How to Make a Guitar Type Beat (+ Free Loops)

What BPM and key is a Guitar type beat?

Most loops run 120 to 144 BPM, with the bulk around 137 BPM. The drums often read as half-time against that, so the guitar can swing slow while the hats stay busy.

The key is mostly minor, where the guitar sounds its most emotional. Take the key straight from your loop and put the 808 and melody on the same root.

How to make a Guitar type beat in 6 steps

The loops in step 1 stream right here and the mp3 is free. Then work through the six steps.

1. 1Pick a sample▾

   Take a guitar loop in minor, 120 to 144 BPM, picked or softly strummed with some room left in it. Grab one from the list below that already carries a melody before any drums.

   • ▶
     Gold
     142 BPM · Cmin
     AmbientEguitarGuitar
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Daytime
     130 BPM · F#min
     AmbientEthnicGuitar
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Staccato
     140 BPM · Cmin
     AmbientEthnicFlute
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Western
     140 BPM · Fmin
     AmbientGuitarVintage
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Sunset flp
     130 BPM · Dmin
     AmbientEthnicGuitar
     @ndacompany
     ↓
2. 2Lay the 808▾

   On the root of the loop key, eight bars kept plain. Set it to cut itself so the notes cannot overlap, add saturation, and keep the pattern simple so it never steps on the guitar.
3. 3Swing the hi-hats▾

   A triplet or swung two-step gives the guitar its bounce. Pull single hats out to make room for the open hat, and save the fast rolls for the bar before a change.
4. 4Clap and kick▾

   A hard clap or snare on two and four, a quieter second layer panned to one side. The kick stays under the 808 and shares the low end with it.
5. 5Shape the guitar▾

   Delay and a plate reverb give it air, a touch of pitch effect or a tape wobble gives it character. Double a single-note line an octave up for a brighter counter-melody if the loop feels thin.
6. 6Arrange▾

   16 bars as the hook with the guitar full, a verse with one layer gone, a bridge where the guitar changes figure. Bring the hook early so the beat stays catchy.

Picked, strummed or chopped?

A single-note picked line is the most melodic and the easiest to rap over, since it leaves the most space. Strummed chords fill more and work when you want a fuller, sadder bed.

Chopping is the third route: take a longer guitar phrase, slice it and replay it in a new order to build a hook that no one else has. Pitched chops and a bit of delay turn a plain recording into something that sounds sampled.

Chords and feel

Guitar loops lean on extended chords, minor sevenths and ninths, played with a swung, triplet feel rather than straight eighths. That lazy swing is a big part of why the style sounds the way it does.

Keep it in one position and let the drums do the lifting. A simple two or three chord loop that sits well beats a busy progression that leaves no room for a vocal.

Layer with the right company

Guitar sits well with choir pads, soft piano and ethnic textures like a flute or kora on top. One extra melodic layer is usually enough.

High-pass the pads so they float above the guitar, keep the guitar dry and central, and send both to one reverb bus so they share a room instead of each having their own.

Common mistakes

Drowning the guitar in reverb. A long tail smears the picking and buries the detail that made you pick the loop. Use a short plate and a slap delay instead.

Letting the guitar and 808 share the low end. High-pass the guitar so the 808 owns the bottom alone, otherwise the low mids turn muddy.

A busy drum pattern under a busy guitar. If the loop is already moving, strip the drums back. Space between the two is what makes the guitar hit.

In FL Studio and in Logic

Nothing above depends on the DAW. A sampler for the 808, an EQ, a delay and a reverb is the whole chain.

FL Studio: 808 in a sampler channel with cut itself on, the guitar on its own mixer track with Fruity Delay and a short reverb. Draw the hats with the paintbrush.

Logic: Quick Sampler for the 808 set to mono, the guitar through Tape Delay and a plate on a bus. Step Sequencer for the hats, a Channel EQ high-passing the guitar.

Using the loops from NDA Company

Every loop here is played by hand, no AI, and free as an mp3. Each guitar loop is a real take with the room left in, so your beat starts with something no preset can give you.