Hello,
I hope everyone is doing well. I am an aspiring saxophone player. I am having trouble with syncopation. Can anyone help me out? When syncopation is involve the first eight note is always on the 1st beat correct? Example below:
The measure is in 4/4. e=1 eighth note, ee= two eight notes, q=quarter note and q.= dotted quarter
h= half note +=and
anyway- I like to count out the line before I even try to play it on my saxophone. Can someone let me know if I am counting the measures correctly.
e q e h e q e q q h e q e q q e q e
1 + + 34 1 += 3 4 12 +34 1 2 +3+
e q. h e q. qq h eq. qq e q.
1+2 34 1+2 34 12+34 12+34
I hope my examples make sense. I would really appreciate it.
On the one hand, you are counting them correct if the correct rhythm is coming out. May I offer some suggestions that may help you and others.
Think of rhythm notation as simply a time line -- your daily schedule perhaps. As you read from left to right, time passes. Every appointment starts at a particular time, lasts for a certain length of time, and ends at a certain length of time. You could even write your daily schedule using rhythm notation -- A whole note = and Hour, half note = half hour, etc.
There are many counting systems and they all have their advantages and disadvantages. The system that you appear to be working with is counting beats. Since beats are that regular pulsation behind the rhythm, the first step is to always count the beats the same regardless of the rhythm. Thus, in 4/4 we would always count
1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4| as regular as the tick tick tick of that annoying clock or the drip drip drip of the leaky faucet that keeps you awake at night.
Q Q Q Q |Q Q Q Q|
1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4
In general though, and particularly with syncopations, we want to also count the regularly recurring subdivision of the beat -- in this case eighth note. To do this we simply add "&" between each number, sort of like Tick tock Tick tock Tick tock:
Q Q Q Q |Q Q Q Q |
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
This will help both to place everything in a moment. It also helps to ensure that long notes are held for their appropriate length.
With this system going, lets look at your first group "E Q E H". First, lets do all eighth notes for 1 & 2 &
e e e e H |e e e e H |
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
Now, we will tie the second and third eighth together (I'll try to use an underline). When we tie them together, we do not tap or play the second part of the tie.
e
e e e H |e
e e e H |
1
& 2 & 3 & 4 & |1
& 2 & 3 & 4 & |
We still count the 1 & 2 & just as before.
We know that two eighth notes = a quarter note. So let's re-write the pattern with a quarter note in place of the tied eighth notes:
e Q e H |e Q e H |
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
It's the exact same thing. The Q is while we count "& 2".
Your second pattern is just like this one except we end with 2 Q's instead of a H.
e Q e Q Q |e Q e Q Q |
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
Your third and forth patterns are just the first two reversed
H e Q e |Q Q e Q e |
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
Practice these patterns until you are comfortable with them and the other four will be a piece of cake.
If we tie the Quarter with the second Eighth we get a dotted Quarter (Q.)
e
Q e H |e
Q e H |
1
& 2 & 3 & 4 & |1
& 2 & 3 & 4 & |
This can also be written:
e Q. H |e Q. Q Q |
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
We are counting "& 2 &" during the Q.
Here's the last two:
H e Q. |Q Q e Q. |
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
The most important thing is to not change your beat counting but rather work out how the rhythm fits with (or against) the regularity of the beat.
I hope that this helps you.
