Beatbox sounds: kick, hi-hat and snare

Three sounds make a complete beat. Each copies one part of a drum kit, and each is made in a different part of your mouth: lips, tongue tip, back of the tongue. That difference is what keeps them apart.

Kick drum: B

▶ Hear the kick drum

1. Close your lips and press them together.
2. Push a little air up behind them, so your cheeks feel slightly full.
3. Let your lips pop open in one short burst: a tiny "b" with no "uh" after it.

Common mistake: using your voice ("buh"). It should be air and lips only, deep and punchy.

Hi-hat: T

▶ Hear the hi-hat

1. Put the tip of your tongue just behind your top teeth.
2. Keep your teeth almost closed.
3. Flick your tongue down and let out a very short hiss: "ts".

Common mistake: making it long ("tsssss"). It should be as short as a whispered "t".

Snare: K

▶ Hear the snare

1. Get ready to say "cat": the back of your tongue against the roof of your mouth.
2. Whisper only the "k": push air and drop your tongue sharply.
3. No "at" afterwards. It should sound like a sharp click of air.

Common mistake: saying "kuh" out loud. Whisper it, but push it hard so it's crisp.

Some teachers start the snare as "pf" instead: a B that ends in a short hiss through the lips. Either works. This site uses K because a K comes from a different part of the mouth than the kick, so the two stay easy to tell apart.

Put them together

BTKT▶ Hear it 70 bpm

That's the basic beat, "boots and cats". See how to beatbox for beginners for the step-by-step.

Sounds to learn next

Once the three are solid: the open hi-hat (a longer "tss"), the inward K snare (a K made breathing in, which lets you play long patterns without running out of air), the lip roll and throat bass. They all build on the same idea: a short, clear sound from one place in the mouth.

Are my sounds different enough?

If your T and K sound alike, a listener hears a blur, and so does a phone. The practice here learns your sounds, tells you which two it mixes up, and how to make them more different.

Test my three sounds →

Questions

What are the 3 basic beatbox sounds?

The kick drum (B), the hi-hat (T) and the snare (K or "pf"). Together they make the basic beat B T K T.

Why do my T and K sound the same?

Both are short bursts of air. Make the T a hiss at the front (tongue tip behind the teeth, "ts") and the K a click at the back of the mouth, like the start of "cat".