Accents

Accents are musical notes which are emphasized at certain part of the music.
The first beat of an 8-bar is usually slightly accented.

Accents are being done with bass drum-cymbals , bass and other instruments. To slightly accent a beat, the drummer can hit the splash cymbal - a small cymbal of the drumset or hit other cymbals lightly.

Where to accent?

• the first beat of an 8 , 16 , 32 bar
• syncopated notes
• notes that need emphasis on the lyrics
• even at certain parts of the fills
  

Example : The power of Your love.

Lord I come to you
Let my heart be changed

re newed

Flowing from the grace
that i found in you

Lord I come to know
The weaknesses i see in me
Will be striped away
By the power of your love

Hold me close
Let Your love surround me
Bring me near
Draw me to Your side

And as I wait
I'll rise up like an eagle
And i will soar with You
Your Spirit leads me on
In the power of Your love


All the blues are lightly-accented and red are the heavily-accented parts.
Notice the accents gets louder as the music approaches chorus.

In fact, in the example above, i accent more than in professional arrangements.


Why do we need to accent?

• To give small shocks to prevent the music being monotonous and predictable
• To emphasize certain words in the lyrics
• To build up climaxes.
• To signal the beginning an 8 , 16 or 32 beat etc.

Note:

• It is very disheartening to see 'rock-inspired' musicians especially drummers accents every beat.  
• This would drown other musical instruments. Only tasteless drummer wacks every beat or half-a-beat of every bar. 
• I have the unfortunate pleasure of playing with a drummer who wacked the cymbals two or three times at every beat. The band finally 'transferred' the drummer to another group after we were all pissed with his playing.