backbeat

[ bak-beet ]

noun

, Popular Music.

1. a secondary or supplementary beat, as by a jazz drummer.

backbeat

/ ˈbækˌbiːt /

noun

1. music the second and fourth beats of a bar written in even time or, in more complex time signatures, the last beat of the bar Compare downbeat upbeat

Word History and Origins

Origin of backbeat¹

back ¹ + beat

Example Sentences

It’s a jauntily asymmetrical tune that rides a bluesy riff and a backbeat from the drummer Dave King of the Bad Plus.

From New York Times

He brought an ensemble to the elegant Appel Room theater, overlaying syncopated backbeats, heralding horn lines and tapestries of Rhodes and distorted guitar.

From New York Times

“Deep Blue” touches on Minimalism, psychedelia and traditional jazz, with a steady backbeat, a polytonal piano lick, electric sitar and back-talk from trumpet, clarinet and violin.

From New York Times

These are born from struggle, and rock ‘n’ roll fuses them with a backbeat and a holler.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet they weren’t straight-ahead: Songs like “All the Things You Are,” “Little Sunflower” and “My Favorite Things” each had wrinkles — a bouncy backbeat or a near-frenetic breakdown — that made them feel fresh.

From New York Times