Deltachord

The backbeat is common in rhythm and blues and rock and roll couldn’t exist without it. So what is it? The beats 2 and 4 in a 12 or 8 bar (or measure) song ie; stressing those beats as opposed to stressing beats 1 and 3.

Another term, the upbeat is when the 4th beat comes right before the next bar. Both terms refer to a conductor moving his baton up and down.

Earl Palmer, a drummer that recorded with Fats Domino and Little Richard relates that The Fat Man by Fats Domino is the first popular song that utilized the backbeat for the entire tune. It was recorded in 1949. The style actually began in the 1940’s. The backbeat technique had been a technique in Dixieland Jazz, used in the final chorus or shout.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_beat#_note-grove2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Palmer

To hear Fats Domino:

http://www.rhapsody.com/fatsdomino

To hear Little Richard:

http://www.rhapsody.com/littlerichard/theessentiallittlerichard

To hear Earl Palmer:

http://www.rhapsody.com/earlpalmer

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 19th, 2007 at 9:22 am and is filed under Drummers/Drums. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.