Syncopation, in music, the displacement of regular accents associated with given metrical patterns, resulting in a disruption of the listener's expectations and the arousal of a desire for the reestablishment of metric normality; hence the characteristic “forward drive” of highly syncopated music.
- Which style of music is associated with syncopation?
- Why is syncopation used in music?
- What does syncopation mean?
- What creates syncopation?
Which style of music is associated with syncopation?
You can often find syncopation in musical styles like Latin music, Jazz music, and Funk. In fact, wherever there is rhythm, there is the potential for syncopation. Even in dance: the dancer can syncopate with a strong step on a weak beat.
Why is syncopation used in music?
As a component of musical rhythm, syncopation is a way to create metrical tension (Temperley, 1999), owing to the fact that it occurs only in contradiction with an established metrical pattern (Longuet-Higgins and Lee, 1984), thus breaking an existing expectation.
What does syncopation mean?
1 : a temporary displacement of the regular metrical accent in music caused typically by stressing the weak beat. 2 : a syncopated rhythm, passage, or dance step. Other Words from syncopation Example Sentences Learn More About syncopation.
What creates syncopation?
Syncopation is created when the strong beats are obscured and either the weak beats or smaller beat divisions are stressed. This is perhaps the simplest form of syncopation and involves replacing a strong beat in a measure with a rest. Below, the third beats of the 4/4 measures are missing.