User:Andrewa/Swing time
- Swing time redirects here. For the film, see Swing Time.
In music, swing time is a feel, style or metre based on the technique of playing each beat as a pair of notes with the first generally twice the length of the second, rather than of equal length as in simple time, and with the second shorter note accented.
This and similar devices are also called swing rhythm, swing metre, swing style, shuffle time, shuffle rhythm or shuffle metre. A rhythm that is not swung is called a straight rhythm.
Assuming that the ration is 2:1, these devices give a triplet feel to the music. Some jazz movements, notably some bebop and later, use ratios other than 2:1, giving a subtly different feel. However when played by working live bands and particularly dance bands, these pieces too are often given a traditional 2:1 triplet swing.
In written jazz, swing is a convention that music is played in swing time but written in simple time. This convention is traditionally assumed except in latin jazz. For example, Satin Doll, a swing era jazz standard with a pronounced swing rhythm, was published written in 4/4 time, but at least some versions also note medium swing, and it is always played with a swing.
In dance music, swing generally refers to the metre of the music, rather than to this convention of notation, so any music played with the triplet timing and swing accent will be referred to as swing or shuffle rhythm however it is written, see below.
Development of swing[edit]
Early blues was often accompanied by a band playing in 12/8 within which the singer, who generally exercised great rhythmic freedom, often accented notes other than the beat. This, combined with the persistent offbeat accents of ragtime, led to swing rhythms pervading early jazz. Except for very fast jazz, latin jazz and slow ballads, all written jazz music is assumed to be performed with a swing rhythm, although publishers sometimes also specify "with a swing".
In jazz and big band music, a shuffle is almost always accompanied by a distinctive cooking rhythm played on the ride cymbal or hi hat.
Styles that always use traditional (triplet) swing rhythms include:
- Music for foxtrot, quickstep and some other ballroom dances.
Styles that sometimes use swing rhythms include:
- Early rock and roll such as Bill Haley's Shake, Rattle and Roll and Rock Around the Clock, Buddy Holly's That'll Be The Day, and Elvis Presley's Jailhouse Rock. In later rock and roll music it is unusual but not unknown.
Transcribing swing rhythms[edit]
In the swing era, swing meant accented triplets (shuffle rhythm), suitable for dancing. With the development of bebop and later jazz styles independent of dancing, the term was used for far more general timings. There is much debate over use of other ratios than 2:1 in swing rhythms.
Some publishers of jazz music, especially those whose intended audience is people unfamiliar with jazz styles, transcribe the swing either:
- As compound time, such as 6/8, 9/8, or 12/8.
- As triplets within a duple meter.
See also[edit]
- Notes inégales, a 17th-century French usage of similar metres and notation.
- Swing (genre) for music of the swing era.
- Swung note for a deeper and more mathematical treatment.
- Clave (rhythm) for the rhythms of latin jazz and latin dances.
External links[edit]
- A definition of swing music, essay saying it's written many ways but always played as 2:1
- Blues shuffle for guitar
- rec.arts.dance FAQ