01
der Beat
beat
The basic rhythm or pulse in a piece of music, especially in pop, rock, hip-hop, and electronic music.
example
Der DJ spielte einen Track mit einem schnellen, treibenden Beat.
The DJ played a track with a fast, driving beat.
der Beat
beat
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Meanings
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Usage tips
English loanword
'Beat' (beat) is a direct loanword from English and is pronounced similarly. It has become established in German as a common term in music.
EXAMPLE
Dieser Song hat einen wirklich coolen Beat.
This song has a really cool beat.
Typical collocations
In the meaning 'Rhythmus' (rhythm), 'Beat' (beat) is often combined with adjectives like 'schnell' (fast), 'langsam' (slow), 'treibend' (driving), or 'funky' (funky). Typical verbs are 'den Beat fühlen' (to feel the beat), 'zum Beat tanzen' (to dance to the beat), or 'einen Beat produzieren' (to produce a beat).
EXAMPLE
Ich kann bei diesem treibenden Beat nicht stillsitzen.
I can't sit still with this driving beat.
Context clue: music style
When 'Beat' (beat music) refers to a style of music, it usually means the music of the 1960s. You can often recognize this meaning from clues such as years ('in den 60ern' — in the 60s) or geographic places ('aus Liverpool' — from Liverpool).
EXAMPLE
Meine Eltern haben früher oft Beat-Musik gehört.
My parents used to listen to beat music a lot.
Compare with
Beat vs Tempo
speed / tissue / tempo
'Tempo' and 'Beat' both often appear in music. 'Tempo' describes how fast a piece of music is played. 'Beat' means the basic pulse or fundamental rhythm, especially in pop, hip-hop, or electronic music. The words can be confused because a fast beat can also lead to a fast tempo. Still, the difference is clear: the tempo is the speed, while the beat is the audible pulse that people often nod along or dance to.
Beat
Nach wenigen Sekunden tanzen alle zum Beat des neuen Songs.
After just a few seconds, everyone is dancing to the beat of the new song.
Tempo
Wenn das Tempo zu hoch ist, kann die Band das Lied kaum sauber spielen.
If the tempo is too fast, the band can hardly play the song cleanly.
In real life
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