Syncopation

Accenting the off-beats the ear does not expect — the rhythmic engine of ragtime, jazz, and funk.

Core Principles & Analysis

• It displaces accents onto weak beats or between beats, against the established meter.
• Ragtime built a national craze on syncopated right-hand figures over a steady left hand.
• Funk, reggae, and most modern groove styles are unthinkable without it.