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About House
Originating in Chicago in the 1980s, house music is characterized by a steady 4/4 beat, soulful vocals, and repetitive synth basslines. The foundation of modern dance music.
- Four-on-the-floor kick drum pattern
- Tempo around 120-130 BPM
- Soulful vocals and piano chords
- Uplifting, groovy feel
History and Origins
House music was born in the early 1980s in Chicago, pioneered by DJs like Frankie Knuckles at the Warehouse club (from which the genre takes its name) and Jesse Saunders, who is credited with the first house record "On and On" in 1984. The sound evolved from disco, with DJs using drum machines, synthesizers, and reel-to-reel edits to create extended dance tracks. By the late 1980s, house had crossed the Atlantic and ignited the UK acid house movement and rave culture.
Subgenres
Common Chord Progressions
Producer Tips for House
- Use the Dorian mode (1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7) for basslines that groove — the natural 6th degree keeps things warm and funky rather than dark
- Build chord stabs using Mixolydian voicings (1 3 5 b7) for that classic dominant 7th house piano sound — spread voicings across two octaves for width
- Add chromatic passing tones between chord tones in your bass to create walking basslines — move in semitones to connect the root to the 5th
- Layer minor pentatonic (1 b3 4 5 b7) vocal chops over major chord progressions for soulful tension and release
- Use open hi-hat patterns on the off-beats (the "and" of beats 2 and 4) to drive the groove — this is the fundamental house rhythm
Sound Design Tips
- Create classic house chords by layering a bright saw pad with a Rhodes or Wurlitzer electric piano emulation, both processed through a stereo chorus and gentle compression
- Design punchy house kicks using a sine wave with pitch envelope (from ~160Hz to 50Hz) and a short noise transient, keeping the overall character rounder and less aggressive than techno kicks
- Build warm house basslines with a square wave oscillator filtered through a low-pass at around 400-800Hz with gentle envelope modulation — add subtle tube saturation for harmonic richness
- Process vocal samples through half-speed playback, pitch-correction to your track key, and rhythmic gating synced to 1/16th notes for choppy vocal textures
Essential House Tracks
Related Genres
Frequently Asked Questions
What scale is used in house music?
House music commonly uses the Dorian mode (1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7) for its warm, funky quality, the major scale for uplifting tracks, and Mixolydian (1 2 3 4 5 6 b7) for its dominant 7th flavor. The minor pentatonic scale is frequently used for vocal melodies and riffs. Many classic house tracks use major key progressions with jazz-influenced extensions like 7ths and 9ths.
What BPM is house music?
House music typically ranges from 120 to 130 BPM. Classic Chicago house tends to sit around 120-124 BPM, while more energetic styles push up to 128-130 BPM. This tempo range creates the genre's signature balance between energy and groove that keeps dance floors moving.
How to make house music chords?
Classic house chords use 7th and 9th voicings from the major or Dorian scale, played as stabs or pads. Try minor 7th chords (1 b3 5 b7) or major 9th chords (1 3 5 7 9) with inversions spread across the keyboard. Use a bright pad or electric piano sound, add chorus and reverb, and sidechain compress to the kick for that pumping effect.
What is the difference between house and techno?
House music is generally warmer, more soulful, and groove-oriented, rooted in disco, funk, and soul with major and Dorian scale harmonies. Techno is more mechanical, repetitive, and rhythm-focused, using darker modes like Phrygian and minor with less emphasis on melody. House originated in Chicago while techno came from Detroit. House typically runs 120-130 BPM while techno ranges from 120-150 BPM.