Swing Rhythm

Lesson 14/80 | Study Time: 5 Min
Course: Ragtime Fingerpicking Guitar
Swing Rhythm

Swing Rhythm

The swing rhythm is often used in Ragtime. Swing rhythm is a kind of "skipping" feel, created when two eighth notes notated together are played as the 1st and 3rd parts of a triplet (three notes per beat).

The following two examples are the same except the second example phrases the eighth notes as the first and third part of a triplet. Practice both pieces until you get the feel of the swing rhythm. Note the use of an open string between some chord changes (see section 2).

To simplify the notation of a piece of music that requires the swing rhythm, the following symbol is used 6 = z. This symbol is placed at the beginning of the music to indicate that all eighth notes are played as the 1st and 3rd parts of a triplet.

The next example features eighth note bass runs.

Revision Rag incorporates many of the techniques introduced throughout this section such as syncopation, lead-in bass notes, bass runs and the swing rhythm.

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Class Sessions

1- INTRODUCTION 2- Glossary of Musical Terms 3- Fingerpicking Technique 4- Scales 5- Classic Rags 6- Building a Rag 7- Ragtime Rhythms and Bass Lines 8- Ragtime Basics 9- Tablature 10- Natural Notes 11- Octaves 12- Adding Extra Notes to a Chord 13- The <span class="symbolA">%</span> Time Signature 14- Alternating Thumb Style 15- Playing Position 16- Stoptime Rags 17- Simple Notation 18- Basic G Chord Licks 19- Hand Technique 20- The Chromatic Scale 21- Picking Patterns 22- Tablature Symbols 23- The A Chromatic Scale 24- Chord Diagrams Used in This Book 25- Fingerpicking Pattern One 26- Picking the Strings 27- Basic C Chord Licks 28- Cut Time 29- The Major Scale 30- Picking With the Fingers - The Free Stroke 31- Basic D Chord Licks 32- The Cut Time Bass Line 33- Changing Chords 34- Basic E Chord Licks 35- Picking With the Thumb 36- Dropping the Last Note Before a Chord Change 37- The Minor Scale 38- Using The <em>a</em> Finger 39- The Major Pentatonic Scale 40- Picking Multiple Notes 41- Finger Names and Numbers 42- Using an Open String to Change Chords 43- Basic A Chord Licks 44- Syncopation 45- The Blues Scale 46- Sixteen Bar Ragtime Chord Progression 47- First Position - Right Hand 48- F Chord Licks - Root Six Major Bar Chord 49- Keys and Key Signatures 50- Fingerpicking Pattern Two 51- B Chord Licks - Root Five Major Bar Chord 52- Second Position - Right Hand 53- Syncopated Chord Changes 54- The Pinch 55- Relative Keys 56- Syncopated Melody 57- Bracing The Right Hand 58- The Hammer-On 59- Fingerpicking Patterns Three and Four 60- The Pull-Off 61- Lead-In Bass Notes 62- Learning all the Keys 63- The Slide 64- Diminished Chords 65- Bass Runs 66- How Chords Are Formed 67- Ragtime Songs - Fingerpicking a Melody 68- The Major Scale 69- Swing Rhythm 70- Fingerpicking Patterns Five and Six 71- Second Position - Right Hand 72- Chord Construction 73- Combining a Melody and Bass Line 74- Alternative Chord Fingerings 75- Chord Formula Chart 76- D Chord 77- Chord Symbols and Alternatives 78- D Seventh Chord 79- Root Six Bar Chords 80- Root Five Bar Chords

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