Make R&B music
R&B is smooth, soulful, vocal-led music with lush harmony, laid-back grooves and warm, intimate production, usually written around 125 to 145 BPM and often felt in half-time. Emotion and feel come first.
Tempo: 125–145 BPM · Soulful, rich 7th and 9th chords
What defines R&B?
R&B is smooth, soulful, and built around the voice. The harmony is lush, full of extended chords, the groove sits back and relaxed (often felt in half-time), and the production stays warm and intimate. Everything leaves room for a vocal to breathe and emote.
It’s a feel-first genre. The chords and the pocket set a mood, and the best R&B uses space as much as sound, letting the emotion carry the song.
How do you write an R&B melody?
Start from seventh chords, played soft. On guitar, the classic move is a hammer-on figure inside the chord, a quick ornament that makes a plain voicing sing. Whenever the chord changes, let a full, warm bass mark it, and use soft keys to fill the space the other parts leave open.
Modern R&B leans on vocal-style melodies too: a short sung phrase tucked low in the mix reads like a sampled voice note and instantly humanizes the loop. When you want the parts to feel like one performance, have two instruments double the same line; the unison pulls the arrangement together. For a different feel entirely, try the loop in 6/8, dividing the bar into threes, with the keys and guitar trading around the snare.
Signature elements of R&B
- Lush, soulful harmony with extended chords
- Laid-back, often half-time grooves
- Warm keys, pads and smooth bass
- Space built around the vocal
- An intimate, emotional mood
How Songen makes R&B
Songen generates an R&B loop with the lead, lush chords, smooth bass and drums as editable MIDI. Start there, then voice the chords, soften the groove, or open space for a vocal.
R&B FAQ
- What BPM is R&B?
- R&B is usually written around 125 to 145 BPM but often felt in half-time, which gives it that slow, smooth, laid-back groove.
- What makes a song R&B?
- Lush, soulful harmony, a laid-back groove and warm, intimate production built around the vocal. Feel and emotion lead the way.
- What kind of drums does R&B use?
- Laid-back, often half-time grooves with soft snares or snaps, smooth and unhurried.
- What instruments does R&B use?
- Warm keys and pads playing lush extended chords, with a smooth bass and the arrangement built around the vocal.