Lesson 3
The hollow clop
Your first genuinely new sound.
The first sound that does not exist on a drum kit
Up to here you have been rebuilding a drum kit: kick, hi-hat, snare. The hollow clop – in beatbox jargon simply the clop – is the first sound with no equivalent on a drum set. This is where beatboxing stops being imitation.
It also has a property no sound so far has had: you can play it and breathe in and out through your nose at the same time, without interrupting it. At the end of the lesson you build a cover of Ray Charles’ „Hit the Road Jack“ from it.
How the hollow clop is made
The sound is produced entirely with the tongue – no airflow. Roll your tongue slightly, press it against the roof of your mouth around the middle and suck it in place. Then release the pressure and let the tongue snap down as fast as possible, into the hollow behind your lower front teeth.
ll: Lugh - Lugh - Lugh - Lugh Hi :ll 50 BPM
The more pressure you build against the roof of your mouth and the harder you snap the tongue down, the louder the sound gets. Then alternate it with the kick drum:
ll: B - B - B - B Hi :ll 50 BPM ll: B - Lugh - B - Lugh :ll 50 → 68 BPM
Hit the Road Jack – the beat in two parts
For part one you combine the kick drum with a hum: lip power for the kick, humming through the nose at the same time. Practise them separately, then together.
ll: B - mmh - B - mmh Hi :ll 68 BPM ll: Bmh - Hi - Bmh - Hi :ll 68 BPM
Then add the melody – first humming alone, then combined with the kick:
ll: Mmh - Mmh Hi - Mmh - Mmhhhhh - Hi :ll 50 BPM ll: Bmh - Bmh Hi - Bmh - Bmmhhhh - Hi :ll 50 BPM
That is part one. Part two is shorter: humming plus the clop, then the double kick.
Part 1: ll: Bmh - Lugh - Bmh - Lugh - Bmh - Lugh - Bmmhhhh :ll Part 2: ll: Nlugh - Bmh Bmh :ll 50 → 86 BPM
Watch out in the loop: after the first pass you do not start again at the beginning, but at the second word of part one. That is what makes the groove – and exactly what everyone misses on the first attempt.
Start at 50 BPM and work up to 68 and beyond. Stay relaxed: the clop needs precision, not force.
Beatbox facts: where the word comes from
Halfway through this lesson there is a small feature of its own – Beatbox Facts. The term beatbox comes from the drum machines of the 1980s that were used to produce beats in hip-hop. „Beat“ stands for the rhythm, „box“ for the machine the beats came out of.
Anyone making those beats with their mouth is therefore a human beatbox – a human drum machine. Among the pioneers who each shaped a style of their own are Rahzel, Kenny Muhammad, Killa Kela and Eklips.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make the hollow clop?
Roll your tongue slightly, press it against the roof of your mouth in the middle and suck it in place. Then release the pressure and snap the tongue down behind your lower front teeth. The sound comes purely from the tongue, with no airflow.
What is a clop in beatboxing?
Clop is the common name for the tongue-snap sound. Some traditions call it the hollow clop – both mean the same thing.
Can I breathe while doing the clop?
Yes, and that is its biggest advantage. Because it needs no airflow, you can breathe in and out through your nose at any time without interrupting the sound.
Why is my clop so quiet?
Usually too little pressure. The harder you suck the tongue against the roof of your mouth and the faster you snap it down, the louder it gets.