes it further with longer, more creative blends.