The syncope - Free guitar lessons

This term refers to a note that starts downbeat  and continues on the next upbeat.

Slowly beat the foot and executed on guitar down to every beat. The notes made with the beat of the foot are precisely those downbeat. Below the movement of the foot is shown by an arrow pointing down.
If you use a metronome the notes are played together with the click.

A note upbeat is not played with the beat of the foot or the click of the metronome but between a beat and another.

In the example below the note played on the second fret is located exactly between the first and second beat of the foot. It should be played when the foot is lifted for the second time replying and this is highlighted in an arrow pointing up.
Using the metronome in the note should be played off exactly between the first and the second click.

The definition of syncope states that the note should also raise prolong his playing time in the next beat.
In this regard, it is clear that holding the finger down well without ever lifting it, the sound of the note to raise it in a natural extension is on the second but also on the third and fourth time of the measure. We have therefore developed a syncope.




The Syncope and Ragtime

The Ragtime is a musical form mostly piano born towards the end dell'800 by the musicians of southern blacks in the United States. Its most important representative was the black pianist Scott Joplin to which we must, among others, two important compositions: The Entertainer and Maple Leaf Rag.
The Ragtime music is syncopated for excellence. The pianists in fact using the left hand to play the accompaniment alternating bass while the right hand is used for the execution of the subject consisting of notes syncoped. The combination produces an effect of great fullness and rhythm very enthralling.
The guitarists of the late 800's blacks began to move on those issues guitar rhythms and those born on the piano and this had to invent new techniques and a new style to the instrument.
Began to run alternating bass with their thumb to simulate the movements of the left hand of the pianist, performed simultaneously by using the subject index and middle of the right hand by inserting the notes between the basses.
The effect that you get the guitar with this technique is spectacular, in fact one has the impression that there are two instruments playing simultaneously but in reality is one. You will experience by yourself or completeness of this technique when you learn the songs places in this site.

Today, alternating bass and syncope are not used just to play Ragtime is music in the last century has evolved so much as they have evolved techniques guitar.
We could then play Blues or Jazz bass using alternating and syncope as well as we could take any song from another genre and arrangement in this style.