First techno beats

Your first beat with a genre

So far you have built beats. Now you build techno – minimal techno, to be precise. This is the moment your beat stops sounding generic and starts sounding like something specific.

You learn two beats, a transition between them, and put everything together into a routine with an intro. The short vocal sounds in between are what create the techno character.

Spoken rhythm first, sounds second

As always, you speak before you play. Start with the short part, then add the full rhythm.

ll:  eh - Ts - ah - Hi  :ll                      50 BPM
ll:  Bö - eh - Ts - ah - Bö - eh - Ts - Hi  :ll   60 BPM

The first beat

Now swap the syllables for beatbox sounds. Start at 70 BPM, move to 78, then 86.

ll:  B - e - Ts - a - B - e - Ts - Hi  :ll                                 70 → 78 BPM

Then make the beat almost twice as long before you breathe in again – that is the real exercise:

ll:  B - e - Ts - a - B - e - Ts - a - B - e - Ts - a - B - e - Ts - Hi  :ll  78 → 86 BPM

The step up comes from the Bsh snare you know from lesson 1. It replaces every second kick:

ll:  B - e - Ts - a - Bsch - e - Ts - a - B - e - Ts - a - Bsch - e - Ts - Hi  :ll   86 BPM

The second beat: Buga-diga

The second beat is spoken faster and lives on emphasis. Important: start with the difficult part – the end. That is where you have to breathe in quickly to stay in rhythm.

ll:  Buga - Da Hi - Buga - Da Hi  :ll                          60 BPM
ll:  Buga - diga - Buga - daga - Buga - diga - Buga - da Hi  :ll  60 → 70 BPM

Emphasise every „B“ hard so a full kick drum sounds each time. Then bring in the Bsh snare again:

ll:  Buga - diga - Bsch ga - daga - Buga - diga - Bsch ga - da Hi  :ll   70 → 76 BPM

The transition – and the finished routine

To switch between the two beats, take the Bsh snare four times and raise the pitch each time.

ll:  Bsch - Bsch - Bsch - Bsch Hi  :ll                        86 BPM

The complete routine: intro → first beat → first beat with Bsh → transition → second beat → second beat with Bsh. Work your way from 76 through 86 and 90 up to 94 BPM.

Frequently asked questions

How do you beatbox a techno beat?

With straight kicks and short vocal sounds in between. The basic pattern is B - e - Ts - a, repeated, from 78 BPM upwards. The Bsh snare provides the build.

How fast is techno in BPM?

Techno usually sits around 128 BPM. In this lesson you practise far slower – from 50 BPM – and work up to 94. Cleanliness before speed.

What is minimal techno in beatboxing?

A techno variant with few, precisely placed elements. That is exactly why it suits beatboxing: you need few sounds, but accurate timing.

Why practise the end of the beat first?

Because that is where the fast in-breath sits. If you nail the beginning but stall at the end, you lose the loop. So the hardest part comes first.