# Swing and shuffle

*Module 11 · Lesson 5: Rhythm II · BazzLow*

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

Before this lesson: [11.4 Compound meter](https://bazzlow.com/en/rhythm-2/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.

> **Diagram:** 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.

> **Diagram:** 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

- swing
- swung eighths
- shuffle
- swing ratio

Page: https://bazzlow.com/en/rhythm-2/swing-and-shuffle/