Intro to Syncopation

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Instructor: Mike Salow Level: Intermediate Topic: Rhythm Style: Any Style

Excerpt: Welcome again to another tutorial! This time around we'll be discussing one of the most important elements of music, rhythm. More specifically, syncopation. As a beginning to intermediate guitarist, one of the most difficult things to grasp onto is the concept of syncopation. What some players don’t realize is that syncopation is extremely important ...

Media Length: 3:11

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Instructor: Mike Salow Level: Intermediate Topic: Rhythm Style: Any Style

Excerpt: In this first exercise we'll be using an E7 shell voicing but really any chord will do. I've set my metronome to 80bpm and like I stated in the last video, I start on the down beat and move the 16th note over 1 beat every measure. This gives me accents on "off" beats. The following may help: 1(e&a) 2(e&a) 3(e&a) 4(e&a) (1)E(&...

Media Length: 0:33

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Instructor: Mike Salow Level: Intermediate Topic: Rhythm Style: Any Style

Excerpt: The technique used in the previous videos can also be applied to soloing ideas. In this section, we'll take a simple 8 note scale shape (E mixolydian) and we'll play its using a descending 4 note sequence that is common in many styles. The same thing applies in this exercise. We'll start on the downbeat (the 1) the first time, then we'll start on the "E", t...

Media Length: 2:23

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Instructor: Mike Salow Level: Intermediate Topic: Rhythm Style: Any Style

Excerpt: Like I said in the previous video, this might be a little more difficult so please play at a slower tempo if needed. A good starting point would be 60bpm if 80 is uncomfortable. Also pay close attention to the tab. The descending sequence is the same pattern each time, starting and ending on the same notes as well as the exact same notes within. The only t...

Media Length: 1:10