[Tango-L] Syn-co-Pa-TION

[TangoDC.com]

Hey all,

I'm glad I opened this can of worms, after it was playfully given a lid.

To clear up the confusion... I think we could say that "doppio tempo" is 
dancing (or playing) the off-beat AS WELL, whereas "syncopation" is 
dancing/playing the off-beat INSTEAD. Musically, we have in-between 
beats in both cases. It's just that "doppio" is a matter of changing the 
perceived tempo, and "syncopation" is changing the emphatic rhythm (and 
rhythm is just tempo plus emphasis, accent, stress-- whatever you want 
to call it. Syncopation in poetry is called "substitution," because you 
swap, e.g., a trochee [ / _ ] for an iamb [ _ / ] in the line somewhere, 
while preserving, to some extent, the base rhythm.)

(Tempo modulation or "doppio" [and the reverse], almost entirely 
unexplored by both scholars and poets, can be achieved by swapping a 
dactyl [ / _ _ ] for an iamb or trochee instead. That's the basic 
technique, at least; it's really a Tad more complex than that.)

(Sidenote: Literary scholars are universally under the impression that 
verse technique derives from music. All these Greek terms like iamb and 
trochee, however, are the names of dance steps, which is why they're 
called "feet." The more accurate translation, taking context into 
consideration, would simply be "step," not foot; the Greek choral odes, 
whence these terms derive, were verse fused with choreography. Poetry is 
physical as well as aural. Good poems are the ones we want to put in our 
mouths, I think, as much as in our ears. Same with good dance music: we 
want it in our ears, but also in our bodies.)

(The study of poetic rhythm can clarify a lot of the common ground 
between dance and music, because the rhythms of poetry can be Seen more 
easily, and notated by the layperson. I can't really read music very 
well myself, but I've acquired enough knowledge of rhythm, via the study 
of poetry, to dance with polyrhythms-- e.g., 3 against 4, or 5 against 6 
in the case of two waltz measures-- which has a liberating feel. There's 
a proverb in Spanish about how only a dolt dances on every beat: anyone 
got it handy?)

(There is also the matter of inserting rests, which is another way of 
looking at the whole matter. Negative space is a huge shaping device 
rhythmically, and tends to carry more dramatic content because of its 
difference in meaning, even if it achieves an identical result in the body.)

As for syncopation's entry into tango music as a regular feature... I'm 
very unsure about the points made so far. The thing I notice most about 
guardia vieja music-- not that I've reviewed the entire repertory by any 
means-- is that it really Lacks syncopation. The De Caro and Fresedo 
renovations, which turned to classical music for material and shaping 
ideas, seem to have ushered them in from the European tradition, where 
they were standard for centuries. I'd like to believe that the composers 
and bandleaders found black music inspirational, but I've got the 
feeling that such an argument is backed up with a heavy dose of wishful 
thinking and white guilt. I really don't believe in the value of such 
liberal pieties... especially considering how black musicians have 
frequently made great music by turning, like De Caro, to the great works 
of Italian and German composers for devices and inspiration.

Then again, I'm no musicologist; and I'm not sure it matters where the 
innovations actually came from. The important part now is to understand 
what those pieces are. And for that, I think anyone confused about 
syncopation may find a friendly lesson in verse. Or hip-hop, for that 
matter. Or Ella Fitzgerald's scat singing. Much word-heavy music 
syncopates speech in the same way poetry does, even if the techniques 
aren't as interesting to the specialist.

Nice to see a debate with technical terms though. My thanks to all who 
have (or shall) contribute to it.

Jake Spatz
Washington, DC


Sebastian Arce wrote:
> Dear Chris,
>
> There are two big different things, double time... and syncopation I agree. 
> The therm "Double time" is just duplicating the musical beats within a 
> rhytmical meassure and that in written music makes only part of the 
> 'alterations du movement' such as Animato, Accelerando, Doppio (your double 
> time) Pio moto, Piu mosso etc etc .
>
> On the other hand, sincopa is the rhytmical accentuation of the intervalo 
> beetween the meak and strong beat and that lasts untill the next strong 
> beat.
>
> Example of a syncopa: Beethoven. Sonate op. 31 no 1. Called 'La boiteuse' 
> representing the syncopated rhythmical accentuation.
>
> If you are a accomplished musician, think that I doubt myself... for your 
> reasonings and your way to communicate and share your thoughts, you will 
> clearly know that if you ask a band to play a 'double time' they will start 
> to accelerate the stablished tempo... since the remark of 'doppio tempo' 
> stablishes that there is an alteration of the TEMPO.
>
> To avoid any other missunderstanding, please do not CONFUSE contratempo, and 
> syncopation. The syncopa extends untill the strong beat, the contratempo 
> DOESN't. And please... remember that 'doubletempo' is only a remark 
> regarding the interpretation of the 'movimento'.
>
> As you already have noticed Chris, open books, open your mind and ears... 
> this might be helpful.
>
> With all my respect,
> S.Arce
>
>
> ----Original Message Follows----
> From: "Chris, UK" <tl2 at chrisjj.com>
> Reply-To: tl2 at chrisjj.com
> To: Tango-L at mit.edu
> CC: tl2 at chrisjj.com
> Subject: Re: [Tango-L] syncopation
> Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 00:24 +0100 (BST)
>
> Trini wrote:
>
>  > Chris, I think you overlooked that Sebastian specified that
>  > the 2 is a weak beat, not a strong beat.
>
> I think not. Particularly since Sebastian helpfully made clear that his
> example was in simple duple time, in which 2 is /always/ a weak beat.
>
>  > If 2 is a strong beat, then, it would be a double-time.
>  > Since 2 is a weak beat, then it is a syncopa.
>
> As I said: Ask three more dance instructors... get probably three more
> meanings.
>
> For anyone falling prey to this idea there might be a meaningful difference
> depending on the strength of the second beat, try clapping this:
>
>   Sebastian's original   :  1 , 2 , 1 , 2 , 1 , 2
>
> then
>
>   Sebastian's syncopated :  1and2and1and2and1and2
>
> first with 1 and 2 of equal strength, then again with 2 weaker.
>
> See? Don't take anyone's word for it but your own.
>
> Chris
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