 June, 2001
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A Rhythm Study in Syncopation
Originating in early Ragtime music (Scott Joplin,etc.), syncopation became the driving force of Blues, then Jazz, and finally a vital and commonly accepted part of all popular music. It will take some concentration at first to master the feeling of syncopation, but once you've got the beat, you'll never forget it... It's infectious! Syncopation may be generally defined as the catchy, unexpected "off-beat" rhythm caused by shifting the accent to the WEAK beats of a measure, and holding through the STRONG beats. For example: In 4/4 time, the regular beats in a measure are:
1. The simplest form of syncopation and the easiest to understand... Count the regular beats as played by the left hand in the bass clef, and you will feel the syncopated beats played by the right hand in the treble clef. Play at a steady tempo. The accented 2nd beat in the right hand now becomes a STRONG beat, and the 3rd beat becomes what we call a silent beat, since the note is being held through that beat. AS WRITTEN: SOUNDS THE SAME AS: 2.Another familiar pattern of syncopation... Observe, in treble clef measures 1 and 3, the first half of the 4th beat is silent, as you are holding a note through that part of the beat. Likewise, in measures 1, 2 and 3 you are playing an eighth note on the last half of the 4th beat, which is tied to the following notes and beats. These beats, held and counted but not played, are called silent beats. AS WRITTEN: SOUNDS THE SAME AS: 3. Same rhythm pattern as above, only for left hand in the bass clef... AS WRITTEN: SOUNDS THE SAME AS: |
