Editing Syncopation (section)

{{Short description|Off-beat rhythm}}
{{For|other uses of the same name|Syncopation (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Image frame|content=<score sound="1" override_midi="Beethoven - String Quartet in A Major, m. 7-8 syncopation.mid">
    \relative c''' {
        \clef treble
        \time 2/4
        \key d \major
        e16 cis\sfz a e\sfz d b\sfz gis e\sfz
        b'4\p( a8)
    }
</score>|width=300|caption=Syncopation ([[Sforzando (musical direction)|{{serif|'''''sfz'''''}}]]) in [[Beethoven]]'s [[String Quartet No. 5 (Beethoven)|String Quartet in A major, Op. 18, No. 5]], 3rd movement, mm. 24–25}}
{{Image frame|content=<score sound="1" override_midi="3 over 2.mid">
   \new Staff <<
       \new voice \relative c' {
           \clef percussion
           \numericTimeSignature
           \time 6/8
           \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4. = 80
           \stemDown \repeat volta 2 { g4. g }
       }
       \new voice \relative c' {
           \stemUp \repeat volta 2 { f4 f f }
       }
   >></score>|width=300|caption=Vertical [[hemiola]] (the ratio 3:2)}}
In [[music]], '''syncopation''' is a variety of [[rhythm]]s played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music [[off-beat (music)|off-beat]]. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "placement of rhythmic stresses or accents where they wouldn't normally occur".<ref name="Hoffman">{{Cite web | last = Hoffman | first = Miles | title = Syncopation |work = National Symphony Orchestra |publisher=[[NPR]]| date = 1997 | url = http://www.kennedy-center.org/nso/classicalmusiccompanion/syncopation.html | access-date = 13 July 2009}}</ref> It is the correlation of at least two sets of time intervals.<ref>{{cite book|last=Patterson|first=William Morrison|title="Rhythm of Prose" (Introductory Outline)|publisher=Columbia University Press|year=1917}}</ref>

Syncopation is used in many musical styles,{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} such as [[electronic dance music]]. According to music producer Rick Snoman, “All dance music makes use of syncopation, and it’s often a vital element that helps tie the whole track together”.<ref name="Dance">{{cite book |last=Snoman |first=Rick |date=2004 |title=Dance Music Manual: Toys, Tools, and Techniques |url=https://archive.org/details/dancemusicmanual00snom_152 |url-access=limited |page=[https://archive.org/details/dancemusicmanual00snom_152/page/n58 44]|publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=0-240-51915-9}}</ref>

Syncopation can also occur when a strong [[harmony]] is simultaneous with a weak [[Beat (music)|beat]], for instance, when a [[7th chord|7th-chord]] is played on the second beat of a {{music|time|3|4}} measure or a [[dominant chord]] is played at the fourth beat of a {{music|time|4|4}} measure. The latter occurs frequently in tonal [[cadence]]s for 18th- and early-19th-century music and is the usual conclusion of any section.

A [[hemiola]] (the equivalent Latin term is sesquialtera) can also be considered as one straight measure in three with one long chord and one short chord and a syncope in the measure thereafter, with one short chord and one long chord. Usually, the last chord in a hemiola is a (bi-)dominant, and as such a strong harmony on a weak beat, hence a syncope.