Groove (music)

The term groove (also as "the piece grooves", "groovy"), adopted from American English into German, is interpreted in multiple and "multi-dimensional" ways:

• a musical term for a rhythmic figure or rhythmic-metric basic model or pattern typical of a piece of music (for example, the continuous rhythm of the cha-cha-cha or the bolero would be such a groove). Among other things, a distinction is made between different time signatures and within these binary and ternary grooves as well as the distribution of accents. Swing, for example, is characterized by the four-four time signature and the repeating pattern of a quarter note, a triplet quarter note, and a triplet eighth note. The song "Take Five" is in five-four time and almost identifiable by the distinctive pattern of triplet quarter, quarter, triplet eighth, quarter, quarter, and the emphasis on 1 and 4.
• The swinging play and interplay of musicians in the microtiming range (see also Swing (rhythm)#generation and effect). Thus a "laid back" four-four time ("laid back" in the sense of withdrawn, slowed down) sounds different than when it is played straight. Presumably, the means of creating a groove sensation depends on the style of music being played: Experimental studies show that drum rhythms, for example, stimulate the strongest sense of movement when the pattern is presented without microtemporal fluctuations (quantized). However, this "aesthetics of exactness" initially applies only to certain forms of rock music. However, the current findings on groove perception and micro-rhythmic deviation, which can also only serve to improve the perception of individual instruments, can be regarded as mixed. A 2016 study, for example, found no differences between exact, "quantized" timing and certain asynchronies with regard to groove perception in contemporary music, while a paper by Benjamin Burkhart considers the interplay of micro- and macrotiming, in the specific context, as relevant groove criteria. In music with an African heritage, the pulses of the metric structure are stretched and elongated in a cyclically recurring pattern. In binary meter, such as 4/4 time, the result is the so-called swing or shuffle, which usually consists of a long pulse on the stressed beat followed by a short pulse on the unstressed beat (long-short pattern). In ternary meter, such as 6/8 time, the result is a three-way division of the quarter notes (beats) into pulses of different lengths, such as long-medium-short or short-medium-long. In polymetric music, the binary and ternary forms are often superimposed, creating a cyclic timing pattern of the length of six pulses.
• An ability to entice or animate the audience to interact (bobbing along to the rhythm, clapping, snapping fingers, dancing)
• The feeling that is then created in the listener by the rhythm, tension and tempo of the piece of music (see Drive).
• Also the euphoria that sets in with (jazz) musicians when the interplay works well.

Inspirational groove is found not only in rhythmically accented modern popular music, especially those styles that have their roots in African-American music (e.g., rhythm and blues, funk, jazz, soul, salsa, rock, pop, and hip-hop), but also in Bach music, for example. Some music aficionados call the concept of groove a subjective and elusive term; however, among experienced musicians, there is a common, intuitive, and practice-based understanding and feeling for the term groove.

The term was coined in the second half of the 20th century and is derived from the image of the constant field furrow (groove = "furrow", "groove", "track"), which gives the farmer the direction of travel. Record grooves are also called "grooves" in English, as are the furrows of a car tire tread. The "groove" is to rhythm what is called a riff to melody, but unlike the riff, it runs through the whole piece of music. Both fall under the umbrella term ostinato (Italian, derived from Latin obstinatus = "obstinate", "obstinate") - a constantly repeated musical phrase.

The groove provides a rhythmic, often syncopated basic pattern that can be varied in the sequence and against which the other musicians play. This tension gives the groove a special charm. A groove has an unconscious psychomotor stimulating effect on the listener. The groove therefore has special significance in styles of dance music such as funk or disco. A good example is the music of James Brown in the early 1970s.

A well-known example of how the groove made its way into white mainstream pop is the pop song "Take a Chance On Me" by ABBA. While Agnetha and Frida sing the melody parts, Benny and Björn chant the groove "Take a chance take a chance take a chance".

"Being in the groove" is on the one hand an expression for agreement in the actions of several people, e.g. the interaction of several musicians, and on the other hand the term for a feeling of happiness triggered by psychomotor stimulation as in dancing, but also simply the perception of the flow of a piece of music.

See also

• Rhythm (Music)
• Radio
• Soul
• Disco
• Shuffle
• groove metal