Rhythm Guitar 202 - Syncopation

Syncopation is a rhythmic technique in which the “off beats” are accentuated. 

The off beats are any beats that are not on the beat. Up until this point, we have only discussed quarter, half, and whole notes. Let’s introduce one more note value: 

Eighth note - Rings for 1/8 of a measure, counted as 1 + 2 + 3 +  4 + 

Therefore there are 8 1/8 notes in a measure of 4/4. 

When you accentuate beats that land on the + (and), that’s syncopation. Think Reggae. That’s syncopation central, and it’s a boatload of fun. 

When working syncopated rhythms, you should down pick (strum) on the downbeats, and up pick (strum) on the up beats. This creates a seamless feel to the music and avoids any award jerking. 

Also, practice this with your hands on your knees like I demonstrate in the video. It’s not the easiest thing, but if you can keep a beat with one hand and alternate beat values with the other, you will really get a good feel for it. 

Try playing the off beats with your common progressions in a few different keys. Get a feel for alternating back and forth between playing it on the beat or “straight,” and playing on the off beats. 

And remember to change up your tempos and styles. Have fun with it!