Introduction
Jazz is usually (though not always) played with a swing rhythm (swung rhythm?). This is not to be confused with the jazz music style of ‘Swing’ (which is, incidentally, swung). The best way to understand the difference between a swing rhythm and a straight rhythm is to listen to it. But it can also be visually represented, as below.
Straight Rhythm
If you are playing 8th notes in 4/4 time (so two notes per beat), then a straight rhythm would look as follows:
You play the first 8th note on the beat and the second 8th note exactly half way between the two beats.
Swing Rhythm
When swinging the beat, on the other hand, you play the first 8th note on the beat and the second 8th note is slightly delayed. Visually it would look as follows:
While the sheet music is written in the same way as a straight rhythm, the way you play it is very different. A swung rhythm has a triplet feel, but skips the middle triplet.
| If you’re playing a straight rhythm at 60 bpm (1 beat per second), you would play as follows: | If you’re playing a swing rhythm at 60 bpm (1 beat per second), you would play as follows: |
| 1st 8th note: 0 secs 2nd 8th note: 0.5 secs 3rd 8th note: 1.0 secs 4th 8th note: 1.5 secs And so on… | 1st 8th note: 0 secs 2nd 8th note: 0.66 secs 3rd 8th note: 1.0 secs 4th 8th note: 1.66 secs And so on… |
Have a Listen to
Listen to as much Swing Jazz (genre) music as you can (Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway, Fletcher Henderson, Artie Shaw, Jimmie Lunceford, the list goes on…). Because to truly understand and play swing, you have to internalise the rhythm. You have to really ‘feel’ it. And the only way to do that is to listen to anything and everything swingin’. Remember: It don’t mean a thing, if it ain’t got that swing.
Or for a more detailed explanation, check out the below video: