Syncopation (Right Hand)

Notes that land between the beats instead of on them.

Level:
4 of 6
Hands:
Right hand
Key:
C major
Notes:
9
Range:
C4 to G4
One run:
about 9 seconds at 80 bpm

The notes, in order

9 notes, one at a time.

  1. C4
  2. D4
  3. E4
  4. F4
  5. G4
  6. F4
  7. E4
  8. D4
  9. C4

How to practise it

  1. The first note arrives on the "and", not on the beat
  2. Keep tapping the beat with your foot so you can feel the offset
  3. Syncopation only works if the underlying pulse stays rock solid

The scale behind it

This one is built on the C Major scale: C D E F G A B (no sharps or flats). Its right-hand fingering runs 1-2-3-1-2-3-4-5, and the scale page has the full diagram if you want to hear the shape on its own first.

How to play it here

Play along on the keys with your mouse, your computer keyboard, a touch screen, or a MIDI keyboard you have plugged in. Every key can show its own name, and the metronome will hold the tempo while you work through the 9 notes.

What it trains

  • rhythm
  • syncopation
  • counting

More rhythm

Subdivision and steady time, which is the skill people skip and then cannot hide.

All piano exercises