Hi,
I've ran across this term a few times in the last few days.
There's also such a feature in the MIDI editing in Cubase.
What swing is?
What swing is?
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- KVRAF
- 1585 posts since 13 Nov, 2005 from St. Paul
If you have to ask, you'll never know...
Just kidding, it's when the eighth or sixteenth notes aren't exactly even. On of the most common "swing" settings is a fuzzy midway point between even eighth notes and playing a dotted eighth and a sixteenth. Most real drummers have at least a little swing in their playing, depending on the style. Reggae, jazz, and blues are particularly heavy on the swing, for example.
Just kidding, it's when the eighth or sixteenth notes aren't exactly even. On of the most common "swing" settings is a fuzzy midway point between even eighth notes and playing a dotted eighth and a sixteenth. Most real drummers have at least a little swing in their playing, depending on the style. Reggae, jazz, and blues are particularly heavy on the swing, for example.
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experimental.crow experimental.crow https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=6258
- KVRAF
- 6895 posts since 9 Mar, 2003 from the bridge of sighs
don't mean a thing , if you ain't got it ...
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- angelboy
- 4586 posts since 21 Aug, 2001 from Larnaca, Cyprus
It is difficult to understand what swing is if you don't hear it yourself and have it explained by someone who knows. This is better done by someone you know in 'real life', so you can ask questions and stuff. I did not do this and I struggled for weeks trying to understand it on Wikipedia, YouTube etc. I recently posted a YouTube video that explains it masterfully in this very forum (among other things) - I'll see if I can find it and post it here.
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- angelboy
- 4586 posts since 21 Aug, 2001 from Larnaca, Cyprus
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- KVRAF
- 9590 posts since 17 Sep, 2002 from Gothenburg Sweden
http://www.box.net/shared/de0zg9ex26
Here's three files. One without swing,one with a little and one with plenty.
This is 16th swing so every other 16th note is shifted later in time.
8th swing is also common.
Here's three files. One without swing,one with a little and one with plenty.
This is 16th swing so every other 16th note is shifted later in time.
8th swing is also common.
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- KVRAF
- 6519 posts since 13 Mar, 2002 from UK
Sadly not on drum machines. You have to run at half speed and treat the sixteen pads as 2 bars, on most of them, to get 8th note swing.jupiter8 wrote:8th swing is also common.
Now with improved MIDI jitter!
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- KVRist
- 35 posts since 26 Jun, 2008 from Cornwall UK
Swing is a term much used in jazz, written on the score as Swing eighths or Swing sixteenths, where no swing is termed as Straight eigths.
basically swing eighths are played with the first of a pair longer than the second note, even as far as ending as a dotted eighths followed by a sixteenth.
In Cubase if you play set the grid to show 1/8th notes, then alter the amount of swing you will see the grid alter and become irregularly spaced.
Must agree that if you have to ask you need to listen to a lot more music.
Try the violin solos between jazz violinist Stefan Grappeli and classical violinst Yehudi Menuhin. When Grappelli plays it swings, when Menuhin plays its dead. It really shows.
basically swing eighths are played with the first of a pair longer than the second note, even as far as ending as a dotted eighths followed by a sixteenth.
In Cubase if you play set the grid to show 1/8th notes, then alter the amount of swing you will see the grid alter and become irregularly spaced.
Must agree that if you have to ask you need to listen to a lot more music.
Try the violin solos between jazz violinist Stefan Grappeli and classical violinst Yehudi Menuhin. When Grappelli plays it swings, when Menuhin plays its dead. It really shows.
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- KVRAF
- 2217 posts since 15 Jul, 2003
I've been trying to learn bebop lead lines and it's amazing how some of them don't sound musical at all until you add that swing element and that also implies a certain accent pattern.
You can play them straight 8 all day and they just don't work.
Strangely enough if you play the notes 'pizzacato' and straight it seems to help figure out the swing phrasing, probably because that's likely the more correct value for the second note in the pairings.
You can play them straight 8 all day and they just don't work.
Strangely enough if you play the notes 'pizzacato' and straight it seems to help figure out the swing phrasing, probably because that's likely the more correct value for the second note in the pairings.
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- KVRer
- 11 posts since 25 Sep, 2004
@wrench: That's probably because most of the great bebop players did their time in swing bands. Charlie Parker still swings at 240!
I tried learning some of the Parker solos from the omnibook, but then I slowed a recording of it and practiced against that. Made a world of difference. Aside from the mistakes in transcription, the dots on the page don't tell you what's swung, what's accented, what's ghosted. This is "style" and without style, music sounds "dead" - as you already said. Bebop like most music, is an aural experience. To learn it you gotta use your ears, really listen to what the music is doing and try and copy it. Be able to slow down recordings really helps.
I tried learning some of the Parker solos from the omnibook, but then I slowed a recording of it and practiced against that. Made a world of difference. Aside from the mistakes in transcription, the dots on the page don't tell you what's swung, what's accented, what's ghosted. This is "style" and without style, music sounds "dead" - as you already said. Bebop like most music, is an aural experience. To learn it you gotta use your ears, really listen to what the music is doing and try and copy it. Be able to slow down recordings really helps.
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- KVRAF
- 2217 posts since 15 Jul, 2003
yep
I use the Tascam CD-GTR2 to slow things down enough to encourage/absorb that swing phrasing
there's a certain blur factor at work on the fast pieces -- a flurry of chromatic approach/surround notes that cluster around the 'important' note(s), that works -- just different -- at slower speed as well
I use the Tascam CD-GTR2 to slow things down enough to encourage/absorb that swing phrasing
there's a certain blur factor at work on the fast pieces -- a flurry of chromatic approach/surround notes that cluster around the 'important' note(s), that works -- just different -- at slower speed as well
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- KVRAF
- 4071 posts since 4 Mar, 2008 from Near Pittsburgh
Don't work from the electronic side of things backwards, IMO. Get some real jazz recordings, get your hands on a Real Book (you can get the "legit" version if you aren't going to gig and need the songs they couldn't clear copyright for) and look at the lead sheets while the song's playing. Sit back and close your eyes during the solo and hear each player swing and interact. It isn't an exact science, but beautiful when it comes together.
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- KVRAF
- 8389 posts since 11 Apr, 2003 from back on the hillside again - but now with a garden!
yeah, he is getting on a bit these days...curmudgeon wrote:@wrench: That's probably because most of the great bebop players did their time in swing bands.
Charlie Parker still swings at 240!
DSP
