Swing rhythm is a way of playing eighth notes so they are not even, but long-short, like a triplet: the first eighth note takes two-thirds of the beat, and the second takes one-third. The feel is lilting and groovy, and it is the rhythm of jazz, blues, and swing music.
What is swing rhythm?
Swing rhythm is a way of playing eighth notes so they are not even, but long-short, like a triplet: the first eighth note takes two-thirds of the beat, and the second takes one-third, so the rhythm is lilting and groovy, instead of square and even. The feel is the rhythm of jazz, blues, and swing music, and it is what makes those styles swing, because the notes are not played straight, but with a lilt, and the lilt is the swing. Swing is a feel, not a notation, and it is written as straight eighth notes, but played as triplets, with the first eighth note long and the second short. The player must know to swing the eighth notes, because the notation does not say so, and the word swing, or the marking swing, at the top of the music tells the player to play the eighth notes as triplets. The G major guitar chord and the C major guitar chord are the chords most players first swing with, and the metronome keeps the beat steady.
How swing rhythm works
Swing works by dividing the beat into three, not two, and playing the eighth notes as the first and third parts of the triplet, so the first eighth note is long, two-thirds of the beat, and the second is short, one-third of the beat. The beat is divided into three equal parts, and the first eighth note takes the first two parts, and the second takes the third part, so the rhythm is long-short, long-short, and the feel is lilting and groovy. The triplet is the key: a triplet divides the beat into three equal parts, and the swing takes the first two parts for the first note and the third part for the second note. The swing feel is also made by accenting the offbeat, the second eighth note, which is short but accented, so the rhythm is not just long-short, but long-short with an accent on the short note, and the accent is what makes the rhythm swing. The strumming pattern for swing is down on the long note and up on the short note, with the upstroke accented, and the hand moves in a triplet feel, not in a straight feel. The D major guitar chord and the A major guitar chord are the chords the swing is built on, and the 12-bar blues progression in A major is a good progression to practise swing with.
Worked example — straight versus swing. Hold a G major chord, and strum eighth notes straight, down, up, down, up, with the eighth notes even, each taking half the beat, and the rhythm is square and even, like a march. Now strum the same eighth notes with swing, down on the long note and up on the short note, with the first eighth note taking two-thirds of the beat and the second taking one-third, and the rhythm is lilting and groovy, like jazz, because the notes are not even, but long-short. The difference is the triplet: the straight eighth notes divide the beat into two, and the swing eighth notes divide it into three, and the feel is the difference. The I–V–vi–IV progression in C major can be played straight and then with swing, and the feel will change completely.
How to practise swing rhythm
Practise swing rhythm slowly, feeling the triplet division of the beat, until the long-short feel is natural, and then increase the speed, one step at a time.
- Practise counting triplets, one, two, three, one, two, three, and then play eighth notes on the first and third parts of the triplet, so the first is long and the second is short.
- Practise strumming a G major chord with swing, down on the long note and up on the short note, and listen for the lilting, groovy feel.
- Play the 12-bar blues progression in A major with swing, and listen for the rhythm to feel like jazz and blues, not like a march.
- Practise with the metronome at 60 beats per minute, and increase the tempo by 5 beats per minute when the swing is steady at the current tempo.
- Practise playing the same pattern straight and then with swing, and compare the feel, so the difference between straight and swing is clear in your ear.
Common mistakes
- Playing swing as straight eighth notes — Swing eighth notes are long-short, not even, and playing them straight will make the rhythm sound square and march-like, not lilting and groovy. Feel the triplet division, and let the first note be long and the second short.
- Making the swing too exaggerated — A swing that is too exaggerated, with the first note too long and the second too short, will sound stilted and unnatural, because the triplet is not that extreme. The swing is a lilt, not a lurch, and the first note is two-thirds of the beat, not three-quarters.
- Forgetting to accent the offbeat — Swing is not just long-short, it is long-short with an accent on the short note, and forgetting the accent will make the rhythm sound flat. Accent the upstroke, the short note, and the rhythm will swing.
Quick reference
This table compares straight and swing eighth notes side by side, so you can see the difference at a glance. The straight eighth notes divide the beat into two equal parts, and the swing eighth notes divide it into three, with the first note taking two parts and the second taking one part, and the feel is the difference.
| Straight eighth notes | Swing eighth notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Beat division | Two equal parts | Three equal parts (triplet) |
| First note | Half the beat | Two-thirds of the beat |
| Second note | Half the beat | One-third of the beat |
| Feel | Square and even | Lilting and groovy |
| Accent | On the beat | On the offbeat |
Use the table to check your swing: is your first eighth note longer than your second, and is the beat divided into three, not two, and is the offbeat accented, and does the rhythm feel lilting and groovy. When you can answer yes to all four, your swing is right, and the rhythm will swing.
Frequently asked questions
What is swing rhythm?
Swing rhythm is a way of playing eighth notes so they are not even, but long-short, like a triplet: the first eighth note takes two-thirds of the beat, and the second takes one-third. The feel is lilting and groovy, and it is the rhythm of jazz, blues, and swing music.
How is swing different from straight rhythm?
Straight rhythm divides the beat into two equal parts, and swing divides it into three, with the first eighth note taking two parts and the second taking one part, so the straight rhythm is square and even, and the swing rhythm is lilting and groovy.
Do I need to read triplets to play swing?
No, but it helps. Swing is written as straight eighth notes, but played as triplets, and the word swing at the top of the music tells the player to play them that way. Feeling the triplet division is more important than reading it.
What styles use swing rhythm?
Jazz, blues, and swing music, and many other styles that use the lilting, groovy feel of long-short eighth notes, with the accent on the offbeat, instead of the square, even feel of straight eighth notes.
Can I swing in any time signature?
Yes, but swing is most common in 4/4 time, where the eighth notes are the subdivision, and the triplet feel is the swing. Swing can also be used in 3/4 and 6/8 time, but the feel is different, because the subdivision is different.