What's the ''rock rhythm'' like?

Question

Every genre of music has its own rhythm, but I never understood the rock one. Theoretically, it's: one, TWO, three, FOUR but it's never this sequence. It's something like: three weak beats on one, a heavy beat on TWO, three weak beats on three and a heavy beat on FOUR.

Answer 1

Artists can do whatever they like with rhythm, and genre assignments are pretty subjective.

With that said, I think you're confusing sub-beats or notes with primary beats. Beats are all of equal length, so you can't say that "three weak beats" take the same time as "a heavy beat". You can split up any beat into multiple notes if you wish, but you're dividing the time amongst them. Nothing about a beat pattern dictates that notes can only fall on the beat — in fact, it doesn't even dictate that there always has to be a note on the beat. Rhythm is about emphasis and how the music feels more than anything else.

Listen to the intro to this cover of Take on Me. The drum pattern could roughly be described as:

x---X---x-x-X-x-

(Or "one TWO threeand FOURand")

The first, second, third, and fifth notes fall on the beat. You can remove either of the two "extra" x's and the beat will feel the same, just with less "detail". If you remove any of the notes on the beat, it will feel syncopated or incomplete. The beat is the essential part.

Answer 2

Sounds to me like we're talking about 12/8 time. This involves 4 main beats, each split into 3 smaller bits - triplets.It can sound like a slow(ish) 4 beats in each bar, but on more careful listening you can discern 12 beats. Each and every beat of a rhythm doesn't and often isn't played, but they can still be 'felt'.This hopefully sums up your 'weak beats' on 1 and 3, with 2 and 4 missing the 2nd and 3rd triplet on each. I wouldn't mind betting that the hi-hat or cymbal is putting them in, subtly, though.