Syncopation
The following example contains another rhythm figure using dotted quarter notes. This time the eighth note is played first and the dotted quarter note is played off the beat. This creates an effect known as syncopation, which means displacing the normal flow of accents, usually from on the beat to off the beat.
Practice it slowly at first and count carefully as you play, tapping your foot on each beat. It is important to practice all new rhythms with a metronome or drum machine until you are totally comfortable with them.
The Eighth Note Rest
This is an eighth note rest.
It indicates half a beat of silence.
The use of eighth note rests on the beat is a common way of achieving syncopated rhythms. Practice the examples slowly with a metronome and count out loud as you play. Once you are comfortable with the rhythm, try playing it along with the recording.
Accents
Sometimes you may want to play certain notes louder than others for dramatic effect. This is when accents are used. An accent is indicated by a wedge mark placed above or below the note as shown here.
Anticipation
An anticipation is where a downbeat is displaced by the preceding off beat.
This note played anticipated shifts from the 3rd beat previously to the "2 +" count.
Example 77 uses anticipated notes with accents on the "2 +" and "4 +" in the first bar. This is achieved by employing the tie. Also a half note appears in the second bar.
Example 78 is a syncopated Groove using an anticipation on the "4 +" of the first bar which is very common for Funk Bass.
This example is a repeated two bar phrase, however the 4th bar is displaced by an eighth note to create an interesting feel.
