Syncope

What should be used to make the rhythm of music more interesting and varied?

Syncope

The discrepancy between rhythmic and metric accents is called syncopation. What does “mismatch of rhythmic and metrical accents” mean? Everything is very simple: a note is taken on a weak beat and continues to sound on a strong beat. As a result, the accent of the strong beat shifts to the weak beat, the rhythmic and metrical accents do not match.

Syncopation can be both within one measure and between measures. Those. a note is played in one measure, and its sound continues in the next measure. Both types of syncope are quite common. They are called “basic” syncopations:

• interbar syncopations;
• intra-bar syncopations.

Both types of syncopation (depending on the duration of the note) can be double or triple.

Figure 1. Syncopation example

In the example, you see the beginning of the verse from the cartoon “Shake! Hello!”. Syncopation is highlighted in red. Please note: the note is taken on the weak beat of the first measure, and continues throughout the second measure. The emphasis of the strong beat of the second measure is shifted to the weak beat of the first measure. Listen to an audio sample.

Results

You know that syncopation is used in music to make the melody more beautiful. In addition, now you can recognize syncopation not only by ear, but also in musical notation.