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Swing

Same notes, same tempo: make every second note a little late and the music swings. Pairs of eighth notes played long-short, on the first two thirds and the last third of a triplet, carried by the ride cymbal and the walking bass, the dance music of the big-band era and the feel behind the blues shuffle.

In this lesson you'll

  • Hear and count straight eighths (perfectly even) against swung eighths (long-short, the "and" at two thirds of the beat).
  • Know how much to swing: slower tempos often swing harder, very fast tempos get closer to even.
  • Clap straight and swung, and swing a simple melody on the keyboard over a ride cymbal and walking bass.

Music in this lesson

  • In the MoodGlenn Miller · 1939
  • Sing, Sing, SingBenny Goodman · 1937

Remember

Swung eighths split each beat into three, like a triplet: the first note takes two parts, the "and" takes the last, so it arrives late.

The amount of swing varies with the tempo: slow swings harder, very fast is nearly even, so let the tempo decide.

The ride cymbal (every beat, plus a late note after 2 and 4) and the walking bass (one note per beat) carry the swing; in the blues it drives the shuffle.