Swing Rhythms
A swing rhythm can be created by playing or singing only the first and third 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, using the syllable ba, sing example 58, which contains eighth note triplets.
This variation 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 59 can be replaced by a quarter note.
To simplify notation, it is common to replace 6 the with z , and to write at the start of the piece 6 = z as illustrated in example 61.
The previous three examples sound exactly the same. They are just different ways of notating the same melody.
This song was made famous by Louis Armstrong. It is played and sung with a swing feel. This means that all the eighth notes in the song are swung. There are many songs in various styles that have a swing feel. They are particularly common in Blues and Jazz as well as Gospel, Rock and Country music.
The second version of this song is in the key of E minor. Once again, there are slight differences in phrasing between the two versions. Sing along with the version that feels most comfortable for your vocal range.
