Castellano Català

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BACKBEAT

The Having swing page already defines what the backbeat is and we talked about its importance in swing music. You were even able to see a few examples to learn how to detect it. We can emphasise the backbeat in all swing music. It can be more or less difficult to distinguish, but everything is a matter of practice. The truth is that knowing how to detect the backbeat in a natural way will help us understand the swing of the music we hear and, therefore, allow us to dance more fluently.

Listen, for example, to these two versions of Hot Toddy. The backbeat is easily detectable in one but not in the other:

You've probably noticed that, although it's the same melody, one has more swing than the other. This is not only because one is accentuating the backbeat and the other is not; but in this particular case this is the most decisive element. Also think that when we clap our hands - for example in a jam - we must always do it on the backbeat. By doing this we will help to swing the music, as if we are in fact the accompaniment. If we clap on the on-beat and not the backbeat (or we do it in an inaccurate way), the effect will be the opposite. Look at this video: a jam where the audience around the dancers clearly clap the backbeats with their hands:

Now look at this one where the claps are incorrectly on the on-beats, not the backbeats:

Can you see the difference? In the second case, the clapping, merely because it does not follow the backbeat, does not at all help to emphasise the rhythm and its ends up getting lost. As if the spectators unconsciously realise they are not helping the dancers.

Now look at this other case:

The music starts with an introduction without a defined rhythm (what is technically called ad libitum) and both the dancers and the spectators around them wait for the piece to start (if you want you can go directly to minute 0.58). When the music starts, the people hesitate before clapping their hands and, about 10 seconds later, they end up erroneously marking the on-beat, not the backbeat. At about minute 1:30, someone in the public changes the trend and, after a few seconds of confusion, everyone ends up marking the backbeat correctly until the end of the jam.

We also have a curious case where the only "instrument" is the clapping to backbeats by the audience. No music. Here, necessarily, the whole swing is reduced to the effect of claps:

What you should not do, of course, is simply not participate in a jam because you are afraid of not clapping at at the right time. If it is difficult for you to distinguish between the strong and the weak beats of backbeats, the best thing id to do a few practical exercises.

Before moving on to action, let us think about the issue a little more with the help of a couple of songs. This will help you get a better idea of the importance of the backbeat. For strictly musical reasons or because of the effect they want to create in the listener (or dancer) some songs give more or less importance to the backbeat at specific times. Listen, for example, to the beginning of Lavender Coffin by Lionel Hampton and look at these three phases:

Some practical exercises

The idea is not to have the think about where the backbeat of swing music is. We must know how to detect it intuitively and almost unconsciously. The rhythm and musical energy should make us clap on the backbeat just as, without realizing it, we move our feet following the pulse.

Here you have an example of three dongs where is perfectly clear where the backbeat are. Listen to them and try to detect it. It will be easy because musicians themselves are clapping on the backbeat.

By the way, we recommend that you also clap your hands while listening, just like the musicians do. In the third song you will see that there are breaks of considerable length. Try to keep the backbeat during each of these breaks and do not lose the rhythm. The clapping on the recording will help you.

When you have practised enough, listen to this version of the same song (C Jam Blues) by Gordon Webster. First listen to it without looking at the visual aids we have added. The idea is no longer quite so simple, is it? Apart from the fact that the tempo is faster, now there are no claps to highlight the backbeat. Try to add them. If you find it difficult, look at the images and follow the guides.

A good way to practice it is to clap on the backbeat while the music is playing without looking at the video. When you are sure you are marking the backbeat, look at the video to make sure you are doing it well. Then stop clapping, listen to the music and start clapping without watching the video. Then check it again.

It is also true that in this section we have been working with pieces that highlight the backbeat very clearly. Luckily or unfortunately, there are many others -lots- where the music highlights the strong beats and there is no mark to identify the weak ones, those of the backbeat. Obviously, in these cases, we must also be able to find it and, if necessary, we must be able to clap hands. Try it for example in these cases:

If you found it difficult, perhaps this video can help you:

And, obviously, there are also songs where the music marks the on-beat and the backbeat with the same intensity. Like in these cases:

Try to clap your hands on the backbeat, as if you were in a jam.

You can check that you are following the backbeat with the help of this video:

You should know that swing musicians use various resources to mark the backbeat, when it is convenient for them to do so. The rhythmic base of the band (piano, bass, guitar, drums...) is the one that basically deals with these issues, both when setting the on-beat and, if necessary, the backbeat. We will give you a few examples, which will also be useful for you to practice with.

You should also know that, of all the instruments of the rhythmic base, the drummer is the one that most usually deals with highlighting the backbeat. Listen, for example, to these songs:

If you like, you can practice a bit more with this video of Walk 'Em where we have indicated, from time to time, the backbeat marked by the drums. If you listen to it closely enough (you may need to use headphones) you will hear that, at a certain times, the double bass is playing the backbeat.

It is also very common for the guitar to do this job (or even the banjo). Here you have a few more examples:

This video of Blue Skies may also help:

In other cases the left hand of the piano is marking the backbeat like in this song:

The case of the double bass is a bit more complicated. Generally this instrument is the one responsible for marking the beat and this means that it does not differentiate excessively between the on-beat and the backbeat. However, in some songs or at some specific times (as we have seen in the video of Walk 'Em), it can mark the backbeat for us.