The 4/4 beat in modern popular music and the demise of free thinking.

The truth is, modern popular music is almost entirely based on the same 4/4 beat. That’s not to say that there is anything wrong with 4 beats per bar. Latin musicians do a very good job of adding swing and character to the 4/4 beat but in mainstream pop music it’s all more-or-less the same. It struck me the other day while watching a group of Thai musicians playing the same beat that a group of British musicians or American musicians or Chinese or musicians or . . . hang on the entire world is being taken over by this one, stale, tasteless, characterless beat.


At one time, every nation had its own unique beat. India had its teental, its rupaktal etc etc. The far Eastern countries all seem to have had a very static beat with little to no syncopation, but still, it was their beat. The Latin countries had their salsa and swing, in fact Latin music is probably the most dance inducing music there is. The Spanish had they’re Flamenco, or was that only the Gypsies? Of course, remnants of these musical styles still go on but the majority of the world is succumbing to the same mundane beat derived from Rock music.

It struck me then that there are deeper implications to this phenomena. Not only is the entire world becoming the same but we are losing are ability to think freely. As an entire world squeezes itself into one cultural identity there are becoming less and less alternatives. And all this at a time when we foolishly believe we are freer than ever. In fact we are becoming like a globe of “Rock-beat” zombies. The Thais think they’re singing Thai music, they’re not; they are only singing Thai words. They have given up they’re originality for their very own slice of the capitalism cake.

Every nation is getting watered down and from once being a potent and tropical punch they are slowly becoming a watery, tasteless beverage.

Of course, music has always changed and evolved and to say Thai music is like this or that is narrow- minded. In fact Thai music 2000 years ago will have been very different from Thai music 1000 years ago so the fact that Western music is now influencing Thai music is nothing new. Still, I can’t help disliking that same old 4/4 beat of pop music, or perhaps I just dislike popular culture altogether.