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Syncopation

Before understanding syncopation, it is important to understand meter more generally (refer to the chapters on simple and compound meter). Meter emerges when a series of equally spaced pulses imply a sense of hierarchy, distinguishing between strong beats and weak beats. What makes strong beats strong? Typically, important things happen on beat 1 in simple quadruple meters: things like chord changes, key changes, and so on. These important things might also happen on beat 3, but it is less common, and it’s relatively unusual to see chord changes on beat 2 or 4.

What is considered a “strong beat” and what is considered a “weak beat” also depends on the context. For example, time is a series of four quarter notes (equally distant beats) in which beat 1 is strongest, beat 3 less strong, and beats 2 and 4 weakest. In a rhythmic context of primarily quarter note values and larger, a rhythmic accent on beat 2 or 4 could be a syncopation.

In simple meters, this organization of strong and weak beats (1 = strongest, 3 = next strongest, 2 and 4 = weakest) is replicated at the beat division and beat subdivision levels. So, for example, in a rhythmic context of primarily eighth notes, a syncopation could be placed on the eighth note off-beats (the “ands”).

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

In a rhythmic context of primarily sixteenth notes, a syncopation could be placed on the “e” and “a” (second and fourth sixteenth notes of each grouping).

1  e  &  a  2  e  &  a  3  e  &  a  4  e  &  a

Syncopation occurs when this sense of strong beat hierarchy is subverted in some way. There are many ways to achieve this subversion, and the backbeat is actually one such example. By sounding on beats 2 and 4, but not on beats 1 and 3, the backbeat creates syncopation by accenting the less important beats of the meter. Another common jazz syncopation is accenting the second offbeat eighth of an eighth-note pair.

In addition to accents that obscure the beat, syncopation can also be created through rests and ties: for example, avoiding downbeats when beginning melodic lines. An example of syncopation created with rests and ties is in Example 2.

Identifying Syncopation

To identify syncopation in notated music, look for instances where:

• a note occurs on a weak beat, and
• its duration (notes plus any rests) is longer than the notes immediately surrounding it

If both criteria are true, then you may have a syncopation!

To identify syncopation aurally, tap or conduct the beat unit and sing back the melody or rhythm in question. If the pitches of the melody or harmonic changes do not align with the beat unit, then you may have a syncopation!

You can practice identifying duplets, triplets, and syncopation in the following exercise:

You can practice more with duplet, triplet, and syncopated rhythms in the following exercise:

• Biamonte, Nicole. 2014. “Formal Functions of Metric Dissonance in Rock Music.” Music Theory Online 20 (2).