One of the strongest tools musicians have at their disposal is a fairly small thing we describe as a "beat." Though we often think of a beat as a precise moment, there's quite an expansive space, in musical terms, in which a note can be placed and still be musically accurate, or still be "on the beat," as we say.
A Beat Has Two Parts
To appreciate how this works, think about the beat as as having two main parts: the space where the note is positioned, called The Slot, and The Pulse, which is what the listener hears and imagines as the beat of the music. The Slot has a breadth which is measured in beats per minute or BPM. It goes without saying that, the size of The Slot is dependent on the pace of the music. The beat is simply a note played in The Slot.
The Three Positions of the Slot
You can see The Slot as providing three possible locations in which any note can be placed to produce a beat, consisting of, in laymen's terms, Early, On Time and Late. The musical terms for them are Pushed, In the Pocket, and Pulled. Each kind of beat placement will create a unique feel to the music and modifies how the music sounds.
Even though we are thinking of The Slot as consisting of three unique parts, actually, it is actually a broad field with many points where the note could fall. We are making it easy for clarity's sake.
Using Beat Placement
If a musician makes use of a Push, it lends a drive to the music and makes the apparent speed seem quicker,, creating a feeling of urgency and forward motion. When the beat is positioned In the Pocket, it creates a gratifying sensation that we associate with dance music such that, "you just can't sit still," as the saying goes. When a musician uses a Pull, which means the beat is late, it creates a feeling of weight and makes the apparent speed of the music seem slower than it really is.
Using these methods of beat placement, a musician or producer can make the impact of the music much stronger and more effective for any application. These strategies are generally used in the performance of ballet music for class owing to their usefulness in providing exactly the correct musical conditions for dance, and drummers have used these techniques since the beginnings of music.
A Beat Has Two Parts
To appreciate how this works, think about the beat as as having two main parts: the space where the note is positioned, called The Slot, and The Pulse, which is what the listener hears and imagines as the beat of the music. The Slot has a breadth which is measured in beats per minute or BPM. It goes without saying that, the size of The Slot is dependent on the pace of the music. The beat is simply a note played in The Slot.
The Three Positions of the Slot
You can see The Slot as providing three possible locations in which any note can be placed to produce a beat, consisting of, in laymen's terms, Early, On Time and Late. The musical terms for them are Pushed, In the Pocket, and Pulled. Each kind of beat placement will create a unique feel to the music and modifies how the music sounds.
Even though we are thinking of The Slot as consisting of three unique parts, actually, it is actually a broad field with many points where the note could fall. We are making it easy for clarity's sake.
Using Beat Placement
If a musician makes use of a Push, it lends a drive to the music and makes the apparent speed seem quicker,, creating a feeling of urgency and forward motion. When the beat is positioned In the Pocket, it creates a gratifying sensation that we associate with dance music such that, "you just can't sit still," as the saying goes. When a musician uses a Pull, which means the beat is late, it creates a feeling of weight and makes the apparent speed of the music seem slower than it really is.
Using these methods of beat placement, a musician or producer can make the impact of the music much stronger and more effective for any application. These strategies are generally used in the performance of ballet music for class owing to their usefulness in providing exactly the correct musical conditions for dance, and drummers have used these techniques since the beginnings of music.
About the Author:
This is brought to you by Don Caron who is a composer/writer/dancer/choreographer and who enjoys writing about a variety of subjects which naturally includes music. He has composed four albums of ballet music for class which are available from CDBaby.