In this section, we will discuss some accompanimental rhythms that occur frequently in popular music. The first such rhythm has two chords per measure, with the first chord on beat 1 and the second chord on the upbeat after beat 2.
You will find a similar rhythm and bass line in the next example.
The “1 (2) &” rhythm is also found in “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” a song associated with the film The Breakfast Club.
Below are five more examples of block chord accompaniment in the “1 (2) &” rhythm.
Notice that the example above (“That's What I Like”) has the same progression as
“September”
by Earth, Wind, and Fire.
The example below has the “1 (2) &” rhythm in dimininution.
14.4.2 The “Barbara Ann” Rhythm
It is easier to describe the next block chord accompaniment pattern as the “Barbara Ann” rhytm than the “1 2 3 (4) & (1) & (2) & 3” rhythm. Below are six examples of pieces that use this rhythm, whether with block chords or solely in the bass line.
A slower version of this rhythm occurs in Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water.”
14.4.3 Repeated 8th-note Chords
Repeated 8th-note chords occur regularly in “classical” music textures.
The next example is from the musical Annie. Note the “1 (2) &” rhythm in the bass line.
Repeated eighth notes are a standard accompanimental texture in rock.
The repeated eighth-note rhythm is also common in recent popular music. Note that the following example uses the 1950's progression (i.e., II–vivi–IVIV–VV).
14.4.4 Repeated Quarter-note Chords
Repeated quarter-note chords are a common accompanimental rhythm in “classical” and popular music.
In the next section, we will examine accompanimental textures consisting of afterbeats and offbeats.