Representation: **synco¶

Humdrum Representation for Metric Syncopation¶

REPRESENTATION¶

**synco – represent degree of metric syncopation

DESCRIPTION¶

The **synco representation encodes numerical values that indicate the degree of metric syncopation for successive moments in a musical passage. Data tokens for **synco consist only of decimal numbers. The value 0 indicates no metric syncopation at the current data record. Higher numerical values indicate increasing amounts of metric syncopation at the current data record.

Syncopation values follow a definition of metric syncopation inspired by the work of Lee and Longuet-Higgins (1982). In brief, metric syncopation may be defined as a moment where an expected metric stress is absent. More specifically, a metrically syncopated moment is defined as occurring when no note-onset happens at a moment whose metric position is more important than that of the most recent note onset. For example, where a note occurs on the second beat of a quadruple meter, and is not followed by a note on the third beat, the third beat is deemed syncopated because it occupies a higher metric position than the previous onset.

Numerical **synco values are equal to the logarithm of the metric position of the previous onset minus the logarithm of the metric position of the current moment – where the current moment has no note onset, and coincides with a higher metric position than the previous onset. For example, missing downbeats at the beginning of a measure produce the large syncopation values.

Barlines are represented using the “common system” for barlines – see **barlines**.

Note: **synco data is normally produced by the synco command.

FILE TYPE¶

It is recommended that files containing predominantly **synco data should be given names with the distinguishing .syn’ extension.

SIGNIFIERS¶

The following table summarizes the **synco mappings of signifiers and signifieds.

 0-9 decimal values . fractional delimiter; null token = barline; == double barline

Summary of ***synco** Signifiers*

EXAMPLES¶

A sample document is given below:

 **synco *M2/4 *tb8 =1 0 0 0 0 =2 1.10 0 0 0 =3 0.69 0 *-

PERTINENT COMMANDS¶

The following Humdrum command produces **synco data as output:

 **synco** measure the degree of metric syncopation

TANDEM INTERPRETATIONS¶

The following tandem interpretations can be used in conjunction with **synco:

 MIDI channel *Ch1 meter signatures *M6/8 tempo *MM96.3 timebase *tb32

Tandem interpretations for ***synco***

 barlines, **metpos, synco, **timebase`