Music Term
What is a sample?
Definition
A sample is a portion of an existing audio recording -- a drum break, a melodic loop, a vocal line -- used as source material in a new composition.
Sample in music -- explained
Sampling is the practice of taking a segment of a pre-existing recording and incorporating it into a new work. It emerged as a compositional technique with the invention of the Mellotron (1960s), was pioneered by hip-hop DJs in the 1970s (looping break sections from funk and soul records), and became central to hip-hop, electronic, and pop production from the 1980s onward. Legally, sampling requires clearance from the copyright holders of both the sound recording and the underlying composition -- a two-layer clearance that can be prohibitively expensive. This created the interpolation technique (re-recording the sampled element) as a workaround. Famous sampled sources include James Brown's Funky Drummer break (sampled on hundreds of records), Amen Brother by The Winstons (the Amen break, sampled thousands of times in drum and bass), and Chic's Good Times (sampled by the Sugarhill Gang on Rapper's Delight). Goat Music's Sample Tree feature visualises sampling genealogy.
Notable examples of a sample
Forgot About Dre -- Dr. Dre ft. Eminem
Samples the guitar riff from Jimi Hendrix's Little Wing, transformed by context into something entirely new.
N****s in Paris -- Jay-Z and Kanye West
Samples a vocal line from Will Ferrell's Blades of Glory -- absurdist sampling as cultural commentary.
Crazy in Love -- Beyonce ft. Jay-Z
Built around a brass and drum sample from Chi-Lites' Are You My Woman -- the source is transformed into 2003 pop.
Related music terms
Frequently asked questions
- What is a sample in music?
- A sample is a portion of an existing audio recording -- a drum break, a melodic loop, a vocal line -- used as source material in a new composition.
- What is an example of a sample?
- A well-known example is Forgot About Dre by Dr. Dre ft. Eminem: Samples the guitar riff from Jimi Hendrix's Little Wing, transformed by context into something entirely new.
- How is a sample used in music?
- Sampling is the practice of taking a segment of a pre-existing recording and incorporating it into a new work. It emerged as a compositional technique with the invention of the Mellotron (1960s), was pioneered by hip-hop DJs in the 1970s (looping break sections from funk and soul records), and became central to hip-hop, electronic, and pop production from the 1980s onward.
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