How to count bars...

[Youngpimpa]

I write rhymes now an then, I aint a rapper like dat, its jus a fun hobby for when me and my boys jus wanna spit sittin around blazin...

But people always talk about counting bars to structure a song better and get better flow, could somebody explain.

[Irish-dipstick]

i'd say dont go over 20 bars in one verse cause people will lose interest if its to long.....

[ghost9]

Originally Posted by Youngpimpa

I write rhymes now an then, I aint a rapper like dat, its jus a fun hobby for when me and my boys jus wanna spit sittin around blazin...
But people always talk about counting bars to structure a song better and get better flow, could somebody explain.

1 bar = every 2 snare snaps in a song, basically.

The snare snap is the strong "pop" that you tap your foot along to.

Most beats go something like this: "kick, snare, kick, kick, snare" that's one bar.

I don't know if that makes sense, but most mainstream songs have three 16 bar verses, so try and count them (in a Jay-Z song, for instance) and see if you can figure out the 16 bars.

A lot of these NY mixtape cats ride the bars hard (no homo), and never change up their rhythm. It makes their style a bit monotonous.