Alrighty this is an easy one... We were torn about putting this lesson here, but syncopation is a word that you're going to encounter often enough that we thought it worth discussing briefly.

Everything we've covered so far has been about where the strong beats are. Syncopation is what happens when you put emphasis where a strong beat isn't.

Syncopation is simply accenting unexpected beats, putting an emphasis on the OFF beat, or playing something that is technically in 4/4 but that feels wonky and jagged because of the rhythms you're playing inside of that four beat framework.

If you're counting "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and" and the accent lands on an "and" instead of a number — that's syncopation. If a note starts on a weak beat and sustains through the next strong beat — syncopation. If there's a rest where you expect a strong note — also syncopation (sometimes called a "missed beat").

The best way to understand it is to hear it. A few obvious examples:

• "Maple Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin — the right hand melody dances around the beat while the left hand plays straight. Classic ragtime syncopation.
• "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder — that clavinet riff is almost entirely off the beat.

Counting syncopation isn't harder than counting regular rhythm — you just need to keep the steady count going in your head and notice that the notes aren't landing where the numbers are.

Count "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and" steadily. Now imagine a note that starts on "and" of beat 2 and holds through beat 3. You're still counting — the beat doesn't move. The note just chose a different spot.

That's the key insight: syncopation doesn't change the meter. The pulse stays steady. It's the rhythm that plays around it.

Polymeter is a somewhat advanced concept... but it's a fun one, so we're throwing it in here. Polymeter is what you get when you take music that is technically in one meter and layer on rhythms that imply a different meter.

For a simple example, imagine a piece of music in 4/4, but that has a part that pretends it's in 3/4 and plays a note every 3 beats.

This kind of thing can lead to some VERY interesting patterns, especially when other instruments layer on rhythms with different meters.

• Hoffman Academy — Syncopation (Piano Lesson 108) — Step-by-step walkthrough of syncopated rhythms with counting. Beginner-friendly.

• Yogev Gabay - Meshuggah's Clockworks analysis - Yogev Gabay's channel is awesome. He covers all sorts of music with crazy rhythms, syncopations and polymeters. This one is an analysis of a crazy song my the metal band Meshuggah. 🤘

Need more?

• Open Music Theory — Syncopation in Pop/Rock Music — Academic but accessible. Covers beat-level and division-level syncopation with pop examples.

• Wikipedia — Syncopation — Comprehensive reference covering history, types, and examples across genres.

Find the syncopation in music you already listen to. Put on something funky — Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Bruno Mars — and count "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and" while you listen. Where do the accents land? Are they on the numbers or the ands?

Then try clapping a syncopated rhythm yourself: clap on "1", skip "2", clap on "and" of 2, skip "3", clap on "4". Feel how it pulls against the steady count in your head.