One of the easiest things to notice
when listening to a music piece is that piece’s beat pattern, or meter. A
song’s meter describes which beat receives emphasis in a measure, and how many
of those beats are in a measure. Listening to “Maple Leaf Rag,” one can feel a
distinct “one-two one-two one-two” as the left hand’s stride bass hits an
octave on the majority of downbeats (see seg. 1). This “one-two” feel, combined
with constant chord changes every two beats, leads me to believe that “Maple
Leaf Rag” is in simple duple meter. This simple duple meter is very common in
ragtime, and contributes to the designation of many rags as “two-steps.” “Chega
de Saudade,” on the other hand, has its measures divided into patterns of four beats,
with a more drawn out rhythm. Generally, simple quadruple meter accents the
first beat and the third beat of the four beat measure, but the first beat is accented
more strongly than the third. I noticed something odd about the accents of the
simple quadruple meter in “Chega” though. They weren’t in their usual places on
the first and the third beat of the measure.
Throughout “Chega de Saudade,” beats are accented in unusual places. This accenting of a different beat than is “normal” is known as syncopation. In this segment (seg. 2), for example, the maracas play on the 2nd and 4th beat, effectively syncopating by emphasizing an unusual beat. Syncopation is a main component of the bossa nova genre; constant focus on the second beat, fourth beat, and upbeats leads to a Latin feel that adds a layer to a bossa’s sound. Coincidentally enough, syncopation is present in “Maple Leaf Rag” as well. The syncopation, rather than being displayed prominently by a rhythm section to create a Latin (like in “Chega de Saudade”), is in the melody, though syncopation is also present in the left hand stride bass for portions of the song. This segment (seg. 3) of “Maple Leaf Rag” shows the syncopation of the stride bass, which emphasizes the downbeat of one and the upbeat of two. The melody syncopates; it never seems to focus on the downbeat of one (the beat that is normally emphasized in simple duple meter). Syncopation is a defining characteristic of ragtime as much as it is of bossa nova, but the syncopation in each song produces a different feel.
Throughout “Chega de Saudade,” beats are accented in unusual places. This accenting of a different beat than is “normal” is known as syncopation. In this segment (seg. 2), for example, the maracas play on the 2nd and 4th beat, effectively syncopating by emphasizing an unusual beat. Syncopation is a main component of the bossa nova genre; constant focus on the second beat, fourth beat, and upbeats leads to a Latin feel that adds a layer to a bossa’s sound. Coincidentally enough, syncopation is present in “Maple Leaf Rag” as well. The syncopation, rather than being displayed prominently by a rhythm section to create a Latin (like in “Chega de Saudade”), is in the melody, though syncopation is also present in the left hand stride bass for portions of the song. This segment (seg. 3) of “Maple Leaf Rag” shows the syncopation of the stride bass, which emphasizes the downbeat of one and the upbeat of two. The melody syncopates; it never seems to focus on the downbeat of one (the beat that is normally emphasized in simple duple meter). Syncopation is a defining characteristic of ragtime as much as it is of bossa nova, but the syncopation in each song produces a different feel.
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