BazzLow
ENIT
Module 2 · Lesson 5

Strong and weak beats

Recognise which beats of a bar carry weight, and how the bass relates to the drums.

Before this lesson: 2.4 Counting eighth notes

The beats in a bar are not all equal. Some carry more weight, and a bassist feels this all the time.

Strong and weak

Inside a bar, some beats are strong and others weak:

  • in 4/4, beat 1 is the strongest and beat 3 is medium-strong; beats 2 and 4 are weaker;
  • in 3/4: strong, weak, weak;
  • in 2/4: strong, weak.

Playing a beat a little louder than the others is called an accent.

Bass and drums

In much popular music the drums put the kick drum on or around beats 1 and 3, and the snare on 2 and 4. Snare hits on 2 and 4 are called the backbeat. The bass very often plays the root of the chord on beat 1, the moment the harmony is defined, and lines up its rhythm with the kick drum.

Beat gridA 4/4 bar as four boxes: the taller the box, the stronger the beat (1 strongest, 3 medium, 2 and 4 weak). Below it a simple pattern: kick drum on 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 4, and a bass note on 1 and 3.KickSnareBass1234
A 4/4 bar as four boxes: the taller the box, the stronger the beat (1 strongest, 3 medium, 2 and 4 weak). Below it a simple pattern: kick drum on 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 4, and a bass note on 1 and 3.

These are common tendencies, not rules. Moving accents away from the strong beats is syncopation, which comes in Module 11.

Try it

Play quarter notes on the open A and accent beat 1 (play it a little louder) for 4 bars. Then accent beats 2 and 4 instead and notice the different feel.

New terms