[Tango-L] Syncopation

[Larry Gmucs]

SYNCOPATION Syncopate; syncopated; syncopa: A musical term adopted by dancers and used in a way which is technically incorrect, musically, and leads to endless arguments between dancers and musicians. Musically it refers to an unexpected or unusual accenting of the beats in a measure such as the two and four beats of swing music rather than the more common accent on the one and three beats. Dancers have come to use the term to describe cutting the beat, or stepping on the half-beat, which annoys musicians all to heck. Maybe if they could dance the tango we would pay more attention to them.

I found this at  www.batango.com/Loomis.htm and other sites.

Also, look up "time signatures" at www.wikipedia.org for more musical information.  

One of my favorite devices is hemiola, playing two 3 beat measures as if they were three 2 beat measures.  In a waltz, this results in ONE two THREE one TWO three.  Dave Brubeck's "It's a Raggy Waltz" uses this device.

It's way simpler to listen and dance than it is to analyze the music and motion.

Larry in Cleveland

 		
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