Meaning & use
back beat
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Meanings
nouncountablemusic
A strong rhythmic accent on the second and fourth beats of a bar, common in rock, pop and jazz.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a back beat' or 'the back beats'.
Patterns
- on the back beat
- play a back beat
- a strong back beat
The drummer kept a steady back beat while the guitarist soloed.
In this song the back beat falls on beats two and four.
A heavy back beat gives the track its danceable feel.
nounsingularmusicfigurative
The rhythmic emphasis itself, felt as a pulse that drives a piece of music forward.
Grammar: Often used with 'the' as an uncountable idea: 'the back beat drives the song'.
Patterns
- the back beat drives something
- feel the back beat
You can feel the back beat in your chest at a live show.
The back beat is what makes people want to move.
Word forms
| plural | back beats |
|---|
Common combinations
- a strong back beat
- The producer added a strong back beat to the chorus.
- on the back beat
- The claps come in on the back beat.
- play a back beat
- The drummer played a simple back beat throughout.
- heavy back beat
- Their early records had a heavy back beat.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- backbeat noun
- One-word spelling of the same musical term.
Commonly confused: back beat or beat?
back beat vs beat
'Beat' is the general word for a rhythmic unit or pulse; 'back beat' is a specific accent pattern within a bar.
Practice
In a four-beat bar, where does the back beat normally fall?
Choose one answer.
The back beat is the accent on beats two and four. Beats one and three carry the main (down) beats, so option 0 describes the opposite pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “back beat”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.