The backbeat
Why the snare lands on beats two and four.
Lesson 4 of 9
Count the beats of a bar out loud: one, two, three, four. The first grid puts the snare on one and three and the kick on two and four. Listen to it for a few bars.
Snare on one and three
| Kick | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snare | ||||||||||||||||
| Closed hat |
It works, but it feels stiff, like a march. Now hear them the other way round.
Snare on two and four
| Kick | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snare | ||||||||||||||||
| Closed hat |
With the kick on one and three and the snare on two and four, the beat leans forward. An accent on the weaker beats two and four is called the backbeat, and it is the backbone of rock, pop, funk, soul and hip-hop.
Try it away from the screen: clap on two and four while a song plays. Audiences at pop concerts clap on the backbeat without ever being told to.