Swing Rhythms
A swing rhythm can be created by tying together the first and second notes of a triplet. There are several different ways of writing swing rhythms. To understand them it is worth using one musical example written in various ways. First play example 74 which contains eighth note triplets.
Example 75 has the first and second notes of the triplet group tied. This gives the example a swing feel.
The two eighth note triplets tied together in example 75 can be replaced by a quarter note.
To simplify notation, it is common to replace the 6 with z, and to write at the start of the piece 6 = z as illustrated in example 77.
Examples 75, 75, and 77 sound exactly the same but are just written differently.
This traditional song was made famous by Louis Armstrong and has been played by many of the great Jazz players.
Take care with the slurs in this riff. Practice it slowly at first if you have trouble with it.
This 12 Bar Blues uses both triplets and swing 8th notes. Practice it slowly to begin with and then try playing along with a metronome. You now have enough musical knowledge to begin improvising, which means creating your own melodies as you play. Try varying the notes of some of the songs and examples in the book, and then make up some of your own phrases based on them.
The 12 Bar Blues is an excellent progression for improvising. Experiment and have fun!
