Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing

Don't even get me started on this song. With syncopated rhythms literally halfway through a groove, and then little snare fills that you wish you had the speed and timing to perfect, this song is certainly a challenging song to master. And when we first played it all the way through with no mistakes, I celebrated. A lot.

Dire Straits – Sultans of Swing (Alchemy Live) 

How did I learn how to play this song? A little differently from how I learnt the rest of my songs. I looked at maybe one cover video, but then again, I didn't even look at it all the way through. Dire Straits are known for their 10 minute version of this song, and even the five minute version is pushing it a little. They're always changing how they play it, adding in extra things.
I understppd how to play the rhythms and how they should sound, but I just couldn't do it. Technically, it was too hard.
So I listened to the song on repeat for two weeks straight (Dire STRATs) and picked it up that way.

The Dire Straits drummer is just insane. Through the use of a simple rock beat to establish the setting of a rock song, the song is presented as a normal rock tune. However, soon the syncopation begins and the rhythms of the song change. It may seem long and boring, but due to the varrying rhythms and grooves played on the drums, this song keeps it's listeners interested for longer by providing another layer of song to listen out for. 

The syncopation adds a certain layer of pop to the song; syncopation is most notably used in disco and pop songs as a catchy line to get people dancing. By adding it in this rock song, it gives the song a pop vibe, creating a different timbre to the song; instead of just a 'boring' old, regular rock song with guitar solos and the same repeating melodies, the drums add in an almost dancy rhhythm. 

Syncopation man. Woah. It can do wonders.