I can't find the beat!
It's not missing! Why are you looking for it? People make the mistake all the time by trying to hear the beat. We don't hear the beat, we feel the beat. And everyone feels the beat whether they know it or not. But for those that lack confidence they will try their hardest to hear or find the beat. They try all kinds of different methods, and often ask what it is they are listening for. Is it the drum, and which drum sound is it? Others listen to different instruments, while others listen to the voice when there is one. I have seen this very type of person sitting in a chair and unconsciously tap the foot to the music.
It's simple, once we make someone think of something that they already do naturally their brain will get in their way. So, number one, it is a confidence or fear issue that lead to number two, over thinking it.
There are many people that have decided they don't have rhythm because they find don't clap on time, or they don't clap when everyone else claps. I believe these people have an exceptional feel for music. It means one of two things. They feel the "down beat" so strongly that they want to clap on that beat. Feeling the down beat means you definitely have rhythm. The other possible reason is the entire audience is clapping on the down beat, and wrongly so, as The Voice coach Adam Levine so often points out during the show.
So what is the "down beat?" To explain I'll be referencing the popular 4/4 timing. The beats go like this: 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4. There is no 5,6,7,8, that's just for us dancers who count the second set of 1,2,3,4, as 5,6,7,8. What's important to know is the "1" is the Down Beat. And although the 1 comes around every 4 beats, it is heard stronger every 8 beats, hence the dancers version. Furthermore the 1 or Down Beat, is heard still stronger every 16 beats and stronger yet every 32 beats. It is important to note, my explanation of this is from a dancer's perspective, not a musicians.
We are supposed to clap on the 2nd beat. This is not very intuitive for most, which is why you will see band members often raise there hands high in the air to get the audience started on time. So, difficulty clapping is in no way a sign of lacking rhythm.
What's the fix?
If this is something you really want, you should try some of what I'm about to tell you, by your self. NO distractions. Find some good strong 4/4 time music. Rock-n-Roll is a great choice if it suits you. Sit and listen to the music. Bob your head to it, tap a finger on a table, tap your foot if its natural. In fact do anything, however so slight to simply express your feeling to the music.IF IT FEELS GOOD, YOU ARE FEELING THE MUSIC. And hopefully began to get out of your own way.
When you feel bold enough, get up and simply walk to the music. NOTHING FANCY! Just walk and bounce (if the bounce helps) to what you FEEL. DO NOT try and identify with an instrument. Doing that is trying to find the beat. And remember, it is not missing.
Here are some links to good strong beat music that suits well for giving it a try:
Bon Jovi Living on a Prayer
All three of these picks have a strong down beat, as well as a strong 2 beat. AC DC's Back in Black uses a predominant snare drum (I think) on the 2 beat, and the same goes for Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer. Billy Joel's For the Longest Time expresses the 2 beat with finger snaps. This is one of the type of things that confuse people when they try and hear the beat. They pick out a predominant instrument that isn't the down beat. But, if you feel like clapping, IN THIS CASE, those instruments or snapping fingers will work.
The entire point here is to break down that belief system that you don't have rhythm. Because YOU DO!!! Now go prove it to yourself.
