Does anyone know the name for this beat?

Dicus

Enthusiastic Member
As a drum teacher I come across a lot of different beats, and most of them I can name in a certain genre or with a name for the beat.
The next beat (see picture) is used among many other songs in Justin Biebers' song Sorry (which is, spare me the hate, quite a nice song...). I usually call it the Balkan Beat because it is used in so much Turkish music. It might, originally, be an Arabic beat.

I was wondering does anyone know the name for this beat?Balkan Beat.png
 
I just found out that it is really similar to the Soca or Calypso beat, I guess it is derived from that one.
 
Dicus,

You got it with the soca beat. And while it's clearly the feel in the Bieber song, the soca typically has accents on the &'s, often played on open hi-hat or ride bell. The only place that happens is in the chorus (1:08) where the &'s are played by a synth swish sound that fades out after about 10 beats.

The upper voice in your rhythm is the first half of the 3-2 son clave, which is called a Cuban triplet or tresillo (uneven triplets with the ratio 3:3:2). As you know, this 3:3:2 rhythm is extremely common in popular music, so it's useful to have a name for that when teaching. A section of the Bieber song uses the tresillo exclusively in near unison (0:48).

The Bieber song uses steady 8ths on the hi-hat in the chorus, instead of accents on the &'s, which gives it a bossa nova feel, but since it uses the quarter-note bass drum and Cuban triplet instead of the complete clave, it retains the soca feel.

So, the song is variations on the soca rhythm, not just the drum parts, but the synths too. And I agree, it's a nice song.

How long have you been teaching? I'm in USA, but my ancestors came from Glederland in the mid-1800s. I grew up in a Dutch community they founded here (the township of Holland), complete with windmills and Delftware. I have yet to visit the Netherlands.

Send me your website, and say hi on Facebook.
 
Hey Sheboygan,

Thanks for your detailed answer. I never went really into Latin music, which is a shame! I'll use the name Cuban triplet or tresillo in drums because they're really useful.

I said hi on facebook!

My website is drumcollege.nl, which I use together with another drum teacher in the Netherlands.
 
It originated as a middle-eastern percussion beat called Ayub (or Ayoub) and was typically played on a Darbouka, Doumbek, or frame drum. A lot of percussion beats are translated over to the modern drum set, but the origin is definitely middle-eastern.
 
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