What is a beat? How does it relate to syncopation?

1 Answer
Truong-Son N.
Oct 5, 2015

A beat is the underlying "pulse" that defines the rhythmic emphases in a song or piece.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/

In a measure, the top number is the number of beats, and the bottom number is the type of note, so there are four quarter notes in each measure in a #4/4# time signature, or three quarter notes in each measure in #3/4#.

A downbeat is strongly emphasized, one of which is the almost always the first beat in a measure. An upbeat is the non-emphasized or syncopated beat(s), namely the second and fourth beats in a #4/4# measure, or the second and third beats in a #3/4# measure.

Performing on the beat is when you purposefully emphasize the downbeat. This is typical.

#\mathbf"1 " "2 " "3 " "4"#

or

#\mathbf"1 " "2 " \mathbf"3 " "4"#

Performing off the beat is when you purposefully emphasize the upbeat. This is atypical but is still sometimes done.

#"1 "\mathbf"2 " "3 "\mathbf"4"#

Related questions
Impact of this question
69 views around the world
You can reuse this answer
Creative Commons License