Syncopation

Syncope is a musical design element that breaks the stress diagram of a clock by it actually stressed unstressed beats, thus creating rhythmic tension. The latter voltage is often achieved by melody notes are shifted relative to the quarter-note basic rhythm of the clock, usually by inserting eighth notes.

Nature

Syncope can be found in all styles of music. Since the Middle Ages the syncope is an important element of composition. Bach, Handel and all subsequent composers used syncopated rhythms as a means of their style. In many contemporary genres, such as jazz, blues, funk, reggae syncopation has a vital component and is partly stylistic influence.

The syncope causes a rhythmic displacement relative to the clock. The music teaching they declared binding of unstressed to the following stressed value of a clock, or the anticipation of the heavy part by a slight stroke. Thus, a shift of emphasis occurs in the clock structure. Other less frequently used ways of creating Syncope additional stress marks or breaks on downbeats.

The generated by this shift in emphasis contrast between rhythm and meter revives the musical flow and creates tension. The influenced by the Afro-American music styles and their off-beat phrasing have Synkopencharakter. Here they can also be effective only in its style -specific manner if it remains an exceptional case in the rhythmic events. If for her a stylistic rule made ​​, such as in jazz, the syncope can only retain their effect when the meter remains otherwise, safeguarded as by percussion or other rhythm instrument. See also Swing ( rhythm ) # Creation and effect

The nature of syncope, therefore, is to reverse the natural structure of gravity and light within a cycle. While normally the rhythmic structure adheres to this structure, the emphasis of a heavy clock part is moved to a slight by the syncope.

Examples

Here, the shift in emphasis by the half notes on the count 2 and the slur over the bar line is created.

Offbeats: The notes do not fall on the beats in time, but in between.

By the above bound eighth note at the clock end result is a syncope.

The dotted note at the beginning of measure causes a syncopation of the following bound note value.