Swing Rhythm
Since the early 20th century there have been many new styles of music which use a rhythmic feeling called swing. These styles include Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Soul, Rock, Funk and Hip-Hop. 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.
Instead of tying the first two notes of the tripet group, a quarter ntoe can be used. The quarter note grouped with an eighth note by a triplet bracket shows clearly that the first note is worth two thirds of the beat, while the second note is worth only one third. Play the following example and notice that it sounds the same as the previous one. This is just a different way of writing the rhythm.
A third way to write the same rhythm is to notate the whole thing in eighth notes and to write 6 = z at the start of the music. Jazz players usually write swing rhythms in this manner, as it is easier to read.
