Rock Your Body: How to Count (and Feel) Syncopations
I was working on a longer post about practicing away from the instrument and I decided this section should be its own mini-post.
Many students have trouble with keeping accurate rhythm, and I even get some adult learners who say: I could never keep a beat, so don't even bother trying to teach me rhythm! This is of course completely untrue, since anyone who can walk down the street without falling on their face can keep basic time. But there is a disconnect somewhere along the line when it comes to understanding the physical nature of rhythm when we're at the piano.
Mind the Gap
Most of the troubles start when students have to count a syncopation. Syncopation in general is not a challenge – usually the student plays a syncopation, just the wrong one. Then the teacher says "Hey, play it like this" (plays the correct syncopation). The student says "OK" and plays exactly the same incorrect syncopation. Then the lesson goes off the rails into counting meter and a bunch of detail that obscures the main issue: feeling the precise location of the syncopation.
Ok, I'm already tired of saying "syncopation". What is syncopation anyway? We commonly speak of syncopation as something "funky" or "off-beat" or "turning the beat around". That's all correct, but I'm going to go straight to the source: ancient Greek. The root of syncopation is συγκοπή (sunkopé), which means "leaving out". In literature, syncope means leaving out syllables from a word to fit a poetic meter. In rhythmic terms, syncopation is leaving beats out of the rhythm.
There's a theory that the "toe-tapping" sensation we get from syncopated music is caused by these left out beats. As the music moves along, we subtly feel the "pulse" of the music; when the pulse is interrupted by a syncopation, our body "fills in the gap" with the nod of a head or the tap of a toe. The spaces created by syncopation clarify the pulse and give the listener room to actively interact with the piece.
I think the main obstacle to good syncopation arises when the player doesn't move or acknowledge the gap in the pulse in any physical way. Some students understand that you should leave something out, but can't tell how much to leave out. So this is where I like to start teaching a challenging syncopation – not mathematically by counting meters, but physically, by filling those interruptions in the pulse with movement and sound. That means clapping in between the notes, not on them.
You've Got to Move
Let's try it on Radiohead's "Karma Police". A simple melody that a lot of people know but a pretty tricky rhythm once you get both hands together. It's highly syncopated. Here's the first verse:
Karma Police, arrest this man, he talks in maths, he buzzes like a fridge, he's like a de-tuned radio
Here it is with claps/taps "$" in the syncopations:
$ Kar $ ma $ Po $ lice
$ $ $ $ 'rest this $ man
$ he $ talks $ in $ maths
$ $ $ he buzz's like a fridge
$ he's $ like $ a $ de-
$ -tuned $ ra $ di $ o
Give it a few tries, slowly and deliberately chanting the lyrics and clapping, and keep every pulse equal. Notice each line has 8 pulses in total. Try it with a metronome or along with the video. (Tip: You can set Youtube videos to slower speeds by clicking on the gear in the lower right of the video).
Did you notice a difference in how you imagined the rhythm before and after practicing it? Do you have a clearer idea of the exact moment that the beat "turns around" and when it comes back?
I find this to be a really useful tool for getting students "grounded" in their rhythm sense, without the distraction of numbers and counting. The rhythmic phrases fall into natural groups but are executed with precision. It works just as well for simple songs in 3/4 as it does for advanced pieces. And it works great for practicing rests as well, which are often given short shrift by beginners.
Putting it into Practice
How do you figure out the syncopation pattern on your own?
To get a feel for the method, try this out on a piece that you already know very well first. Start by clapping or tapping along with the piece at the smallest subdivision (that is, the shortest note in the phrase, usually an 8th note, a quarter note for very simple pieces). Practice doing this for a little while – for best results, practice clapping along for a few days before trying to work out the rhythm.
After you are comfortable marking the pulse with claps or taps, count how many subdivisions fall in between the start of each note and the start of the next. Don't count any taps that line up with a note. If you have a score, mark out the claps with x's in between the notes. If there are lyrics, write them out like I did in the example above. If you do it correctly, every pulse will have a word, syllable, or clap in it. No spaces left.
Try it on a simple piece like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" or "Jingle Bells" and see how it strengthens your feel. Leave a comment and let me know how it went; if you have a complex syncopation you can't work out, leave a link to the song in the comments and I'll try and work it out for you!
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