The Bits Between the Beats

Twenty seconds of drumming.

How much can you actually hear?

Here's a short extract of Ancient Funk, one of the samba-reggae rhythms played by Batala. Have a listen.

Ancient Funk — 20-second extract Audio not playing? Listen to the 20-second extract directly.

What caught your ear?

That's the funny thing about a group of drums. Ask three people what stood out and you'll often get three different answers. Ask a fourth and they'll say they were too busy dancing to pay attention. Which is probably the correct response.

One sound grabs your attention. Another sits there, minding its own business until you happen to notice it. And then that's it. Your brain has decided this is the important bit now.

But here's the interesting bit. A drum pattern isn't just made up of the beats you play. It's also shaped by the beats you leave out.

When one drum leaves a space, another can play into it. And when a drum leaves a gap where you expect to hear a beat, the next one can have even more impact.. It's that interplay between the different rhythms that gives the music its bounce, its surprises and its sense of movement.

Imagine if every drum tried to fill every gap. Much of that interplay would disappear. The individual patterns would be harder to distinguish, and the music would lose some of what makes it so interesting to listen to.

The bits between the beats aren't an absence of music. They're part of what makes the music work.

When you're watching the band play live, there's plenty competing for your attention. The drums, the movement, the red-and-black costumes, the people around you.

Everything arrives at once.

But take away the spectacle for a moment. Just you, the music and a rewind button.

Listen again, but this time try following a different drum. Notice where it comes in, where it leaves a space, and how it fits around the others.

Suddenly twenty seconds can become a lot longer.

We've picked one little moment from Ancient Funk.

Here's the whole piece.

Ancient Funk — full recording Audio not playing? Listen to the full Ancient Funk recording directly.

Can you hear how the different parts work together now? Or perhaps there's another twenty seconds where something you hadn't noticed before suddenly makes sense.

Go on. Have another listen.