CHAPTER 5

Downbeat and Upbeat

So you can't dance? Not at all? Not even one

step? How can you say that you've taken any

trouble to live when you won't even dance?

Hermann Hesse

I have a memory from childhood, from that old TV show Hee Haw, of a farmer dressed in overalls marking time to the music. Improvising a set of drums, he alternated a stomp of his foot with a clap of his hands. Eight beats of music went like this: stomp clap, stomp clap, stomp clap, stomp clap. I now know that this farmer was capturing the downbeat-upbeat, which is the natural pairing of beats that occurs in virtually all dance music. The stomp was the downbeat and the clap was the upbeat.

I believe the downbeat-upbeat is the secret to mastering the beat of the music. It’s this pattern that got me to feel the beat, to bring it beyond my ears and into my body. When I hear it I know I’ve probably found the underlying beat (I count sets of 8 to confirm that I’m on the beat). When I feel it, I believe it acts like an autopilot and keeps me on the beat.

As the farmer demonstrated, it’s a simple 2-beat pattern that can usually be heard from the drums or percussion section. All dance music, but the waltz, has this structure, albeit in the background, and it repeats with every two beats of music. The first beat of the pair, the downbeat, is often, but not always, a heavier or deeper pitched beat as if it were created by a base drum or base string instrument. The second beat, the upbeat, is often a lighter or higher pitched beat, like the sound of a snare drum or cymbals. Thus, instead of two beats sounding like “thump thump” or “tap tap”, they sound more like “thump tap”.

Get a Sharpie or something and write this down: the concept of 2-beat increments is important and we’ll keep returning to it.

Recalling that beats are numbered and come in sets of 8, when counting music the downbeats are the odd beats (counts 1, 3, 5 and 7) and the upbeats are the even beats (counts 2, 4, 6 and 8). The first step of almost every dance always occurs on a downbeat.

Like most elements of music, to hear the downbeat-upbeat at first is subtle. It’ll be easiest to hear in songs with upbeats that are strongly accented. The emphasis on the upbeat varies tremendously so expect some songs to be obvious and some to be quite difficult. I find that swing music and blues music generally have pronounced upbeats, which is why it’s easy for me to hear the beat in those genres. Salsa, in addition to the profusion of drumming, tends to emphasize the downbeat, which makes it a bit trickier.

But regardless of the degree of emphasis on the upbeat, beats have a natural pairing and, in good dance music, the second beat of the pair hits the ear differently than the first. Over time you’ll see that this pairing, especially if the distinction between beats is vague, is more of a feeling than it is auditory; it’s something that’s just “in” the music. If I can’t identify the downbeat-upbeat it’s either not dance music or it’s a waltz.

Try This: Downbeats and Upbeats. Choose songs with pronounced upbeats so it’ll be easy to hear—you have to hear it in the easy music before you’ll be able to hear it in the hard stuff. Listen for how downbeats and upbeats hit the ear differently. Do you feel the lifting feeling of the higher-pitched upbeat? Does the “thump-tap” of the downbeat-upbeat create a rhythmic feeling that better defines the underlying beat? When I was learning to hear the beat I always had success with 1950s-60s “oldies” music: it’s good dance music, especially for swing, cha cha and rumba; tempos are slow enough to easily keep time; the sets of 8 and downbeat-upbeat are easy to hear; and the music is easy on the ears. For comparison, experiment with salsa and disco (or “house”) music. Disco doesn’t have the profusion of drumming found in salsa so the beat is easy to hear, but it’s often hard to distinguish between the downbeat and upbeat. Disco often sounds more “thump-thump” than “thump-tap,” which may be one reason why some people find it monotonous. Where’s my mirror ball?

Try This: Clapping. Although audiences often do it wrong, when you clap to most popular music, you’re supposed to clap on just the upbeat, which gives a nice lifting feeling and makes the music swing a little. Most audiences will, incorrectly, clap on every beat or just the downbeat. Experiment with a variety of popular music, especially some with pronounced upbeats. Clap only on the upbeat, then only on the downbeat, then both the upbeat and downbeat. Which one feels best? It’s subtle so don’t think too hard, just relax and feel it in your body.

Try This: Stomp-Clap. Try the stomp-clap combo discussed above (stomp a foot on the downbeat, clap hands on the upbeat) and compare it to just a stomp-stomp. I find the stomp-clap combo fascinating. When I do it to most popular music, I almost feel like I’m an instrument jamming with the band; but if I only stomp my foot to the beat (a “stomp-stomp” instead of a “stomp-clap”), it feels like I’m just stomping my foot—I don’t feel connected to the music. I’ve found this stomp-clap maneuver handy when faking musical talent with friends.

Try This: Body Squeeze. When learning to hear the beat, experiment with different types of music, particularly stuff with easy-to-hear beats. Maybe turn up the base and turn down the treble. In addition to practicing the stomp-clap and marching in place, let the beat inspire movement in your entire body, not just the feet. Let the head bob and the body sway; feel the vibrations and imagine every cell in your body absorbing the music and throbbing to the beat. Also, be conscious of your solar plexus and, with small movements, let it move side-to-side to the beat. When you get a song with a pronounced upbeat, try squeezing your body a bit on the upbeat, like a tube of toothpaste, which would, theoretically, stretch your body and make your head rise. Try some of your favorite music too, some music that naturally “moves you.” Be brave: turn down the lights and really let go.

Whenever you hear music—the morning commute, the elevator, watching

TV—listen for the beat. Listen for sets of 8 and the downbeat-upbeat until it’s second nature. Know the beat well.

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