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spacerx img "SWING": PART II

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spacerx img Learn to Play the 'Swing' Beat.

DISCLAIMER: Steps A, B and C below have been written incorrectly (from the count of 2) for simplification purposes, because that is the way the Swing beat sounds to our ear as we listen to it.

Three Easy Steps To Swing!

Step A: Think of this as an 8th triplet pattern and we are resting on the second triplet note.
THINK: ___ "DIT . . . . DADA"

Step B: Add the snare.
THINK: ____"CHIC . . . DADA"

Hear the way Swing will sound (without bass drum note.) Listen closely to the cymbal rhythm. It is very difficult to hear it.


Step C: Add the snare and bass.
THINK: ____"CHIC . . . ABOOM"

Hear the way Swing will sound (with repeating bass drum note.)

Below, we're looking at the same beat as it appears when correctly written. It is visually confusing to 'ear' players. When we write it from the count of 1, it appears to be reversed from the way it sounds. It is also most common to see it written as it appears (below) with dotted 8th and 16th notes.

It sounds exactly the same as Figure C above, when it repeats.

Another common version of Swing. Here we will be playing quarter notes on the bass drum.

Master the Swing beat to this tempo or faster.

VIDEO: Click here to 'Play', see, and hear the Swing beat. Watch the bass drum change. Designed for Internet Explorer using windows Media player.

Video: For almost all other handheld devices and browsers.

We could go on with page after page of Swing Variations. There are potentially 16 Million or more variations of this pattern. To master Swing Independence is to master Jazz techniques. At this point I would recommend a book to help you maximize your abilities with the Swing beat. The book, 'Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer', is a classic! Written by one of the Jazz greats, a fellow by the name of Jim Chapin . . . this book can't be topped and any attempt to do so would only end up being a cheap imitation! So, buy a copy right away.

In the 1990s you could order it from any music store for around $12.95 (US). It is distributed by Mel Bey. They will probably continue to distribute it, but the price is sure to increase with time.

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spacerx imgCopyright Bill Powelson 1965-1996-2008-2014 @ all rights reserved.