BazzLow
ENIT
Module 11 · Lesson 5

Swing and shuffle

Play swung eighths and a shuffle feel, and read how they are marked.

Before this lesson: 11.4 Compound meter

Two players can play the same written eighth notes and sound completely different. The difference is whether the pairs are even or long–short.

Swung eighths

In a swing feel, pairs of eighth notes are played long–short instead of equal; they are swung eighths. The usual reference is the triplet: the first eighth lasts the first two notes of a triplet, the second the last one, a 2:1 ratio. In real performances this swing ratio varies with tempo and style: wider at slow tempos, closer to even at fast tempos.

Rhythm lineThree lines on the same four beats. Straight: eight even eighth notes. Triplets: twelve eighth-note triplets. Swung: the first and the third note of each triplet are played, the middle one is silent, so each pair of eighths is long–short.straight1234triplets33331234swung33331234
Three lines on the same four beats. Straight: eight even eighth notes. Triplets: twelve eighth-note triplets. Swung: the first and the third note of each triplet are played, the middle one is silent, so each pair of eighths is long–short.

How it is written

Swing is written as ordinary eighth notes, with an indication at the start: “Swing”, “Shuffle”, or a small equation showing two eighths equal to a quarter-note triplet followed by an eighth-note triplet. The same rhythm written in 12/8 is how some slow blues are notated.

Shuffle is a long–short feel built on the triplet. It usually has a more insistent, even triplet pulse, common in blues, boogie and rock. The two terms overlap and are used differently by different musicians. A precise, universal distinction is not established, and it is not taught here.

A visual pulse with a switch between straight eighths and swung eighths: the quiet click falls on the half of the beat, or on the last third of it. Press Start, then use the Straight / Swing button.

For the bass

The long–short feel must match the drums’ ride or hi-hat pattern. Straight eighths over a swung groove sound wrong immediately.

Try it

Play eighth notes on the open A with the triplet click from lesson 11.3, playing only the 1st and 3rd note of each triplet. That is the swing feel. Then play a root–octave line over C – F – G (one bar each) with that feel.

New terms