Real-World Music: Hemiola and Syncopation
1. Leonard Bernstein "America" from West Side Story
This classic Broadway tune is an excellent example of a six-eight vs. three-four hemiola.
2. The Beatles, "Here Comes the Sun" from Abbey Road
Listen
for six-eight hemiolas scattered throughout this song which is
otherwise in four-four. They can be heard in the guitar, just after the
words "It's Alright," and also on the words, "Sun, Sun, Sun."
3. Genesis, "Firth of Fifth" from Selling England by the Pound
The
bombastic piano introduction for this 1973 progressive rock song is
comprised entirely of eighth notes; the alternating two- and three-note
groupings create hemiolas as well as changing meters.
4. Scott Joplin, "The Easy Winners" (Ragtime piano piece)
Syncopation
is a hallmark of all ragtime music (the name of the style comes from
the words "ragged time"), but it is very easily heard in the melody of
this particular piece.
5. Earth, Wind, and Fire, "Can't Hide Love" from The Best of Earth, Wind and Fire, Vol. 1
Like
most popular music, this R & B tune features syncopation
throughout, but it is especially prominent in the horn riffs that open
and close the song.
Due
to copyright restrictions, only the names and sources for the songs are
provided. Much of the music is easily and inexpensively obtained from
online music stores such as iTunes or Amazon, and chances are good that
it may be found in the personal collection of the teacher, the student,
or the student’s parents.