Backbeat

In depth

The backbeat is the most widely heard syncopation in Western popular music. By accenting beats 2 and 4 (rather than the 'natural' strong beats 1 and 3), the backbeat creates a driving, danceable feel. The snare drum occupies this position in virtually all rock, pop, and R&B music. Pre-rock classical music rarely used the backbeat; its adoption from African-American musical traditions was one of the defining characteristics of 20th-century popular music.

How to identify it

• 1Clap along — if you naturally clap on beats 2 and 4, that's the backbeat
• 2The snare drum is almost always the carrier of the backbeat in rock and pop
• 3Compare to classical: orchestral music emphasises beats 1 and 3, not 2 and 4
• 4Without a backbeat, music sounds classical or 'straight'

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Often confused with