@grannieannie – Sure! We can choose to play behind, on, or ahead of the beat. All 3 produce a different feel/groove.
Imagine you are playing quarter notes to a click. Just the open A string. If you play exactly when the metronome chimes, you are playing on the beat. A microsecond after it chimes, behind. And a microsecond before, ahead.
Behind the beat gives us a relaxed feel. This is common in R&B and blues. On the beat gives us a precise or neutral feel. This is common in pop and classical. And ahead gives us a driving, urgent feel. This is common in punk rock.
Here’s a video to watch if you wanna dive deeper. I haven’t watched it, but I’ve seen many from Scott. He’s an amazing musician and teacher, so I’m sure he explained and demo-d playing behind the beat well.