Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series about clapping on the 2 & 4 beats.
Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I presents an excerpt from the 2018 online article by "How to Clap in Time" by Sabrina Peña Young. Some of the videos that are embedded in that article are also included in this post.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/04/aimee-nolte-music-vlog-clapping-to-beat.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. Part II showcases a YouTube vlog by Aimee Nolte Music about clapping on the 2 & 4 beats and not on the 1 & 3 beats. My transcription of part of that video is included in that post along with selected comments from that video's discussion thread.
The content of this post is presented for musical and cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks to all those who are featured in this showcase video and thanks to the publishers of the YouTube videos that are included in this post.
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
This pancocojams series was prompted by this comment exchange in the discussion thread of this YouTube sound file: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-lCsv1N8RM
Alicia Faith, 2018
"Love this beautiful collection voice.
The claps on the first beat isnt authentic to afro music. That's my only criticism. 2 and 4!"
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REPLY
Alex Krauth, 2019
"Interesting critique. Not sure how I feel about that because it's not a gospel song. It feels more like a 1 and 3 song to me, but maybe that's just me."
-snip-
"Yonder Come Day" is an African American Spiritual that was traditionally clapped in 2 &d 4 beats and double time. This Spiritual appears to be a part of many school's choral music repertoire where it is sung acapella and without any accompanying hand claps. Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOfPJASs-Is for a YouTube video of a 1960s traditional rendition of this song by the Georgia Sea Island Singers.
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ARTICLE EXCERPT
From https://www.musical-u.com/learn/how-to-clap-in-time/# How to Clap in Time
April 22, 2018 by Sabrina Peña Young | Rhythm, Active Listening, Musicality
“For some, finding the beat can be as easy as hearing your heartbeat or breathing, but not everyone picks up on the pulse so easily. Maybe you’re that guy who can’t hear the rhythm and has two left feet, or the girl who always finds herself clapping on beats 1 and 3-ish when everyone else is jamming out on 2 and 4. Maybe you are a singer who has perfect pitch but can’t find beat 1.
If that’s you, don’t worry! While it may seem like clapping in time is something you “should” already know how to do, with some ear training skills and a little bit of practice it is a quite learnable – and valuable – skill.
Why learn to clap in time?
What if I just want to play my instrument? What’s the big deal about clapping in time anyway?
Well, it turns out that clapping in time is a foundational skill of musicality, and will enhance your performance and enjoyment in every aspect of your musical experience.
So today you will learn the basics of clapping in time step-by-step:
-Learn how to truly hear what is around you
-Learn how to sense rhythms in your environment
-Clap basic rhythms
-Learn about clapping on “2 and 4”, and “1 and 3”
-Learn how to clap to a song
Once you have learned how to truly pick out the pulse from a musical example, it only takes a little bit of practice to truly master clapping in time.
[...]
Breaking Down the Beat
Why is it important to clap in time, to find the pulse of a piece of music?
The underlying layers of rhythmic sound are what drive the music. Yes, the melody sticks in our heads and the harmony tugs our emotions. But without the steady beat, we wouldn’t be tapping our feet and feeling the groove. This steady pulse is the rock on which rhythm is built, and the measure of music’s movement forward.
[...]
Exercise 5: Clapping on beats 2 and 4
While you are listening, you may have noticed that the snare drum part falls on beats 2 and 4.
In fact, most of the time, when you clap along with a popular tune on the radio, you will want to clap on beats 2 and 4, not on beats 1 and 3 (don’t be that guy!):
Friends Don't Let Friends Clap on One and Three - "Happy" Fullerton College Jazz Band 2014
Roland Tsai, Oct 12, 2014
For those who still cannot figure out what it means, here's a good example. This video was recorded on April 26, 2014. Fullerton College Jazz band was performing "Happy" during SCSBOA Workman Jazz Festival.
[end of video summary]
In many pop, rock, hip hop, and even jazz tunes, the snare drum or tambourine falls on beats 2 and 4.
Listen to the Example below.
[An audio file of "Eye Of The Tiger" is embedded in that article. Here's a YouTube sound file:]
Eye of the Tiger
Survivor Band, Aug 11, 2015
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-That article continues-
Count out loud
Practice clapping on beats 2 and 4
After you have done this, go back to “Eye of the Tiger” and try clapping on beats 2 and 4 along with the snare drum.
More Practice:
You can practice clapping on beats 2 and 4 every time you turn on the radio. There are many examples of pop and rock songs, especially, that have a clear drum part that will help you find the pulse and clap on beats 2 and 4.
Clap it Off
Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” is another great example of clapping on beats 2 and 4...
Now, not all genres have the audience clapping on beats 2 and 4. There are many popular folk genres where beats 1 and 3 are emphasized or even every beat, but in most popular music cases, you will want to clap on beats 2 and 4.
Taylor Swift - Shake It Off
Taylor Swift, Aug 18, 2014
[...]
All About That Clapping on 2 and 4
Here’s another online clapping tutorial disguised as a hit song:
In the intro clap along on 2 and 4 with the dancers. Wait, what was that double clap thing? You heard right! Here’s the pattern: “1 2 3 4, 1 2& 3 4”. Don’t worry if you can’t catch the double clap – learning to clap on 2 and 4 is quite enough for now.
Once you can clap along with the intro, work on keeping the same pattern going through the verse. When the clapping returns in the chorus, you’ll see if you were able to keep it up."
Meghan Trainor - All About That Bass (Official Music Video)
Meghan Trainor, Jun 11, 2014
-snip-
This is the end of that article excerpt.
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This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series.
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