GUITAR
THE TEMPTATION OF SYNCOPATION | David Harsh
As strumming or flatpicking guitarists , we often come across guitar music that is syncopated … so what do we need to do when that happens , and what do we need to watch out for ?
I highly recommend watching the accompanying instructional video , while it ’ s available , because it will literally unlock these concepts for your eyes and ears in a way that my typed words and diagrams won ’ t be able to .
First , let ’ s define syncopation as : a temporary displacement of the regular beat in music , typically caused by stressing the weak beat . In other words , it ’ s an offbeat rhythm that sounds more unique and perhaps a little unexpected .
And syncopations happen a lot , especially in guitar music . Now , if we stress the strong beats as we play , like 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 … we ’ ll have a much easier time staying on track , because those are pretty easy to feel , hear , and articulate . But here ’ s the thing : playing on the beat isn ’ t always sonically interesting .
It ’ s often more artistic to occasionally leverage syncopation . But did you know … that syncopation , in addition to being one of the most effective tools of music to engage the ear , is also one of the most precarious when it comes to playing accurately ?
Think about it . If you ’ ve played syncopations on your guitar – in just about any style , it ’ s possible that your tempo has been accidentally altered – and that usually means it has increased , probably without your intention , maybe even without your knowledge .
This has happened so much in my musical interactions with others , that I ’ ve come up with a simple saying about it . And here it is . You ready ?
Every syncopation is a temptation for acceleration .
Do you believe it ? I ’ ve worked with instrumentalists who somehow end up increasing a syncopated song ’ s tempo
( Ex . 1 )
incrementally to where it ’ s distinctly faster than when it started . Sometimes this happens with a keyboard turnaround or a drum fill .
You can probably tell where I ’ m going with this – it can also happen with our strumming or flatpicking on the guitar . I say “ our ,” because I ’ ve done it too !
Let ’ s take a look at two short syncopated examples I ’ ve created for you as we discuss potential pitfalls , and some strategies I recommend to avoid those pitfalls .
Before we get into these two examples , let ’ s remind ourselves that quarter notes are counted with “ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ,” eighth notes are counted with “ 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &” and if we JUST count the offbeat 8 th notes , we have “& & & &.” Right ?
SYNCOPATION WITH STRUMMING The first example ( Ex . 1 ) I ’ ve put together for you is a strumming groove involving multiple up strums , with some notes tying into other notes , creating several syncopations .