Using Syncopation Guitar Lesson

Chapter 1: (00:47) Introduction Music Jim kicks off lesson 4 of this series with an excellent fingerstyle arrangement. Chapter 2: (11:26) Fingerstyle and Syncopation In previous lessons, Jim taught you how to play an alternating bass pattern using the thumb. He expanded on this concept by adding plucked chords to the bass pattern. Jim demonstrated how to place the plucked chords on various downbeats. Take this time to review each of the rhythmic patterns he discussed in past lessons. In the current lesson, Jim takes these basic concepts one step further. If you have not mastered the patterns from past lessons, you will have a very hard time with the material presented in this lesson.

If you only pluck chords on the downbeats, your rhythmic playing will begin to sound quite stale rather quickly. For this reason, you must learn how to apply plucked chords to the upbeats of an alternating bass pattern.

Like Jim mentions, the term "syncopation" can be loosely attached to this idea. However, the examples taught in this lesson do not adhere to a strict definition of syncopation. Jim discusses this idea in the beginning of this scene. This is a very important concept to keep in mind. Here is a definition of syncopation taken from The New Harvard Dictionary of Music: "Syncopation. A momentary contradiction of the prevailing meter or pulse. This may take the form of a temporary transformation of the fundamental character of the meter, e.g., from duple to triple or from 3/4 to 3/2, or it may be simply the contradiction of the regular succession of strong and weak beats within a measure or a group of measures whose metrical context nevertheless remains clearly defined by some part of the musical texture that does not itself participate in the syncopation." When people refer to syncopation, they most often are referring to the second part of this definition.

Plucking chords on the up beats while playing an alternating bass line on the down beats requires a great deal of mental and physical coordination. Be very patient with the exercises taught in this lesson. Play them as slowly as you possibly can while still maintaining a steady rhythmic pulse.

Rhythmic Pattern No. 1

Note: Tablature and notation of all the musical examples presented in this lesson will be posted in the near future under the "Supplemental Content" tab.

Here is a beat-by-beat breakdown of the first rhythmic pattern that Jim demonstrates:

Beat 1: root note (bass)
Beat 2: pluck chord
Beat 3 (downbeat): fifth of chord (bass)
Beat 3 (upbeat): pluck chord
Beat 4: third of chord (bass)

Essentially, you are plucking the chord on the up beat or "and" of beat 3 instead of plucking the chord on beat 4. All of the bass notes in this pattern should be palm-muted in order to diminish their volume and create a tonal contrast between the bass line and chordal accompaniment. Be sure that you practice each rhythmic pattern taught in this lesson with a variety of chord shapes.

When these examples are played at a slow tempo, the effect of the up beat chord is not quite apparent. However, when you speed the tempo up, the effect of this metric displacement is quite obvious.

Rhythmic Pattern No. 2

Here is a beat-by-beat breakdown of this pattern:

Beat 1: root note (bass) + plucked chord
Beat 2 (downbeat): third of chord (bass)
Beat 2 (upbeat): plucked chord
Beat 3: fifth of chord (bass)
Beat 4: third of chord (bass)

Rhythmic Pattern No. 3

Beat 1 (downbeat): root note (bass)
Beat 1 (upbeat): plucked chord
Beat 2: third of chord (bass)
Beat 3: fifth of chord (bass) + plucked chord
Beat 4: third of chord (bass)

Chapter 3: (04:55) Syncopation with Hammer-ons and Pull-offs In this scene, Jim demonstrates how hammer-ons can be applied to the rhythmic patterns you learned in the last scene. He uses these hammer-on concepts in the context of a I IV V progression in the key of A. Essentially, when each chord is plucked, the third of the chord is embellished by a grace note hammer-on. A grace note is played so rapidly that it is not counted.

Take a look at the first chord in the progression, A. The third of this chord is C#. You can embellish this note with either the open B string or the C at the first fret. It is very common to embellish a major third by hammering on from the minor third. This creates a very bluesy sound.

The second chord in the progression is D. Embellish the third of this chord by hammering from the open E string. It is not practical to embellish this chord with a hammer-on from the minor third from a physical standpoint. The final chord is E. Embellish the third by hammering from the open G string.

Note: Notation and tablature of this exercise will be posted in "Supplemental Content" in the near future.

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