Changing the feel of a song with syncopation

Syncopation is a type of rhythmic technique,
that puts the accent of a note on an off beat to create tension and expression.

Adding this to a chord progression makes for a useful approach to arranging.
This is especially great to those who feel their rhythms are getting repetitive.

Lets take a look in detail.

Tutorial video

8th note syncopation

Here will we look at a 2 bar chord progression that changes every 2 beats as an example.

We will take a look at a bass for this example,
but in general it can be applied to the timing of all instruments.

We have moved the chord that was on the third beat of each bar, and moved it an eighth note forward.

In this situation, by moving the kick to move with the chord change,
it emphasizes the change and makes for a good effect. Using a cymbal also works great.

Moving the first note of the second bar an eighth note behind is also a well used technique (adjust kick accordingly).
The syncopation will be emphasized, allowing for more movement to your chord progression.

By putting the kick/chord change accent before the down beat,
the rhythm “bites.”

16th note syncopation

The basic idea works the same as with 8th notes.
We will change the chord change from an 8th ahead to a 16th ahead instead.

It will look like this.
It’s a bit of a tricky rhythm, and creates tension and style to the song.

Let’s line up the kick in the same way as well.

In this way, syncopation is easy to achieve, and creates a big change in the feel of a song.
Try it out in your next arrangement!