4 ms·

One of my favorite Harry Connick Jr. moments is when his audience is clapping along on 1&3 (frustrating) and he smoothly transitions them to 2&4. Extra fun to s

by itp 9y ago

One of my favorite Harry Connick Jr. moments is when his audience is clapping along on 1&3 (frustrating) and he smoothly transitions them to 2&4. Extra fun to see how happy his drummer is with the change (visible cheering arms behind Harry after one of the camera angle switches). https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=26&v=--qv9SI6vws https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=26&v=--qv9SI6vws

archagon 9y ago
I don’t understand why 1&3 is frustrating? Seems like the natural way to clap/tap/bob to that particular beat.
- DanBC 9y ago
  I don't understand it either. Here's an earlier submission that explains it a bit: Friends don't let friends clap on 1 and 3. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8538623 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8538623
  - archagon 9y ago
    Fascinating! Never really thought about this before, thanks for the link. (Come to think of it, this seems very song-dependent. For instance, I definitely find myself clapping on 2&4 to "Thriller" and "I Heard It Through The Grapevine". But I think I'd still clap 1&3 to some of my favorite classic rock and metal songs. Also, I felt 1&4 pretty strongly in that Harry Connick Jr. clip. Maybe they're just clapping too fast: if they were only doing half the claps, I think 2&4 would feel more natural.)
    - itp 9y ago
      Fascinating to me that you picked Thriller as an example, as MJ even demonstrates a 2&4 clap during the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA&t=5m0s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA&t=5m0s Curious what you mean by half the claps? Would this involve clapping only on every fourth beat, only on every second beat, or am I completely misunderstanding?
- coldtea 9y ago
  Not to stereotype, but this sounds totally white...
  - archagon 9y ago
    See my other comment here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16468635 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16468635 I can feel the backbeat pretty strongly in other music, but this clip sounds very 1&3 to me. It would be musically foolish to automatically prescribe 2&4 to every blues and jazz tune as an axiom. At that point, it just becomes a shibboleth. Frankly, I think they're just clapping twice as fast in that clip. 2&4 sounds weird and off-rhythm at that speed (to me), but totally normal with half the claps. (Also: now I'm going to be self-conscious about my clapping until the end of time. Thanks a lot!)
    - jjeaff 9y ago
      To me, 1 and 3 is just a little off kilter. It doesn't sound quite right.
agumonkey 9y ago
Oh god that was smooth as ... I remember Bobby McFerring being capable of playing audiences in surprising ways too. (funny since Youtube suggested him on that HCJr video)

by itp 9y ago

archagon 9y ago

I don’t understand why 1&3 is frustrating? Seems like the natural way to clap/tap/bob to that particular beat.

DanBC 9y ago
I don't understand it either. Here's an earlier submission that explains it a bit: Friends don't let friends clap on 1 and 3. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8538623 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8538623
- archagon 9y ago
  Fascinating! Never really thought about this before, thanks for the link. (Come to think of it, this seems very song-dependent. For instance, I definitely find myself clapping on 2&4 to "Thriller" and "I Heard It Through The Grapevine". But I think I'd still clap 1&3 to some of my favorite classic rock and metal songs. Also, I felt 1&4 pretty strongly in that Harry Connick Jr. clip. Maybe they're just clapping too fast: if they were only doing half the claps, I think 2&4 would feel more natural.)
  - itp 9y ago
    Fascinating to me that you picked Thriller as an example, as MJ even demonstrates a 2&4 clap during the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA&t=5m0s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA&t=5m0s Curious what you mean by half the claps? Would this involve clapping only on every fourth beat, only on every second beat, or am I completely misunderstanding?
coldtea 9y ago
Not to stereotype, but this sounds totally white...
- archagon 9y ago
  See my other comment here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16468635 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16468635 I can feel the backbeat pretty strongly in other music, but this clip sounds very 1&3 to me. It would be musically foolish to automatically prescribe 2&4 to every blues and jazz tune as an axiom. At that point, it just becomes a shibboleth. Frankly, I think they're just clapping twice as fast in that clip. 2&4 sounds weird and off-rhythm at that speed (to me), but totally normal with half the claps. (Also: now I'm going to be self-conscious about my clapping until the end of time. Thanks a lot!)
  - jjeaff 9y ago
    To me, 1 and 3 is just a little off kilter. It doesn't sound quite right.

agumonkey 9y ago

Oh god that was smooth as ... I remember Bobby McFerring being capable of playing audiences in surprising ways too. (funny since Youtube suggested him on that HCJr video)