Chapter 4: Beat Subdivisions and Syncopation

swung eighths

A performance practice where a rhythm notated with even eighth notes is performed unevenly, with more time allotted to the first eighth and less to the second in each pair.

slur

An arc that connects two or more different pitches and affects performance articulation but not duration. In piano music, they tell the performer to play the slurred notes smoothly; in vocal music, the slurred notes are sung on one syllable or in one breath

two-beat triplet

in simple meter, a division of a two-beat note into three equal parts (e.g., in 4/4. a half note divided into three quarter notes)

triplet

in simple meter, a division of the beat into three, instead of two equal parts

beat subdivision

A further division of the beat division into two parts; for example, for a quarter note in simple meter, the beat divides into two eighths and subdivides into four sixteenths.

tie

A small arc connecting the note heads of two (or more) identical pitches to indicate the durations are to be combined together, without rearticulating the pitch. used to notate durations extending across a bar line and for durations that cannot be represented with dotted notes.

syncopation

rhythmic displacement of accents created by dots, ties, rests, dynamic markings, or accent marks