The Music Stem / The Musician's Library / Composer's Handbook / Syncopation
Composer's Handbook
Syncopation places emphasis where the meter does not expect it.
In 4/4, start a note on the “and” of beat 2 and tie it over beat 3.
Quarter, eighth, quarter, eighth, quarter. The third note starts on the “and” of 2 and holds through beat 3, so beat 3 has no new attack.
Joplin, The Entertainer