Re: [Harp-L] Swing vs. Shuffle

[Slim Heilpern <slim@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Someone else can hopefully provide a better description, but I'll take a shot at it...

Starting with 4 beats to the bar, divide each beat in 3. Count it out in slow motion: 123 123 123 123... Now, leave out the '2' (but leave rhythmic space for it): 1_3 1_3 1_3 1_3..... Now, _accent_ the 3 and you have the basis for a shuffle. 

Swing is similar, but it tends to have fewer of the '3' accents actually stated - a more relaxed feel, looks more like this: 1__ 1_3 1__ 1_3, with the accent on '3'. 

Using music notation, the actual figures I described would be written with a dotted eighth note (the '1's) followed by a sixteenth note (the '3's), but it's usually just written out as straight eighth notes to avoid clutter, with the groove stated as swing or shuffle, or not stated at all.

Different styles of music have different formulas for playing a shuffle groove (with respect to instrumentation), but the rhythmic basis is the same. In a band situation, when playing a shuffle, often one instrument (piano, guitar, etc..) will tend to play a staccato chord on the offbeats (the '3's) to accent them. 

Hope that helps...

- Slim.

www.SlideManSlim.com

On Jan 11, 2013, at 4:35 AM, Elizabeth Hess wrote:

> What is the difference between "swing" and "shuffle", if any?
> 
> Elizabeth H. (aka "Tin Lizzie")
>