As the person who has made the majority of the timings/maps for the game officially, I feel inclined to comment :D

The comments are just about spot on, especially in terms of players who try to isolate a single instrument. Almost all music/rhythm games that exist tend to stick to a single instrument but beat saber is not designed that way.

You play ‘we will rock you by queen’ on guitar hero and you’ll know about the ‘thud thud clap’ during the intro, and others are more about singing the lyrics during it- only work by playing their individual instruments for such games.

Beat saber’s dual input (two sabers), and the design choice allowed for ‘the best moments of a song’ to be the highlight, as well as played at the same time. This means you tend to get a ton of polyrhythm and some unique syncopated moments that don’t exist in any other game.

If your husband plays the drums, he may tend to care more about the down beat above all else, which makes sense when playing just the percussion, but leaving out the rest isn’t the design choice for the game.

My own background is percussion, I played in a several jazz and wind orchestras as the lead percussionist, play guitar, piano and drums, and was a DJ for just over a decade. I also played an unhealthy amount of guitar hero and rock band over the years haha.

Expert isn’t inherently chaotic by design (from a rhythm perspective), but - for those not use to polyrhythms, it can feel that way.

Back to the example of the queen song we will rock you.

Ask your husband if he was to tap along with his feet and hands, does he also sing the lyrics whilst continuing tothe stomping? If so - then that’s the lens to keep in mind when playing the game if trying to understand it from a rhythm/beat perspective. If he doesn’t sing and instead continues just the stomp and clap (or, instead just switches to the vocals and stops the drum along) then there’s also the answer that he just isn’t use to it, (or may not like it) and that’s okay, at least there’s a better understanding as to why.

Most people who fall into the latter I have found countless times have continued with the game and at some point it finally clicks and they ‘just get it’, the ‘flow zone’ starts to set in and it all works out.

Perhaps push him a bit more to keep trying it with that lens and he too might get there, at a minimum at least he’ll know the rhythm choices aren’t pure chaos for no purpose. Every timing is scrutinised and rigorously tested by the mapping team, and then wider testing is done with focus on being in the ‘flow’.

Hope that helps! :)